SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The city of Lennox has a website posting answers to 20 questions about the possible waste waster system link to the proposed men’s prison in Lincoln County.
“We were getting questions…,” city administrator Nate Vander Plaats said of the reason why the city posted the frequently asked questions (FAQ) post.
The city council has been discussing the possibility of the planned men’s prison connecting to the city’s wastewater system for just over a month.
“All of our discussion happens on the record at council meetings. We are open and transparent,” Vander Plaats said.
A piece of the transparency in the FAQ is available. The city also has a Facebook live question and answer presentation at 7 p.m. Monday. The session will be posted for viewing after the meeting as well, Vander Plaats said.
When the city of Harrisburg rejected a proposal from the state to connect to its wastewater system, Vander Plaats said at an Aug. 26 Lennox City Council meeting that he contacted the South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC).
The city has not yet made a decision, but Vander Plaats said because the state plans to use about $10 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan) money for wastewater, the city will need to make a decision soon. The ARPA money needs to be spent by the end of this year.
Vander Plaats said the FAQ and information included in city council discussions are based in fact. The city is working with its city engineer and the DOC is using its engineer.
The DOC would give the city a $7 million direct payment at the start, according to officials.
The city’s facility treats about 200,000 gallons a day and has a capacity for 670,000 gallons.
City and engineering officials said the city would need to make about $4.5 million in improvements to better handle the prison’s sewage.
Mitch Mergen of Stockwell Engineering said in a Sept. 23 Lennox City Council meeting that if it makes $4.5 million in improvements it could better handle the proposed 180,000 gallons of sewer each day from the new prison. The prison would eventually increase that load to about 225,000 gallons a day.
The DOC would pay for its use of the Lennox facility.
According to the FAQ worksheet, as the Lennox facility ages, it will need to make improvements. The DOC payments for use will help pay for those improvements. If there is no sewer connection to the prison, the city’s sewer rates may need to increase to cover improvement costs.
Here is additional FAQ information related to what happens with prison sewage and contaminants: The sewage from the prison would travel through a force main. The prison laundry and food service wastewater would be treated with separators and screens and grinders will be used before the wastewater enters the transmission line and is pumped to Lennox.
Wastewater operators are trained to handle contaminants in the system. Contaminates that are already being flushed into the system include gasoline, paint, chemicals and other substances.
Odor was also discussed on Sept. 23 and in the FAQ. Officials said on Sept. 23 that the prison waste will be more concentrated which could have more odor. City officials said on Sept. 23 in the FAQ said chemicals can control odor and a planned connection tank will limit exposure to the elements.
In terms of expenses, city officials have said, and in the FAQ, it said that the additional expenses caused by a prison connection would be covered by DOC payments for use.
