STARKVILLE — Starkville’s ongoing wastewater system study is holding up a planned $7 million expansion to the East Oktibbeha Wastewater District.
What the city’s study reveals could keep the rural wastewater district from expanding at all.
Dwight Prisock, manager for the East Oktibbeha Wastewater District, told the county’s board of supervisors Monday that the district is nearly ready to start an expansion project across Highway 182 from Hickory Grove Road running east to Triangle Drywall Supply. But for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to clear the project to take construction bids, the city must consent to the expanded rural district tying into its wastewater treatment plant, since the district doesn’t have its own.
The city, the wastewater district and Mississippi State University all tie into the city’s wastewater treatment plant, Prisock said. On Monday, supervisors approved a resolution asking to meet with representatives of all three entities to discuss how to move forward.
ARPA time crunch
East Oktibbeha Wastewater District plans to use American Rescue Plan Act and state matching funds — $3.5 million each — to expand sewer service to the Habitat for Humanity subdivision on 16th Section Road, as well as parts of Old Highway 25, Poor House Road, Williams Road and Bethel Road. Prisock told The Dispatch the total project would add more than 200 households to the service.
The Neel-Schaffer engineering firm has designed plans for the project, with the specifications forthcoming. However, Starkville has not signed off, and without the city’s approval, the plan can’t be submitted to MDEQ.
Meanwhile, Starkville is amid a “holistic” study of its wastewater treatment system, one Starkville Utilities General Manager Edward Kemp said is on track to finish by the end of March.
From there, Mayor Lynn Spruill said, aldermen would evaluate both the study’s results and the proposed expansion plan before deciding whether it could tie in. She said it would be “inappropriate” to allow approval before those two things happen.
Prisock disagrees, noting the wait could jeopardize funding. Obligations for ARPA funds must be in place by the end of 2024, and all ARPA funds must be spent by the end of 2026.
“There’s no reason not to sign off on it and let the projects go because if (the city signs) off on it, MDEQ will have it anywhere from four weeks to six months before they sign off on it,” Prisock told the supervisors. “And that’s the requirement you have to have before you can bid it.”
“We’re already tight on meeting the federal requirements,” Priscock told The Dispatch after the meeting.
A private development also has a stake in East Oktibbeha’s expansion.
Pace Stead of Forrest Street Partners, an Atlanta development firm, said his firm’s 98-acre project on Highway 182 is dependent on East Oktibbeha’s line expansion. He said the company invested in the project once it received a commitment that wastewater services would be provided.
“Our team has already invested a substantial amount of time, capital and resources totalling over $1 million,” he said Monday in a prepared statement to the board. “Today, I implore upon you to stand in our endeavor to safeguard the vitality of our project and steadfastly uphold the county’s commitments.”
Capacity concerns
Starkville Utilities kicked off its wastewater system study last summer.
“That assessment is evaluating the capacity (of the system), both current and future,” Kemp said. “It’s evaluating our facilities and will identify any upgrades for needed modifications or repairs. And the third aspect is we are evaluating our treatment process.
Kemp said the study has “brought to light the overall realization that we need to really take a hard look about what our plant can safely receive and treat to make sure we’re staying in compliance with our permit.”
“… Until we have a really clear idea of what that capacity looks like, I think we’re taking a really cautious approach to not overextend ourselves from a treatment standpoint,” he added.
Kevin Edwards is news editor and reports on Starkville and Oktibbeha County government.
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