Establishing Water and Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) Copyrighted
April 28, 2026
City of Dubuque ACTION # 3.
City Council
ITEM TITLE: Establishing Water and Resource Recovery Center (WRRC)
Fee Schedules Fiscal Year 2027
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending City Council adoption of the
attached resolution adjusting the fees charged for services
performed by the Water and Resource Recovery Center
(WRRC) for Fiscal Year 2027.
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
SUGGUESTED Receive and File; Adopt Resolution(s)
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Memo, FY27 WRRC Fees, 4-23-26
2. Resolution, Establishing the Schedule of Rates for Disposal of Waste Hauled to
WRRC, 4-2026
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Dubuque
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Deron Muehring, Water & Resource Recovery Center Director
SUBJECT: WRRC Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2027
DATE: April 23, 2026
INTRODUCTION:
The purpose of this memo is to recommend adjustments and formal adoption of fees
charged for services performed at the Water & Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) for
Fiscal Year 2027. These changes are intended to ensure that the fees appropriately
reflect the cost of providing services and infrastructure.
BACKGROUND:
The WRRC's hauled waste program serves an important role in supporting the broader
Dubuque-area economy. By accepting high-strength and domestic waste transported by
regional haulers—including waste from industries, commercial kitchens, food processors,
car washes, and septic systems—the WRRC enables local businesses to operate in
compliance with environmental regulations without building costly, stand-alone treatment
systems. This service benefits employers ranging from industrial manufacturers that
support hundreds of local jobs to restaurants that serve thousands of patrons each week.
It also provides a safe, regulated destination for residential septic and holding tank waste,
protecting groundwater and public health. Hauled waste services are priced to reflect the
full cost of treatment and are reviewed annually to ensure appropriate cost recovery
without subsidizing from general utility revenues.
The WRRC's Environmental Lab is a state-certified facility that plays a critical role in
maintaining public health and environmental quality throughout the region. In addition to
monitoring water samples throughout the WRRC treatment process to ensure permit
compliance and operational efficiency, the lab provides fee-based analytical services for
private well owners, small community water systems, industrial clients, and wastewater
operators across the tri-state area. These services enable customers to meet regulatory
requirements, investigate water quality concerns, and verify the safety of drinking water
and recreational water sources. The lab's certification ensures that all analyses meet
state standards and produce legally defensible results. Lab fees are reviewed annually to
ensure they reflect the true cost of service, including consumables and staff time, without
generating a profit.
The services provided by the Environmental Lab—and the WRRC's acceptance of hauled
waste—directly support several of the City of Dubuque's core priorities, including
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protecting the environment, delivering high-quality municipal services, and fostering
regional partnerships. The hauled waste program reduces the need for redundant
infrastructure across the region and ensures that commercial, industrial, and residential
waste is treated in a centralized, compliant, and environmentally responsible manner. The
Environmental Lab strengthens the City's capacity to respond to water quality concerns,
ensures compliance with state and federal standards, and builds trust with residents and
businesses who depend on accurate and timely data.
In June of 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution 183-25 establishing the tipping fee
rates for hauled waste received at the WRRC and Resolution 184-25 establishing the
WRRC Environmental Laboratory Fee Schedule.
DISCUSSION:
The WRRC Environmental Lab is a state-certified facility that performs water sample
testing to support regulatory compliance and facility optimization at the WRRC. This
includes sampling of influent and effluent flows, monitoring of intermediate process
streams, and calculation of permit-mandated performance metrics such as the required
85% reduction in total suspended solids. State certification requires routine audits and
adherence to standard methods, which makes the lab's results legally defensible for
regulatory purposes. In addition to internal testing, the lab provides analytical services to
residents and organizations throughout the tri-state area, including tests for private wells
and small treatment systems. These services are priced to recover only the cost of
analysis, not to generate profit. The WRRC reviews these fees annually to ensure they
remain aligned with supply and labor costs.
The fees charged by the WRRC Environmental Lab are generally comparable to those
charged by other municipal and private laboratories in the region. The table below
presents the existing Environmental Lab fee schedule.
Laborato Test Fee
Ammonia Nitro en $20
Bacteria 18 hour $32
Bacteria 24 hour $30
Biochemical Ox en Demand BOD $25
Chemical Ox en Demand COD $32
E. coli Quantitra Method $40
Fecal Coliform MPN $27
Grease and Oil Hexane Extraction $54
Nitrate $20
Nitrite $20
H $10
Pseudomonas $30
Total Dissolved Solids $19
Total K'eldahl Nitro en TKN $31
Total Phosphorus $19
Total Sus ended Solids TSS $20
Volatile Suspended Solids VSS $19
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A review of current laboratory fees was completed in advance of the FY2027 budget
process, including verification of updated vendor pricing and associated operating costs.
Costs have not risen to the point where fee adjustments are warranted. As such, the
WRRC laboratory fees are proposed to remain unchanged for FY2027 to continue
providing cost-effective services to customers. Fees will be re-evaluated again as part of
the FY2028 budget process.
