Private Hauler Waste Disposal Fee Changes for Fiscal Year 2025City of Dubuque
City Council Meeting
Consent Items # 026.
Copyrighted
June 17, 2024
ITEM TITLE: Private Hauler Waste Disposal Fee Changes for Fiscal Year 2025
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending City Council adopt a resolution adjusting
the private hauler disposal fees at the Water & Resource Recovery
Center (W RRC) for high strength waste; fats, oils, & grease (FOG);
septage; and inorganics in conjunction with the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
RESOLUTION Establishing the schedule of rates for the disposal of
private hauled waste to the Water & Resource Recovery Center as
provided for in 13-2B-8(F) of the City of Dubuque Code of Ordinances
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Adopt Resolution(s)
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo, Adjusting Private Hauler Disposal Rate Staff Memo
Schedule at the W RRC
Resolution Adjusting Hauled Waste Disposal Rate Resolutions
Schedule at the W RRC
THE CITY OF
Dubuque
DUB TEE1.
All -America City
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Private Hauler Waste Disposal Fee Changes for Fiscal Year 2025
DATE: June 12, 2024
Water & Resource Recovery Center Director Deron Muehring is recommending City
Council adopt a resolution adjusting the private hauler disposal fees at the Water &
Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) for high strength waste; fats, oils, & grease (FOG);
septage; and inorganics in conjunction with the Fiscal Year 2025 budget as follows:
High Strength Waste $0.080 per gallon
Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG) $0.063 per gallon
Septage (originating within city limits) $0.090 per gallon
Septage (originating outside city limits) $0.120 per gallon
Inorganic waste (e.g., car wash grit) $0.050 per pound
The fee increases will help offset the cost of providing the requisite infrastructure to
handle and treat the waste without causing compliance issues with Clean Water Act
permit requirements.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Deron Muehring, Water & Resource Recovery Center Director
Jennifer Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Dubuque
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Deron Muehring, Water & Resource Recovery Center Director
SUBJECT: Private Hauler Waste Disposal Fee Changes for Fiscal Year 2025
DATE: June 10, 2024
INTRODUCTION:
The purpose of this memo is to recommend adjusting the private hauler disposal fees at
the Water & Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) for high strength waste; fats, oils, &
grease (FOG); septage; and inorganics in conjunction with the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The fee increases will help offset the cost of providing the requisite infrastructure to handle
and treat the waste without causing compliance issues with Clean Water Act permit
requirements.
BACKGROUND:
The WRRC provides wastewater treatment for residential, commercial, and industrial
users in the city of Dubuque and surrounding areas. The WRRC employs screening, grit
removal, primary treatment, biological secondary treatment, and ultraviolet (UV)
disinfection before discharging treated water into the Mississippi River. It utilizes a
temperature -phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) process to convert wastewater sludge
into biosolids for disposal.
The TPAD setup includes two mesophilic digesters and two thermophilic digesters
operating in series. Sludge from the blended sludge tank is fed into the thermophilic
digesters before overflowing to the mesophilic digesters. Digested sludge is dewatered
using centrifuges resulting in Class A and Class B biosolids that are hauled away to be
stored and later land applied by a private contractor.
The anaerobic digesters are fed waste from the blended sludge storage tank that contains
a combination of sludge and scum from the primary clarifier, thickened waste activated
sludge (TWAS) from the secondary clarifier, and waste hauled in from offsite. Of the
hauled waste, approximately 83% is HSW, 13.0% is septage, and 4% is FOG. Even
though the volume of hauled waste makes up approximately 20% of the waste by volume
in the blended sludge tank, it has a much higher pollutant content than the other wastes
— pollutants such as BOD, COD, TSS, sulfur, and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus).
Higher pollutant loading demands more WRRC resources and has more potential to upset
the biological balance within the anaerobic digesters.
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
In April of 2024, the City Council passed Resolution 99-24, adopting the Fiscal Year 2025
annual budget.
DISCUSSION:
The WRRC provides a service to area businesses and homeowners accepting hauled
waste that can be categorized as domestic septage; high strength waste (waste with
higher levels of pollutants than domestic waste); fats, oils, and grease (FOG); and
inorganic waste. The schedule of fees for the disposal of the hauled waste at the WRRC
should reflect the City's costs associated with accepting, handling, treating, and disposing
of hauled waste. Hauled waste increases facility costs related to biosolid disposal,
operations (labor), maintenance, chemical use, oxygen use, electricity, and equipment
replacement. The hauled waste schedule of rates was last adjusted with the Fiscal Year
2017 budget.
