ISLAND CITY — The Island City Area Sanitation District’s collection system, which pumps wastewater to La Grande for treatment, is set to get a major boost.

The district has announced that $2.26 million in upgrade work for the district will begin later this year. The district board kickstarted a preliminary phase of the project Wednesday, March 10, when it voted to advertise for bids for the work. The sanitation board will select a contractor in April or May.

Karen Howton, secretary of the Island City Area Sanitation Board, said the work could begin in June and should progress quickly.

“We hope to have the work finished by the end of the year,” Howton said.

The pumping portion of the district’s wastewater system is deteriorating due to age. The system relies on five lift stations, each of which have two pumps. All the pumps at four of the lift stations must be replaced.

“These lift station pumps are on the verge of failure,” Howton said of the 40-year-old pumps.

Most of the district’s lift stations are in residential, commercial or industrial areas. The wastewater overflow pump failures in these areas could put public health at risk, she said.

Dave Wildman, the project engineer, said it is not unusual for the district to have both its pumps at a given lift station go out. When a pump fails, operators must use a portable engine-driven backup pump on a trailer. The backup pump requires hand operation, and staff must monitor it 24/7. That work, which Wildman said he has observed, is time consuming and exhausting.

“It is not a fun process,” he said.

This work is so critical that Wildman compares those called in to do it to first responders.

“They are on the front lines keeping us healthy and safe,” said Wildman, who works for the La Grande-based engineer firm Anderson Perry & Associates Inc.

Replacing the eight aging pumps not only will reduce the potential for overflows but also reduce annual pump repair costs, which have been rising dramatically. The sanitation district’s annual maintenance expenses, of which pump restoration is a major part, have jumped $35,000 a year each of the past five years, Wildman said.

The area served by the sanitation district includes all of Island City and a number of parcels of land zoned for commercial and industrial use in the vicinity of the city.

Ten miles of pipe are in the Island City Area Sanitation District’s system, portions of which are in need of major repair work. Wildman said inspections using small remote control vehicles have detected 20 sites for repairs.

The $2.26 million project also will pay for the purchase of a system that will be easier to maintain. The system now requires operators to step down into the vicinity of the wastewater to make adjustments on electronic control panels. Wildman said the upgraded system will have its control panels above ground to allow for adjustments to be easily and safely made.

The sanitation district will pay for the upgrade with a $1.96 million loan from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and with $300,000 from the district’s reserve fund. The interest rate for the DEQ loan will be 1%, and the city will pay it off over a 30-year period. Wildman said $500,000 of the loan is potentially forgivable if the district follows proper criteria.

Regardless of the size of the debt, the district will have to raise its rates to have enough revenue to pay back the loan.

Island City’s rates, which are now $40 a month, will have to increase to $45-$50 a month, Wildman said. This will leave the district’s rates below the state average of $51 a month. The state average Wildman cited is based upon a 2020 League of Oregon Cities report.

Wildman said the district has not raised sewer rates since 2006. He said the average rate of inflation since then has been about 2% a year, meaning if the rate kept up with inflation, the cost now would be about $54 a month.

Howton said the district’s sewer rate increase will likely be made in one step. Those receiving sewer service, she said, will be notified several months before the increase takes effect.

Additional information about the project is available at Island City Hall, 10605 Island Ave. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday.