City of New Hampton Set to Move on Land Acquisition of New Wastewater Treatment

The City of New Hampton has taken the latest step towards acquisition of land for construction of a new wastewater treatment plant.

During their regular meeting Monday (05.05) night, the City Council held a public hearing on moving forward with negotiations to acquire the land necessary for the new plant, to be located just south of the existing facility….a location challenged by Nick Leibold, a nearby tenant.

City Public Works Director Casey Mai said engineers considered alternative sites, but relocating a new plant elsewhere would be cost-prohibitive.

Regardless, the City faces a hefty price tag to replace a facility that has been extended to the point it’s becoming harder and harder to maintain.

The City has contracted with A&R Land Services to assist them with the process of acquiring the land for the new wastewater plant. It’s not known how long that could take, but current timelines have targeted construction to start in 2027 and the facility to be operational by 2029. If so, that would be seven years ahead of the 2036 deadline issued by the Iowa DNR. 

With engineering, design and construction, the price tag for the plant will surpass $3o million.