Wastewater Letter of Support

To Whom It May Concern,

In 2017, DEQ conducted an annual review of Aumsville’s wastewater system and concluded that the city’s system is unable to meet the EPA and DEQ standards for NPDES with effluent discharge, particularly for TMDL and ammonia levels. DEQ took an immediate enforcement position with the city. If no changes were to be made, the city would face high fines by DEQ and EPA. In late 2017, the city signed a mutual agreement order to install a mechanical processing system that would introduce the necessary treatment process to lower the ammonia levels in the output, and provide for overall cleaner water in the final stages of processing. The new process would result in beneficial environmental impacts to Beaver Creek and local groundwater.

With just 4,000 residents, the cost of constructing a new facility without outside assistance is cost-prohibitive and greatly decreases the affordability of living in Aumsville. The cost of operating the new sewer system alone would double the existing monthly sewer bill. If we include capital costs, our estimates would put the sewer portion of the utility bill between $200-250 per month. After adding the water to this price, the utility bill would be over $300 per month for the average water/sewer bill in the city. As a small, rural community just above the medium income threshold for HUD based on the most recent census, this heavily increased cost would leave many of the residents of Aumsville who are on fixed incomes struggling to cover utility costs at this level.

As a resident of Aumsville, I know families cannot afford such a drastic increase in utility costs. Please assist our community in leveraging state and federal grants to help fund this required project.