Arkansas - Las Animas Sanitary Sewer System Improvements_Application

• Basin Roundtable: Arkansas
• Applicant: City of Las Animas
• Description: City of Las Animas Sanitary Sewer System Improvements
• Account Source: Statewide
• Board Meeting Date: 3/19/2008
• WSRA - Doc Type: Grant Application

Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form
Fonn Revised May 2007

area.

The economic roots of the area are agricultural, although in the last decade diversification of the
employment base has been pursued. While agriculture activities are still a portion of the employment
base in the region, major employers in the area include, as presented above, the BCCF correctional
facility operated by the CCA; the Bent County Health Care Center; the Colorado Department of
Corrections, Fort Lyons Correctional Facility; the M2P2, LLC, Farrowing Facility (formerly Bell Farms);
the Las Animas RE-1 School District, Bent County, the City of Las Animas and banking institutions.
Nearby employers include various other employers in the nearby cities of La Junta and Lamar.
Agricultural related activities still serve as a major economic activity within the region.

In comparison with the rest of the State of Colorado and as previous stated, Las Animas falls significantly
below the median state average for income. Based on the 2000 census data, the city's median
household income is $26,157 compared to the state's average of $47,203. Based on 2005 data from the
Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the statewide average monthly sewer bill was $14.80 while the
city's average monthly bill is $23.50, already higher than the state average. Furthermore, as a result of
the proposed project, the sewer rates are projected to increase by $1.50 making the average $25.00 per
user per month. The city's cost to its users for sewer service is considerably higher than the average in
the state. Such being the case, the city simply does not have the additional debt capacity or retained
earnings available to complete the needed additional sanitary sewer collection main replacements for the
proposed project.

The additional $200,000 if secured in the form of a loan would result in an additional rate increase of
approximately $0.85 per user per month. The City Council and the Mayor have determined that the
maximum tolerable monthly sewer rate increase is $1.50. The additional $0.85 would result in a monthly
rate increase of $2.35. This is considered unacceptable given the already significant rate the city is
facing coupled with the financial capacity of the city's user base.

5. Please summarize the proposed scope of work. Please refer to Part 2 of the Criteria and Guidance
document for detailed requirements. On the following page there is an example format for the Scope of
Work. You can use the example format or your own format, provided that comparable information is
included.

Summary
The scope of work to be accomplished within this application includes the following:

1. Removal and replacement of the city's main lift station. The lift station will be relocated to the north
side of the railroad tracks thereby reducing the amount of pipelines crossing underneath the tracks.
The mains underneath the tracks shifted to where a camera is unable to pass through the pipe. This
poses severe consequences should the pipe completely fail in addition to the current exfiltration of
raw sewage into the ground water during the winter months and infiltration of ground water into the
city's sewer system during the summer months.
2. Improvements to the city's north lift station including coating the wet well, installation of a meter and
additional minor work.
3. Replacement of various deteriorating, failing, reserve graded segments of sanitary sewer collection
system as detailed within the city's Preliminary Engineering Report.
4. The installation of a composite sampler at the WWTP.

Goals
The goals of this project include the following:

1. Have adequate sanitary sewage lift stations in place to effectively, consistently and uninterruptedly

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