Waite Park council approves pilot study and $215,000 for water treatment upgrades

Waite Park City Council voted to authorize a pilot study of contaminant-removal options and to begin preliminary engineering for upgrades to the city's water treatment plant. City staff said the pilot would run about 12 to 18 months and would guide whether to use granular activated carbon or ion exchange systems and how best to reduce volatile organic compounds.

City staff told the council that settlement and grant dollars would cover the portion of work related to the contaminant-removal pilot while $215,000 to start water-treatment upgrades would be drawn from the city's water reserve; staff said the reserve would be repaid if the city later bonds the full project. "The POS pilot study is looking to be about 12 to 18 months long," city staff said, adding that preliminary engineering work would aim for roughly 40% design to submit to state reviewers next year.

The pilot is intended to narrow treatment options and inform later design and permitting steps. Councilmembers asked how the pilot and preliminary engineering would be funded; staff reiterated the mix of grants/settlement dollars for the pilot and reserve funds for early plant work. One councilmember opposed the motion during the vote; the motion carried.

The council's action permits staff to contract for the pilot study and preliminary engineering and to continue designing upgrades that staff said will be brought back for future formal approvals and potential bonding.