ASECA — The Waseca City Council agreed to reduce the rate for its emergency treatment of Birds Eye Foods’ corn pack wastewater but has not committed to a long term rate reduction during the winter months.
At Tuesday’s council meeting Birds Eye representative Phil Brewer said the company did everything they could but were unable to keep up with the amount of rain that fell.
Birds Eye management asked the city for a “significant” rate reduction for treatment of wastewater during the period from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4. The city is currently charging Birds Eye one-half cent per gallon for the wastewater treatment; Birds Eye requested a rate of one-tenth cent per gallon.
Mayor Roy Srp reminded the council that some of the pumps used to keep water out of people’s basements during the two-day rain had been loaned to the city by Birds Eye, free of charge.
“This company has been here for 80 plus years and they’re asking for help. We’re going to help,” he said.
In a letter to city utilities director Carl Sonnenberg on Sept. 30, Aaron Skogen, facility manager of Waseca Birds Eye, said the water being sent to the city treatment facility would normally be discharged to the county ditch.
“Given the wet nature of the season and the untimely heavy rains last week, I would request the rate be reduced to either a flat one-time fee, or significantly reduced rate per gallon,” he wrote to Sonnenberg.
Fees between Sept. 18 and Oct. 4 total $30,440, or from the period of Sept. 22 to Oct. 4, $23,202.
Sonnenberg said the city has taken excess Birds Eye water in the past and last year, the city agreed to treat the plant’s water for free in exchange for access to Birds Eye fields before harvest.
There is a possibility of Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement to the city for the emergency use of city facilities, he said.
Skogen also asked the city to consider taking Birds Eye’s excess water from Oct. 15 through the winter months, in an amount not to exceed 8 million gallons, also at a reduced rate. That would allow the company the chance to draw down its lagoon to prepare for the 2011 season, he said.
The city council established the 2010 wastewater rates, with an approximately 15.3 percent rate reduction from 2009 rates. The 2010 rate applicable to the Birds Eye wastewater would be $4.04 per 100 cubic feet, or $5.401 per 1,000 gallons.
“If you grant the request, you may open the door for other requests,” said Sonnenberg.
He also said he would have the authority to stop the water from coming to the city if its amount would violate the Waseca’s permit with the state.
The council voted 6-1, with Al Rose voting “no,” to reduce Birds Eye’s rate to 1/10 cent per gallon for the period of Sept. 18 to Oct. 4.
Srp said the council should be able to treat wastewater from Oct. 15 to June 15 but the rate is “up for discussion” at a future work session.
“We’ve always bent over backwards to help Birds Eye,” said Sonnenberg.