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Bloomington Council To Debate Solid Waste Plan, Lake Bloomington Wastewater

Staff

A solution for bulk waste pickup may have been found in Bloomington. The issue has been under deliberation for over two years, but the council will vote on a plan that would provide free drop-off at a city facility, but charge $20 for the first bucket at the curb, and $40 for additional buckets on the same day as the first.

During a work session last month, Alderwoman Joni Painter said she is skeptical of the proposal. 

"Whatever we do, I want it to work, and I don't think this will," she said. "It'll start neighbor wars. People will dump places where they shouldn't."

Bloomington City Council members were divided down the middle during the meeting, but allowing residents to have two free buckets per year, before charging for pickup, could mean the proposal will pass.

The council will also look at paying for a study that aims to find a permanent solution for wastewater collection at Lake Bloomington. The council will vote tonight on paying for a study update on wastewater collection for Lake Bloomington residents. The lake, which is used as a water source for the city, may be at risk for contamination if no action is taken to find a permanent solution to replace about 250 septic systems, the majority of which are past their average life expectancy.

Speaking on GLT's Sound Ideas last December, Mayor Tari Renner said people living at the lake, who don't pay Bloomington property taxes, will be responsible for paying for the replacement system.

"At the end of the day, the people who are the residents around Lake Bloomington are ultimately going to have to bear the costs of their own sewage and water treatment," said Renner.

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