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Tomahawk Residents Face 25 Percent Sewer Rate Hike

Tomahawk residents are paying more for their wastewater treatment. The average user will pay about a hundred dollars more each year in sewer bills. 

The city of Tomahawk has approved a 25 percent sewer rate increase that went into effect January 1st.  The extra money will help pay for upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which dates back to the 1950s. 

Public Works Director Mike Tolvstad says the first phase of the project began when the roof of the solid waste digester was found to be structurally unsound. 

“So once we started looking at the digester and the boilers, and some of the valving and pumps, it kind of grows. You know you just keep following the system along and say we should do this too as long as we’re doing this, and then we should do this. And so the second phase addresses the secondary treatment and things like that.”

Tolvstad says the changes are necessary to comply with environmental regulations.  

The city received a 900-thousand dollar short-term loan from the Board of Commissioners for Public Lands, and is also expecting a larger loan from the state’s Clean Water Fund to pay for the rest of the more than $3 million project. 

 

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