Becker mayor urges $1 million design bonding for new water treatment plant

Representative Mecklen introduced House File 3599, which would authorize $1,000,000 in state bonding for the design phase of a new Becker water-treatment plant.

Mayor Mark Kovinger of Becker told the committee the city of about 5,000 cannot afford a major capital project on its own. He said the city has tried at least 11 test wells and found the most recent wells have very high levels of iron and manganese that would require treatment before coming online. "We have identified several different areas where we found test wells, but the most current ones that we just put in 2 wells are very high in iron and manganese," Kovinger said.

Kovinger also said the phased retirement of the Sherco power plant will remove roughly 60% of Becker’s tax base and one of its largest water customers, compounding the city’s fiscal challenge and increasing the need for state assistance. He asked the committee to approve the design funding so Becker can produce plans and specifications and move toward construction.

The committee had no follow-up questions and thanked the mayor for appearing. No vote or formal action on the bill was recorded during the March 17 hearing; committee members moved on to the next presenters.