IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL CITY OF RUPERT WASTEWATER CUSTOMERS

Critical Wastewater System Updates- PLEASE READ.

Dear Rupert Residents and Wastewater Customers,

We want to provide you with an important update regarding the City of Rupert's wastewater (sewer) system and what actions the City is taking to address a critical infrastructure emergency that directly affects all of us.

What Happened?

Over the last several years, the City's wastewater lagoon's clay liner and the wastewater aeration system suffered unexpected catastrophic failures due to their age. These systems, which are both essential to safely treat and manage the City's wastewater, are no longer functioning. As a result, sewer odors have periodically increased throughout parts of the community and the City's wastewater treatment system, without major repairs and upgrades, will not meet legal and environmental standards.

What is the City Doing?

Due to the urgent nature of the situation:

The Idaho District Court has ordered immediate corrective action.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) has provided a grant to help with a portion of the project cost.
The City has already awarded a construction contract to fix and fully upgrade the system and contractors are currently working onsite.

The Cost and Impact on Rates

The total cost of this emergency project is $44 million. Unfortunately, due to nationwide inflation and increased construction costs, bids for the project came in approximately 25% higher than expected.

To complete this project:

The City is using IDEQ grant funds to reduce the total cost and the City is pursuing addition grant funding.
The remaining costs will be covered entirely by wastewater revenue bonds or low interest government loans.
There will be no increases in taxes as a result of this project.
However, wastewater rates will increase to repay the bonds or loans.

We want to emphasize:

These rate increases are not related to housing growth or business expansion in the City. They are the direct and unavoidable result of an emergency system failure. Wastewater rate revenues are only used to pay for the costs of operating the sewer system (and nothing else).

Why This Can't Wait

Engineers have warned the City that if major repairs are not made, the City will be forced to shut down all sewer services entirely by the year 2030. This is not an option. The health, safety, and economic wellbeing of our community depend on a reliable wastewater system that meets legal, regulatory requirements.

Staying Informed

We know this is a major issue that impacts everyone. The City of Rupert is committed to transparency throughout this process. For detailed information about the project, the system failure, costs, timeline, and how this affects your monthly wastewater bill, please visit this website for more information and regular updates.

Click this link for the history of the City's efforts to address recent problems at the wastewater facilities - WastewaterTimeline.pdf

Click this link to see a livestream of construction work on the City of Rupert wastewater treatment plant - TrueLook

FAQ

We know you have questions. We are here to answer them!

Question:

I've noticed the City has built a new fire station and a new pool cover. Is that why my sewer bill will be going up?

Answer:

No, money you pay for your sewer service is ONLY spent to operate the wastewater system and is NEVER spent on any other project in the City! The City's new fire station was paid for primarily with grant funding, and the swimming pool cover was paid for with large donations.

Question:

Why was there a system failure and how will this affect my sewer bill?

Answer:

The system has broken due to aging infrastructure and must be repaired. The exact cost is not yet known; however, it is believed that next year residential sewer bills will increase between $25 - $30 per month. This rate increase is NOT a result of housing or business growth in our community; it is the cost to fix Rupert's broken sewer due to system failures.

Question:

How long will these fixes last?

Answer:

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) anticipates the repairs to last a minimum of 20 years.

Question:

Are these repairs happening because of all the new developments in Rupert?

Answer:

No, the reasons these repairs are required is the direct and unavoidable result of an emergency system failure due to age. Even if there had been no new developments built in the City of Rupert, the same repairs would have been necessary. If these fixes are not made, the City will be forced to shut down all sewer services entirely by the year 2030. In fact, new houses and businesses will spread the cost of the repairs to more customers; this growth actually helps keep the monthly sewer bill lower.

Question:

Will the sewer upgrade change the quality of the sewer water once it is treated?

Answer:

Yes, the new wastewater treatment upgrades will allow treated wastewater to be classified as "Class A" wastewater. This means the City will have more options to reuse the water for things like irrigation and recharge. This process will also be the least cost option for the City of Rupert's resident's.

Question:

How much will my bill go up?

Answer:

It is not yet known precisely how the cost of the repairs at the wastewater treatment plant will affect customers rates. However, it is estimated that resident's might expect a $25- $30 per month rate increase next year to cover the cost of the repair.

Question:

Why didn't the Wastewater Department find this problem at the treatment plant sooner? If it had been detected sooner would the cost have been less?

Answer:

The City's lagoons are inspected every 10 years by the Idaho Department of Environment Quality. There was no indication of any problem until they failed. With regard to the aeration system, regular maintenance was being performed and the computer monitoring system indicated aeration was working properly. It was only later discovered by engineers that the monitoring system had a defect. In other words, the City Wastewater Department did everything it should have. Once the system failure was found, they moved as quickly as possible to fix the problem. Regardless, the cost, remained the same once the issue was discovered.

Question:

What can the Wasterwater Department do in the future to assure that this kind of emergency doesnt happen again?

Answer:

The Wastewater Department follows regular maintenance protocols and schedules as recommended by the manufacturers of our equipment. Eventually, all equipment wears out. The City's wastewater lagoons are over 50 years old. Two have failed inspection; however, one still remains functional. The previous aeration system appeared to be operational and had been regularly maintained when it was discovered that it had to be replaced due to age. Like an automobile, this wastewater equipment has a service life. After so many "miles," it must be replaced. The City tries to get full mechanical life out of the equipment to keep rates low and benefit our ratepayers.

Question:

How are the new rate increases calculated?

Answer:

The proposed rate increases for next year are calculated based on the cost to pay loans needed to repair the wastewater system. These rate increases are not the result of any employee pay raises, electric power cost increases, or general inflation. Next year's propose rate increase are strictly the cost for debt service.

Question:

Why was there an odor problem at the Wastewater Treatment Plant?

Answer:

For a period of time, the Cities aeration system were malfunctioning, but the monitoring system indicated they were working just fine. The aeration system was not putting enough oxygen into the treatment of the waste. That failure caused odor problems. Because of the malfunction, it took engineers a considerable amount of time to figure out what was causing the odors. The City is now installing a new aeration system, which should eliminate the odor problem.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we take the necessary steps to protect Rupert's future and ensure healthy, safe, functioning wastewater services for decades to come.

Please visit the above website for more information.

Sincerely,

Rupert Mayor Tammy Jones

City Council: Joel Heward, Kris Faux, Randy Thompson and James Wardle

City Administrator Kelly Anthon

Wastewater Superintendent David Joyce