As Afton grows, so does the need for infrastructure improvements as the municipal sewer lagoon southwest of the community.

Work has started on an expansion project that has been in planning stages for the past two years, both in planning and funding.

Permitting is coordinated through the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

“We have had this in the works now for a couple of years and we have received $1.5 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding,” Violet Sanderson explained. “We are excited to get this started.”

The improvements will allow for additional filtration processing at the plant.

“It will give us more cells and more options so we don’t get to a place where we hit hydraulic capacity and can’t do any maintenance on the cells,” explained Sanderson.

Additional work will include an improved aeration system, helping to control odor.

A contractor has started early stages of the work but major work on the project will come in 2025.

“We have a contractor and they have started some of the preliminary work,” said Sanderson. “They are getting some of the work done now and then we’ll put a pause on it through the winter and they will pick it up next spring.”