DEQ awards nearly $60 million to 11 drinking water and wastewater systems across Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced the award of $59,187,419 in construction grants to 11 drinking water and wastewater systems as part of Governor Brad Little’s Leading Idaho initiative.

“Water is our most valuable resource, and we absolutely must keep up the infrastructure to ensure water is clean and plentiful for this generation and future ones. That is why we made historic investments in water quality and quantity this year as part of my ‘Leading Idaho’ plan. These investments also could keep your property taxes low. Property taxes are determined locally but the investments we made in water and other infrastructure needs at the state level help relieve the burden on local government to cover costs of projects, improving the chances property owners won’t be burdened with the costs,” said Governor Little.

• Bennington Water System, Inc. – Bennington Water System, Inc. in Bear Lake County was awarded $2,400,000 to supplement material and labor cost overruns associated with their existing project, which consists of redeveloping Spring No. 2 and constructing a 150,000-gallon storage tank, disinfection facility, blending line, and transmission line.
• City of Lewiston – The city of Lewiston in Nez Perce County was awarded $7,300,000 to supplement material and labor cost overruns associated with their existing project, which consists of upgrading the water treatment system, replacing undersized mains, upgrading the booster pumping facility, and constructing a new well supply and water storage reservoir.
• City of Craigmont – The city of Craigmont in Lewis County was awarded $5,198,059 for new headworks, biosolids, and ammonia removal, lagoon rehabilitation, and a new disinfection system, infiltration/inflow corrections, and collection work.
• Remington Recreational Water and Sewer District – Remington Recreational Water and Sewer District in Kootenai County was awarded $1,000,000 to supplement material and labor cost overruns associated with their existing project, which consists of improving the source, storage and booster capacity and adding new transmission and distribution lines.
• City of Moyie Springs – The city of Moyie Springs in in Boundary County was awarded $2,100,000 to supplement material and labor cost overruns associated with their existing project, which consists of upgrading the treatment system and building a discharge line to the Kootenai River.
• City of Rigby – The city of Rigby in Jefferson County was awarded $23,000,000 to retain the Nuvoda Mobile Organic Biofilm (MOB) system and add the following major components: septage receiving box, a redundant Nuvoda MOB screen, new oxidation ditches, secondary clarifiers, tertiary filters, pumping upgrades, a new ultraviolet system, new plant water pumps, new screen press, an additional emergency generator, electrical upgrades, and supervisory control and data acquisition improvements.
• City of New Meadows – The city of New Meadows in Adams County was awarded $1,877,700 to construct a well facility for Well No. 5, replace the reservoir and booster station, update the city’s supervisory control and data acquisition system, and address cost overruns pertaining to their existing project.
• City of Juliaetta – The city of Juliaetta in Latah County was awarded $1,700,000 to supplement material and labor cost overruns to their existing project, which consists of rehabilitating replacing their lift station and adding new headworks, new aeration, secondary clarifiers, new dewatering equipment, new temperature and flow monitoring controls, backup generator, composite samplers, and temperature treatment.
• City of Challis – The city of Challis in Custer County was awarded $3,000,000 for the continued construction of a new well, well house, booster station, transmission line and to perform leak detection on water lines.
• City of Genesee – The city of Genesee in Latah County was awarded $3,762,000 to supplement material and labor cost overruns to their existing project, which consists of replacing the collection system, improving the wastewater treatment system, and adding a new headworks facility, lagoon system, and ultraviolet disinfection.
• City of Genesee – The city of Genesee in Latah County was awarded $1,726,031 for the design and construction of Well No. 9, including a well house, yard piping, design and distribution components, and design improvements to the Fir Street boosted pressure zone.
• City of Kooskia – The city of Kooskia in Idaho County was awarded $6,123,629 to add mechanical screening headworks, improve the lagoon diffused aeration, reconstruct the existing treatment lagoons, replace aging sewer mains, perform sewer system rehabilitation including replacement of lift station pumps, and install instruments and controls at the city's lift stations.