CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced financial support for Cedar Rapids to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility.
That facility treats everything people in the city flush down a drain in addition to industrial waste. The city says it treats 25 million gallons of wastewater a day, 20 million of that is from industry, the rest is from residential.
The “Water Pollution Control facility” treats water from Cedar Rapids and surrounding towns and is 44 years old. Utilities Director Roy Hesemann said it was a building that needed upgrades.
“It’s really eliminating some of the older, less efficient, at the time cutting edge or leading-edge technology, which is now outdated,” said Hesemann.
Thursday, the city announced it was getting a state revolving fund loan of $348 million. Money made possible through the federal Infrastructure Law. The money will also allow it to capture biogas during the treatment of waste to eventually become renewable natural gas.
“The wastewater will be treated just like it has in the past just a different process,” he said.
EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator, Bruno Pigott, said upgrades like what the city plans to make are what’s needed to attract new businesses to towns. Much like the two multimillion-dollar data centers, the city is incentivizing the construction of near the airport. Hesemann said both would use a significant amount of the city’s water but wouldn’t put a strain on the city’s water system.
“If communities are to expand and grow and be vibrant and provide jobs,” he said. “You need to have wastewater infrastructure that adequately treats the stuff so people can drink the water, play, and recreation in it, and businesses can use it.”
Hesemann said they plan to break ground on the improvements in November, but the upgrades will take until at least early 2029. However, people shouldn’t notice much of a change.
“They shouldn’t notice any change,” said Hesemann.
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