News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Celina is preparing to start sewer work to address a system wide moratorium caused by overflow issues.
Mayor Tonya Spears said the first location to address is the headworks of the city’s sewer treatment plant. Spears said this is not the only issue in the system, and work needs to be done in the future to address sewer lines feeding from the town to the sewer plant’s pond.
Spears said getting the self-imposed moratorium lifted is critical to future development.
“To be able to have that lifted we have to address our issues and our problems,” Spears said. “We can’t grow, we have to be able to provide sewer for growth and for our residents and make sure everything is working properly.”
Spears said the headworks project will be addressed with a $500,000 ARC grant, Celina will match $125,000. Spears said once overflow is corrected, Celina can go back to the state about the sewer moratorium.
“We could possibly go back and ask about lifting sections, but the way our systems set up right now, it’s a system wide moratorium,” Spears said. “Sometimes it only affects certain areas, but with where our overflows are, we are system wide. As we repair the system, then we can go back and ask for portions, possibly, to be lifted.”
She said the plan is to put bids out in early Spring. Spears said she anticipates this project will take six months to complete.
“For the headworks project, we’re hoping to have that completed Fall of 2021,” Spears said. “We are just about a month behind, but hopefully we can get everything rolling and get that section completed by this fall.”
Spears said Celina went under the self-imposed moratorium because of being in violation of their permit. She said the plan is to try and address the second sewer issue during the next grant process.
