Plans are moving ahead to upgrade a sewer system in rural Lee County.
Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS) owns the sewer system in unincorporated Argyle, whose residents worked for more than a quarter century to become a "sewered community," which occurred several years ago.
The Mount Pleasant, Iowa-based organization says unfortunately, the current system was designed too small, prompting the need for an upgrade.
RUSS has hired a plumbing company out of Cantril, Iowa to replace the system’s sand filter with a gravel filter.
Executive Director Bruce Hudson says construction will get underway as soon as the USDA grants its approval. The federal agency will pay for most of the work with Lee County pledging up to $50,000.
There is a chance some of that money will eventually come back to the county and the USDA because RUSS is suing the Fairfield-based Engineering firm that designed the system.
At the same time, residents of Argyle will not have to pay more for sewer services next year as the Argyle Sanitation District Board of Trustees has voted to freeze the monthly sewer rate at $55.75.
