The city of Detroit Lakes has received a $2.1 million loan to expand and upgrade its water treatment plant.
"The economics of running the plant were starting to decrease," said public utilities superintendent Curt Punt. "It took longer to maintain."
An additional water storage tank - a clear well - will be built to hold up to about 230,000 gallons.
Mike Lahlum, water and wastewater supervisor at Detroit Lakes Public Utilities Department, said one of the reasons for building the clear well is to keep up with the increasing demand.
Included will be all new pumps, piping, chemical feed pumps and all new controls.
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"All the controls were getting really rusted out," Lahlum said. "It's 26 years old."
Initially, some stimulus dollars were sought out to help fund the project, but the city didn't get approved.
But Lahlum said an upcoming opportunity to receive some stimulus money might help fund 20 percent of the project.
The Detroit Lakes Public Utilities Department has already completed the first step of this rehabilitation process.
The improvement, as far as water quality, was completed one year ago, Lahlum said.
Detroit Lakes is one of four communities awarded loans for water rehabilitation.
According the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economics Development, Brownton, Montrose, Manchester along with Detroit Lakes will receive a total of $3.7 million from the Public Facilities Authority.
Funding for the projects will come from the PFA's drinking water revolving fund, clean water revolving fund and wastewater infrastructure fund.
