Casper City Council Approves $8M Sewer Line Rehabilitation Loan

The Casper City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement to receive a 20-year, $8 million loan from Wyoming's Clean Water loan program to extend the life of a nearly nine-mile sewer line called an interceptor that connects sewer lines from west Casper, Bar Nunn and Mills to the wastewater treatment plant on the city's east side.

The unlined concrete pipe, ranging in diameter from two feet to four-and-a-half feet, was built in the early 1980s when the city was expected to grow significantly.

That anticipated growth did not happen so the pipe was over sized and underused, which allowed for the creation of toxic and corrosive hydrogen sulfide gas.

The $8 million, which will be reduced by $2 million if the city meets early terms of the loan, will be used to improve the connections of small sewer lines that connect to the interceptor, rehabilitate the pipe and install new technology, and improve the 44 manholes on the line.

The city said the improvements will save tens of millions of dollars in future repairs and extend the pipe's service life by more than 30 years.