The adopted Fiscal Year 2025 budget included an improvement package request to
increase the disposal fees associated with private hauled waste. The increased fees were
based on an analysis of the costs incurred at the WRRC relating to accepting and dealing
with the waste at the WRRC. The fee increases were outlined as follows:
FY24
Cost/gal
FY25
Cost/gal
HSW
$0.0401
$0.080
Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG)
$0.050
$0.063
Septage (within city limits)
$0.070
$0.090
Septage (outside city limits)
$0.100
$0.120
Currently varies between $0.03 and $0.045
While not presented as part of the FY25 Budget, the tipping fee associated with accepting
and handling car wash grit trap waste and other non -organic waste for dewatering (or
decanting) was also reviewed. This material is too wet to dispose of at the landfill. Haulers
deposit the material at the WRRC where the liquid portion can decant and enter the
treatment process and the inorganic solids (e.g., sand, grit, gravel, debris, and trash) can
dry to the point that they can be hauled and disposed of at the landfill. The tipping fee
should be in line with the City's cost to handle and treat the liquid portion and load and
haul the inorganic grit and debris to the landfill for disposal. Because the City's cost is
most closely tied to the tipping fees paid at the landfill, and because the landfill charges
by weight, the recommendation is to change the tipping fee for inorganic waste based on
weight as follows:
FY24 FY25
Cost/gal Cost/Pound
Inorganic waste (e.g. Car Wash Grit) $0.150 $0.0501
'Alternative tipping fee based on weight which aligns with the basis of fees charged the City for disposing
of decanted waste material at the landfill.
The FY25 Budget includes funding for the development of a facility plan for the WRRC.
The development of the facility plan will consider how best to handle inorganic waste at
the WRRC. That could be a decanting facility located at the landfill, which could be owned
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
and operated as part of the landfill or by the City on land leased landfill property. The goal
is to have that portion of the facility plan complete to be able to consider improvements
as part of the FY26-30 CIP Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend adjusting the private hauled waste disposal rate schedule for disposal of
high strength waste; fats, oils, & grease (FOG); septage (holding tanks); and inorganic
material at the WRRC in conjunction with the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and as outlined
below.
High Strength Waste $0.080 per gallon
Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG) $0.063 per gallon
Septage (originating within city limits) $0.090 per gallon
Septage (originating outside city limits) $0.120 per gallon
Inorganic waste (e.g., car wash grit) $0.050 per pound
ACTION REQUESTED
I respectfully request adoption of the attached resolution adjusting the private hauled
waste disposal rate schedule for the disposal of high strength waste; fats, oils, & grease
(FOG); septage (holding tanks); and inorganic material at the WRRC in conjunction with
the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
Attach.
Cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Jennifer Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Prepared by: Deron Muehring, City.of Dubuque WRRC 795 Julien Dubuque Drive Dubuque, IA 52003 563 589-4177
Return to: Adrienne N. Breitfolder, City Clerk, 50W 1311 Street, Dubuque, IA 52001 (563)589-4100
RESOLUTION NO. 193 - 24
ESTABLISHING THE SCHEDULE OF RATES FOR THE DISPOSAL OF PRIVATE
HAULED WASTE TO THE WATER & RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTER AS
PROVIDED FOR 1N 13-2B-8(F) OF THE CITY OF DUBUQUE CODE OF ORDINANCES
WHEREAS, the Water & Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) provides
wastewater treatment for residential, commercial, and industrial users in the city of
Dubuque and surrounding areas; and
WHEREAS, the WRRC receives wastewater through the sanitary sewer collection
system and permitted waste hauled to the treatment facility; and
WHEREAS, hauled waste can be categorized as domestic septage; high strength
waste (waste with higher levels of pollutants than domestic waste); fats, oils, and grease
(FOG); and inorganic waste.
WHEREAS, provided for in 13-2B-8(f=) of the City Code of Ordinances, the rate to
be charged for domestic sewage discharged at the wastewater plant by private haulers
shall be established by resolution;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF DUBUQUE, IOWA:
Section 1. Establishes the rates for the disposal of private hauled waste at the
WRRC pursuant to the schedule of rates as follows:
Private Hauled Waste Disposal Rate Schedule
High Strength Waste $0.080 per gallon
Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG) $0.063 per gallon
Septage (originating within city limits) $0.090 per gallon
Septage (originating outside city limits) $0.120 per gallon
Inorganic waste (e.g., car wash grit) $0.050 per pound
Section 2. The given rate schedule shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
Passed, approved and adopted this 17th day of June, 2024.
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Attest:
ov'�"' &�"
Adrienne Breitfelder, Clity Clerk