Welcome to the Project Page of the City of Victor Wastewater Treatment Facility
Victor's Flushing Forward!!
Victor is Taking Control of Our Water Future!
Right now, Victor’s wastewater is treated at the City of Driggs’ plant. But with Driggs planning a major upgrade—and uncertain costs on the horizon—Victor faced a crucial decision: keep sending our wastewater away or build our own treatment plant right here at home.
The City Council chose bold action. We’re building our own facility to take full control of how our water is treated, how projects are funded, and how operations are run. This means greater independence, smarter infrastructure, and stronger community resilience.
The project is already moving full steam ahead, with the city working closely with experts, lenders, and grant specialists to bring this vision to life. This is one of the most exciting infrastructure investments in Victor’s history—setting us up for a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future.
Together, we’re flushing forward—building a Victor that’s ready for tomorrow.
Conceptual* Timeline
*The Conceptual Timeline is city staff's best estimate of the process steps and schedule at this time. The timeline will be updated once the Engineer has been contracted and preliminary design established. Check back later for updates.Â
History of the City of Victor's Wastewater Treatment
Prior to 1999, the City of Victor, managed its wastewater through individual septic tanks. However, as environmental regulations under the federal Clean Water Act became more stringent in the 1980s and 1990s, these older, natural-process systems increasingly struggled to meet required discharge standards for pollutants. For growing communities like Victor, the cost of building a lagoon system and acquiring the necessary land for expansion became a significant financial and logistical burden.
This set the stage for a decades-long partnership with the nearby City of Driggs. On October 13, 1999, Victor signed an agreement to send its municipal wastewater to the Driggs facility for treatment. At the time, Driggs operated a lagoon-based plant. For years, this arrangement offered Victor a cost-effective solution, allowing the city to manage its local sewer collection system while cost sharing in the treatment with Driggs.
The landscape of this partnership began to shift significantly in the late 2000s. Driggs faced growing regulatory pressure from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to repeated violations of its discharge permits. In response, Driggs embarked on a major upgrade, replacing its lagoon system with a modern Multi-Stage Activated Biological Process (MSABP) mechanical plant in 2013. The two cities updated their original contract with a new inter-city agreement in 2011 to account for this change.
Despite the upgrade, Driggs' compliance issues persisted. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a formal complaint against Driggs for thousands of permit violations, leading to a consent decree with the EPA in January 2025. As part of this settlement, Driggs was required to pay a $400,000 penalty and undertake another major facility expansion and upgrade, estimated to cost over $30 million.
This new financial pressure brought the Victor-Driggs partnership to a breaking point. An independent audit, initiated by Victor in early 2023, revealed significant historical billing discrepancies. Additionally, in October 2024, anticipating increased costs, the city implemented significant sewer rate hikes. Facing a lack of control over rising costs and management of the Driggs plant, Victor began to seriously consider its own independent system.
In March 2025, after reviewing a feasibility study by Keller Associates and evaluating multiple alternatives, Victor's City Council unanimously voted to "break up with Driggs". The alternatives considered included staying with Driggs, building a new lagoon system, or constructing a mechanical plant with either a surface discharge or rapid infiltration system. The decision was made to pursue the construction of a new plant, in which Victor would have control over legal compliance, costs, and management.Â
Following the decision, Victor took decisive steps toward self-sufficiency. In August 2025, the city entered a contract to purchase a 40-acre parcel of land to serve as the site for its new wastewater treatment facility. Driggs has agreed to continue treating Victor's wastewater until at least January 2029, allowing Victor time to complete construction of its new plant. This major infrastructure investment is a pivotal moment for Victor, shifting its wastewater management from a customer-model to a local asset under its own control.
Meeting links and staff reports for the March and August 2025 mentioned above are located in the City Council Meeting Links Tab below. It also includes all meetings where actions regarding the WWTF will be cataloged.
Teton Valley News Article about the Council Vote to begin the process of building a Wastewater Treatment Plant for the City of Victor.
September 15, 2025 Conduct finalist interviews (if applicable)
September 16-30, 2025 Contract Negotiations with Selected Firm
October 8, 2025 Anticipated date for approval/award by City Council
October 9, 2025 Notice to Proceed
The City is under contract for the purchase of land that is currently outside City limits but is immediately adjacent. Before the property can be developed it will require an annexation and rezoning.
Staff has preparing the required materials for the Annexation/Rezoning application. The portion of the site to be purchased by the City will be requesting a CIV zoning district, the owner has requested RS-16 for the remainder of the property.
Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing (currently anticipated for October 16)
City Council Public Hearing (currently anticipated for December 10 or later)
Once the annexation is approved the City process an applications for split the lot. This is because the property as a whole is currently larger than the portion the City is hoping to purchase. The property will need to be divided so there are two parcels, one of which the City will ultimately be purchasing and the other will remain under the ownership of the current owner.
SD2025-08 Application Material
No information at this time.
Once the engineer is selected and under contract they will work towards developing the design of the wastewater treatment facility, determining how it will function, designing the facility and its layout, and obtaining all environmental approvals, and construction permits.
