T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY A village of Green Mountain sign is shown recently on the building housing its volunteer fire equipment and more. Iowa Rural Utilities Association (IRUA) CEO Matt Mahler expects construction on the $3.7 million sanitary sewer project in the unincorporated Marshall County community to begin in the spring of 2026.

GREEN MOUNTAIN — Residents of Green Mountain have been waiting several years to see ground broken for its sanitary sewer project. They will have to wait a little longer, but some understand.

“We expect to see construction start early spring of 2026,” said Matt Mahler, the CEO of Iowa Rural Utilities Association (IRUA) in Newton, in a telephone interview with the Times-Republican recently.

IRUA has been overseeing the project with residents on the $3.7 million project since 2019.

“The government shutdown (Oct. 1 – Nov. 12) and an ‘early winter’ were factors,” Mahler said. “On Dec. 5 we held a pre-construction conference with successful bidder Con-Struct of Ames and Marshalltown, Alliant Energy and others at the village’s community building. Everyone was agreeable to the spring start date. If necessary, we may have to extend the initial project completion date because Con-Struct was prevented from starting construction in October of this year as was initially planned.”

Mahler said six experienced companies submitted bids Aug. 6, and Con-Struct was the apparent low bidder.

However, Mahler said the government shutdown – the longest in U.S. history – prevented United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials from reviewing Con-Struct’s bid and other project documents. Frozen ground followed by snowfalls also factored in the delay.

Regardless, some residents that town spokesperson John Worden talked to accept the spring start date, he said in a telephone interview recently.

“I got the word out to residents about the spring start date on Dec. 8,” he said. “We have become used to delays so we will just have to ‘roll with the punches. And several attendees at the pre-construction conference said the early snowfalls may be an advantage – it prevented frost from going deeper into the ground.”

Worden attended the pre-construction conference and numerous other meetings. He has been directly involved with the project since it first began 12 years ago.

Green Mountain – population 105 according to 2023 data — was platted in 1855, according to Historical Society of Marshall County records. It has remained unincorporated, meaning it does not, nor ever has had, a mayor or city council elected by residents.

Government-related business is managed by the Marshall County Board of Supervisors. They have monitored the project over the years and were instrumental in selecting IRUA to manage the project.

“I am pleased to see the sewer project move forward to finally break ground next spring after 13 years of work,” said Supervisor Jarret Heil. “The completion of this village-wide sewer system will get the community in compliance with IDNR’s determination the current private septic structure was deficient and has been contaminating local water sources. This subsequently removes a hurdle for further growth in Green Mountain for future homes to be built and hopefully makes it easier for property owners to sell their properties to those desiring to locate in the village.”

The project became necessary when, in 2013, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) in Des Moines determined that several privately-owned septic tanks near Nicholson Creek on the village’s west side were leaking and thereby contaminating the creek. It flows south into Rock Creek, which then flows into Iowa River on the east side of Marshalltown.

Once construction starts, all privately-owned septic systems in the village will be disconnected from the property and filled-in. The properties will then be connected to a village-wide sewer system that will flow to a previously constructed IRUA-owned sewer lagoon, which will be serviced twice per year by IRUA staff.

At a public meeting in the community center July 9, Mahler told attendees the project consists of two miles of pipe and 54 manhole covers.

“This is a complicated project since it is large in scope and the sanitary sewer system is being installed from scratch,” he said.

The Marshall County Sanitarian and IRUA staff will monitor installations and other work. At the July 9 meeting, Mahler estimated residents could expect to pay $104 to $150 per month in sewer fees, or between $1,248 to $1,800 annually to pay down a USDA loan that is part of project financing. The individual monthly fees are necessary to pay down a 40-year loan from USDA to help finance the project.

A number of residents at the meeting expressed concerns about being able to pay the estimated sewer fee amounts in addition to monthly IRUA water fees previously implemented.

“We have a number of residents on fixed incomes, and I know this (sewer fee) expense will be a hardship for them,” Worden said.

“We will know what each property owner’s monthly sanitary sewer bill will be when construction is complete,” Mahler said.

Mahler said a number of other grants were approved and they will reduce overall project costs. He said his office and USDA are working to keep individual monthly sanitary sewer bills as low as possible.

“I am impressed with Mahler’s and IRUAs commitment to the project and concern for the village,” said Worden.