The stage is now set for installing a sewer system to serve the Green Mountain community after Marshall County Board of Supervisors action Tuesday.

The board approved an ordinance that sets out rules for use of the planned system. The next step is for the company set to run the sewer, Iowa Regional Utilities Association, to get bids for constructing the lagoon-style system.

“I spoke with the Rural Utilities people yesterday. They are going to be sending out letters for a community meeting that they’re going to hold,” said Marshall County Planning, Zoning and Environmental Health Director John Kunc.

That meeting will likely take place in late May or early June. Kunc said it will be a time for Green Mountain community members to ask questions about system use and rates, as well as allowing the company permission to come onto their private property for sewer-related work.

Marshall County officials have been working for more than a decade on this project. It took a lot of time to acquire the land west of Green Mountain needed to install the system, as well as work out an agreement with Rural Utilities and the ordinance passed Tuesday.

While the county owns the land where the lagoon sewer system will be built, the facility will be controlled by Rural Utilities, which will charge rates to users.

Per the ordinance, people within the “service area” who will be served by the new system will have to disconnect any alternative wastewater treatment methods, like private septic tanks, currently in use.

Service area residents will then have to connect to the new sewer system when it is installed. The ordinance also bans tampering with or damaging the sewer facilities as well as dumping or discharging harmful materials into the system. Those include gasoline, benzene and other flammable or explosive materials. Toxic and poisonous materials are also banned, among other items.

For the most part, a violation of the ordinance can carry a civil penalty of up to $750 for one infraction and up to $1,000 for repeat offenses.

In addition, according to the ordinance, anyone “found to have maliciously, willfully, or intentionally damaged, destroyed, uncovered, defaced, or tampered with the Sewage Works shall be guilty of a criminal violation of the code of Iowa.”

Kunc previously estimated the total cost of the sewer facility project at $3 million to $5 million.

Board Vice Chairman Dave Thompson said the county is pursuing grants to help lower the eventual costs for rate payers.

“We’re still applying for the Community Development Block Grant. For lack of a better term, that will be like icing on the cake if we can get that,” he said.

The county’s portion of the costs are estimated at $180,000 from its low- and moderate-income housing fund, which is funded by the Harvester TIF. Thompson has said the project will have zero impact on county property taxpayers – whatever the low- and moderate-income funds, grants and Rural Utilities don’t pay for up front will be added to the bills of the users of the new facility.

County officials hope the new sewage system will play a role in growing the Green Mountain community.

“It is anticipated that this will be a possible kickstart to some housing development in that area because of the magnet of the school and now having a functioning sewer system,” Kunc said.

That includes re-development of current empty lots as well as new development in the Green Mountain area.

To read the entire ordinance passed Tuesday, visit http://www.co.marshall.ia.us/departments/bos and click “Next Board meeting agenda.”

The next regular Marshall County Board of Supervisors meeting is set for 9 a.m. May 14 on the second floor of the Great Western Bank building, 11 N. First Ave.

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Contact Adam Sodders at

641-753-6611 or

asodders@timesrepublican.com