Site work for a water / sewer project in Dubuque, Iowa. Conceptual plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

This project provides for systematic upgrades to the Catfish Creek Sanitary Interceptor Sewer system which branches out along the South Fork Catfish, Middle Fork Catfish, and North Fork Catfish creeks. The sewer system will be upsized from Old Mill Road along the South Fork Catfish Creek 6.9 miles to the Dubuque Metropolitan Solid Waste Agency. The system will also be upsized along the Middle Fork Catfish Creek from Old Mill Road 9.9 miles to the Dubuque Industrial Center West. The Catfish Creek Interceptor Sewer was constructed circa 1960. Extending westward from the Water & Resource Recovery Center, it has allowed for the development of nearly 2,500 acres over the last two decades which includes residential subdivisions, the Dubuque Industrial Center West, and service to the Dubuque Metro Solid Waste Agency. The existing sanitary sewer collection system can accommodate the development to date. In order to accommodate the wastewater flow from an additional 8,500 acres within the city (or possibly more than 20,000 acres in annexation areas) that can be served by the Catfish Creek Sanitary Interceptor Sewer, upsizing the capacity of the sewer system is necessary. The funding in FY25-26 will provide for the design, permitting, and easement acquisition for the improvements of the interceptor sewer system from Old Mill Road, along the South Fork Catfish Creek to North Cascade Road. The funding in FY26-27 will provide for the construction of the Southfork Catfish Creek Interceptor Sewer from Old Mill Road to North Cascade Road. The funding for the design, permitting, easement acquisition, and construction for the improvements of the interceptor sewer system along the remainder of the South Fork, the Middle Fork, and the North Fork was adjusted to the outyears of the CIP budget based on the prioritization of improvements provided to staff. The original total estimated cost in 2019 for all of the sewer upgrades was $66,930,500. The cost of the improvements have been increased by a 2% inflation rate per year since the original CIP recommendation. Projects using State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan proceeds may be eligible for some level of loan forgiveness as a result of the federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act which included a $300 million SRF allocation, requiring a portion of the loans to be forgivable. Based on information from the State, Dubuque projects may be eligible for 20% loan forgiveness; however, the amount of forgivable loans available across the state is $14.6 million per year. As a result, the State will likely cap the amount of loan forgiveness available for each project. The project is include in the city's 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.