Osseo Seeks State Bonding Money for Lift Stations

The city of Osseo is seeking state money to improve its lift stations used for wastewater treatment.

The House Capital Investment Committee on Tuesday visited lift station No. 1 in Osseo as part of its bonding tour. Osseo officials and engineers made their pitch for funds to repair and modernize the city’s three lift stations.

Lift stations raise wastewater and sewage to higher ground to send to treatment facilities. According to city officials, Osseo’s lift stations haven’t been upgraded since they were built in 1960.

“When you have a lift station that’s right next to residential properties, safety is paramount not only for our employees that operate the facilities but also the neighboring properties,” said Osseo City Administrator Riley Grams. “We want to make sure we’re stewards of public safety here.”

The city is seeking $1.3 million to upgrade the lift stations, a figure that is roughly half of the city budget.

If the city doesn’t receive any bonding money, property taxes and utility rate hikes are expected in order to make the necessary upgrades, said Grams.