OROVILLE >> The reckoning of the Ruddy Creek lift station expansion has returned.

Since the 1980s, the lift station has been serving water near the Oroville Municipal Airport, but developments built in the past — and planned for the future — toward the west side of the city, have prompted the Sewerage Commission-Oroville Region to pursue an expansion.

City Councilors on Tuesday considered the expansion to the Ruddy Creek lift station after more than 40 years of delay.

City Administrator Brian Ring said the city in mid ‘80s reached an agreement with SC-OR to fund the lift station expansion, which has not been completed for a “number of unknown reasons.”

The lift station was initially proposed to connect the airport area to the sewer system, and according to Councilor Chuck Reynolds, its cost at the time of planning was around $100,000. One reason it was delayed is because SC-OR didn’t secure the property before it made the announcement, he said, “so the battle with negations went on with the property owner went on quite some time.”

“So here we are 40 years later, and instead of $100,000 and getting it done, we’re at $3.25 million. In a couple of years, it will be $5 million,” Reynolds said.Ring said SC-OR has invested about $1 million in purchasing land, design and engineering. To complete the remainder of the lift station, a bid of $3.5 million was accepted by the commission.

He said SC-OR was agreeable to $3.25 million.

Pittman said the station has reached capacity and the expansion is needed for future developments. Councilor Janet Goodson alluded to the fact that, if the city were to annex around the area, the lift station would be needed to serve new developments there.

Pittman said when the lift was built there in 1986, none of the developments there now had existed. “So that Ruddy Creek (lift) was only to hookup the city airport facility to the sewer service. The rest of it is built up now, so we’re just kind of running on borrowed time at this point.

“Anybody that builds out by that area around the airport, the (new) station will be able to handle,” Pittman said. “It’s a big bite, but we got committed a long time ago. It wasn’t our deal.”

“Let’s get ‘er done,” Goodson said before councilors voted unanimously to pass the agreement.

Other business

The Oroville City Council approved a number of other items Tuesday including:

• Direction to staff to pursue a partnership with the biomass energy company, Biomass Renewable Energy Inc.

• Raising the annual appropriations limit to $42.4 million.

• Forming a committee to investigate proposed community facilities districts for future developments.

• Forming a committee to work with Explore Butte County on options bringing sports amenities to Oroville.

• An updated capital improvement project list.