According to Assistant City Manager Tyler Jacobson, the facility is estimated to cost between $110 million and $130 million and will be paid for primarily through grants and user fees. The new plant will be located at 2028 N. 200 East just east of the current wastewater treatment plant.

“Our current sewer plant has been in operation since the 1950s and had major renovation in the 1980s,” Jacobson said. “There were about 10,000 residents of Spanish Fork in the ’80s. Spanish Fork City now has approximately 45,000 residents. This growth coupled with new government regulations pertaining to wastewater have necessitated the need to build a new plant.”

Cory Pierce, Spanish Fork’s wastewater division manager, said work on the master plan and designs for the plant began in spring 2019. Alder Construction Co., from Millcreek, and JUB Engineers, from Orem, have been hired by the city to work on the new plant.

The old plant was built to treat 5 million gallons per day, but Pierce said it currently treats about 4.5 million gallons. The new plan will handle an average flow of 6.65 million gallons per day.

“The existing plant was designed to meet regulations imposed in the 1980s, which focused on removing biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids,” Pierce said. “The new treatment plans are designed to remove nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which can have a negative impact on Utah Lake. The new treatment plant will use membrane bioreactor technology and ultraviolet disinfection, which will clean the water to a level that it can be used in the pressurized irrigation system.”

The project is being paid for by several sources. Pierce said a few grants have been applied for and more opportunities will be sought out in the future. Mapleton City will also use this new sewer plant and will pay for 20% of the facility, according to Jacobson.

“Currently, the Utah Water Quality Board has awarded a $500,000 grant in conjunction with a $4.5 million loan,” Pierce said. “Utah County has recently awarded a $5 million grant from American Rescue Plan Act funds. We are still seeking other grant opportunities as we move forward. The balance of fund will come from a bond which will be paid back over the next 20 years.”

The city has been slowly increasing Spanish Fork’s sewer bill over the past few years in preparation of the project. Pierce said the current sewer bill is $34.26 a month for an average resident. He anticipates rates to reach approximately $50 a month by 2026.

The city will still be able to use a portion of the old treatment plant by converting it to treat solids. The old plant has three full-time treatment plant operators. Pierce anticipates hiring one more operator when the new plant opens.

“The remainder portions of the existing treatment plant will be demolished and will provide expansion space for future public works buildings and storage,” Pierce said.

During the ground-breaking ceremony, Spanish Fork Councilman Brandon Gordon said a few words thanking those involved with the project.

“We appreciate everybody that’s here, appreciate our elected officials and those that are going to speak,” he said. “All those who have put so much time and energy into designing and bidding and getting this process underway, here we are today. I was pretty fresh on the City Council when we were touring our old facility across the street, and they were telling us we needed to have some foresight to think about these upgrades, and here we are today. It’s pretty exciting that that was over 10 years ago that we were having those conversations, so these things don’t happen overnight. We’re certainly grateful for all of those that have put forth some effort into this.”