By: Kylen Mills
kmills@cbs4qc.com
Tonight Bettendorf city council will take a first look at an ordinance to increase sewer rates.
They also plan to vote on the sewer changes ordered by the Iowa DNR.
"That relates to improvements at our water sewage treatment facility and those interceptor sewer lines that serve the facility. The improvements will prevent sewage back–up in both cities and our surrounding areas," said Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher.
The Iowa DNR reports that Bettendorf, Davenport, Riverdale and Panorama Park are dumping too much waste into the Mississippi.
The DNR created a plan on how the cities will improve their sewer systems that each city needs to sign off on.
The plan will take over a decade, but the first deadline is July 1 this year. The cities need to install sewer measuring devices by then.
These improvements aren't cheap, and tonight city council will also discuss raising sewer rates starting April 1.
City leaders say the sewer rates still will be looked at a few more times before a decision is made, but the order from the Iowa DNR should go through tonight.
All four cities involved have to sign off before they can move forward with the plan.
Bettendorf City Council meets at 7:00PM tonight at City Hall.
