Sewer survey says?

Hartley residents will be subjected to a survey this month that could help reduce the price tag of a vital infrastructure project.

On Aug. 22-23 and again Aug. 29-30, a contracted survey crew will conduct a questionnaire with Hartley residents to gather information that will help the city apply for grant programs to aid future water and sanitary sewer upgrades. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) survey has four questions, including one that asks whether the total household income is above or below a set dollar amount depending on family size.

City Administrator Erica Haack explained the answers will help determine Hartley's eligibility for future CDBG funds. If the incomes of a majority of individuals in the survey are higher than the median limits, the city will not be eligible for the grant programs. The surveys are completely confidential and the information given will remain totally anonymous. Survey crews will also adhere to CDC coronavirus guidelines.

If granted, the CDBG funds will help fund an upgrade to the lift station located at N Eighth Avenue East and Second Street Northeast that serves a large portion of the northeast quadrant of town.

Public Works Director Jaron Benz explained there are several reasons why the current setup needs to be replaced.

"The infrastructure has served its purpose well for the years it has been in service and is to the end of its useful life as well as being undersized," he said. "Currently, when we get a lot of rain, one of the first areas to experience sewer back up due to water infiltrating the sanitary sewer is the low area the lift station sewer shed is in. This backup comes partly from the lift station's inability to pump the water away fast enough, which will be made better by upsizing and installing new infrastructure."

Benz said the improvement project will hopefully alleviate the need to bypass the sewer at the lift station during large rain events. The existing lift station is located in an area that frequently floods during heavy rainfall, but since it's situated high enough that it doesn't get overwhelmed by water, the new one will remain relatively the same when it's built.