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Elmer City has been awarded a grant to study a critical piece of its wastewater infrastructure, which, if it needs replacing, could tip the decision on building its own treatment plant and splitting from Coulee Dam’s service.

Elmer City received a $30,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state Department of Commerce for an assessment and feasibility study of their “force main,” a pipe that carries sewage from Elmer City to the wastewater treatment plant in Coulee Dam, to see if it needs to be replaced. 

Town Public Works Director Jimmer Tillman explained that the force main pumps sewage from Elmer City to Coulee Dam via a Lone Pine-area lift station.

If the force main needs replacing, it could cost $1 million or more, Tillman said. That could be the tipping point on whether Elmer City sticks with Coulee Dam’s wastewater treatment plant, or builds its own, depending on which option is cheaper. 

If the force main — about 40 years old according to Tillman — needs replacing, the cheaper option may be for Elmer City to build their own plant.