A hauled waste fee schedule was proposed as part of an FY25 improvement package
request and approved by City Council in spring 2024. That request established a multi-
year strategy to incrementally increase fees to better recover the costs associated with
accepting and treating hauled waste. In addition to offsetting current operating costs,
these revenues were intended to help fund an $8.1 million capital improvement project
for hauled waste receiving upgrades at the WRRC. This project—funded as part of the
FY26 Capital Improvement Program—will provide for a new receiving facility, improve
sample collection and waste screening capabilities, and enhance site access and control.
These upgrades are essential to maintaining system reliability and permit compliance as
hauled waste volumes and pollutant loads increase.
Under the adopted funding strategy, disposal fees were scheduled to increase again with
the FY27 budget. Based on the FY25 improvement package adopted as part of the FY25
budget, the proposed rate schedule for hauled waste is outlined below:
Waste Type FY25 FY26 FY27
Rate Rate Rate
Hi h Stren th Waste $0.080 $0.105 $0.130
Fats, Oils & Grease FOG $0.063 $0.080 $0.105
Septa e $0.090 $0.110 $0.140
The City's request for federal Community Project Funding through Representative Ashley
Hinson's office was successfully included in the federal funding bill, providing $2 million
for the High Strength Waste Receiving & Storage Project. As a result of this anticipated
funding, the fee increases proposed for FY2027 are lower than they otherwise would have
been absent the federal assistance. This outside funding helps reduce the cost burden
on program users while allowing the City to continue advancing the infrastructure needed
to safely and effectively manage high-strength waste. The table below compares the fee
levels that were previously projected to be necessary to support the project with the
FY2027 fees now proposed following the inclusion of federal funding. As shown in the
far-right column, the proposed FY2027 rates are lower than originally anticipated,
reflecting the benefit of outside funding assistance.
Waste Type FY27 Proposed
Rate FY27 Rate
Hi h Stren th Waste $0.130 $0.119
Fats, Oils & Grease FOG $0.105 $0.092
Se ta e $0.140 $0.127
For waste originating outside the City of Dubuque, an additional charge is appropriate
because the WRRC exists first and foremost to serve Dubuque residents and local
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businesses. While the facility can accept hauled waste from outside the city when
capacity allows, the direct benefit of doing so to Dubuque ratepayers is limited if fees only
recover the cost of treatment.
Standard tipping fees are structured to cover the cost to receive, handle, and treat the
waste, but accepting outside waste also utilizes treatment capacity, staff attention, and
infrastructure availability that would otherwise remain available for local needs, system
resiliency, or future community growth. A modest additional charge for out-of-city waste
helps ensure that Dubuque residents receive a benefit in return for making City-owned
capacity available to regional users.
This approach recognizes that outside users are accessing a public asset funded and
maintained to serve the City of Dubuque, while helping ensure local ratepayers receive
fair value when that capacity is used by others.
The proposed tipping fee for Inorganic Waste from commercial operations in FY27 is
recommended to increase by 9%, consistent with the rate adjustment proposed for
sanitary sewer utility customers.
The proposed tipping fees for hauled waste for FY27 is outlined in the table below.
Waste Type FY26 Proposed
Rate FY27 Rate
Hi h Stren th Waste $0.105 $0.119
Fats, Oils & Grease FOG $0.080 $0.092
FOG outside cit $0.100 $0.112
Septa e $0.110 $0.127
Se ta e outside cit $0.140 $0.157
Inor anic Waste e. ., rit, etc. $0.165 $0.180
Inor anic Waste outside cit $0.180 $0.200
RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend adoption of fees charged for services performed at the Water & Resource
Recovery Center (WRRC) for Fiscal Year 2027 as outlined herein.
ACTION REQUESTED
I respectfully request adoption of the attached resolution adjusting the fees charged for
services performed at the Water & Resource Recovery Center for Fiscal Year 2027.
Attach.
Cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Jennifer Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Mikaela Tully, WRRC Lab Supervisor
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Prepared by: Deron Muehrinq, City of Dubuque WRRC, 795 Julien Dubuque Drive, Dubuque, IA 52003 (563)589-4177
Return to: Adrienne N. Breitfelder, City Clerk, 50W 13th Street, Dubuque, IA 52001 (563)589-4100
RESOLUTION NO. 162-26
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
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 $0.119 per gallon
Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG) $0.092 per gallon
FOG [originating outside city limits] $0.112 per gallon
Septage $0.127 per gallon
Septage [originating outside city limits] $0.157 per gallon
Inorganic waste (e.g., car wash grit) $0.180 per gallon
Inorganic waste [originating outside city limits] $0.200 per gallon
Section 2. The given rate schedule shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
Passed, approved and adopted this 28th day of April 2026.
Brad M. avanagh, Mayor
Attest:
Trish L. Gleason, Assistant City Clerk