The city of St. Joseph is seeking some improvements at the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant.

At their meeting this week, city commissioners followed their counterparts in Benton Harbor and voted to issue a notice of intent to seek up to $20 million in sewage disposal system joint revenue bonds for the work. Plant manager Kevin Pockrandt told them the aging facility is in need of a variety of upgrades, including the replacement of the lines that run from both Benton Harbor and St. Joseph to the plant on Marina Island, which date back to its construction in the 1950s. He said the plant also needs a new channel air system.

“Currently right now, down through the main portion of the plant, we have sewage that leaks on top of our employees whenever we get a heavy rain event because it’s the original channel from the 1950s,” Pockrandt said.

Pockrandt said the plan right now is to seek that bond so all of the plant’s most pressing needs can be addressed as part of one big project.

“The concept is the plant has not taken out a bond since it was originally built. So if we were going to be taking out a bond, we’re potentially trying to scope as many of our large scale projects together. And that’s why we have a higher price tag than what we would normally do. In the past, we’ve always cash flowed everything.”

The list of needs includes those line replacements at a cost of $3.1 million, the channel air system at a cost of $2.5 million, the replacement of tanks at $5.1 million, and the replacement of pumps at $1.1 million.

St. Joseph Commissioners on Monday authorized publication of the notice of intent to seek the bonds as a first step. After that follows a publication and public comment period, and then the actual bonds could be sought.

Both Benton Harbor and St. Joseph have to issue the notice of intent before anything can happen. The Benton Harbor City Commission voted to do so on June 16.