LEXINGTON, Ky. — Urban County Council members will review a study Monday assessing options for relocating the Mint Lane pump station, which has been leaking sewage and requires major upgrades to comply with federal environmental standards, according to CivicLex.

The Mint Lane pump station, located behind Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, must be upgraded to meet an EPA consent decree the city is under for failures to maintain its sanitary and stormwater sewer systems. Pump stations move water and sewage from homes and businesses to treatment plants.

Acting Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner Charles Martin presented three options for the council's consideration. The least expensive alternative involves keeping the pump station at its current location at an estimated cost of roughly $19 million, though that option carries construction concerns and potential floodplain impacts.

A second option would relocate the station to Bowman Mill Road on a portion of Mill Ridge Farm at an estimated cost of about $25 million. That location would place the pump station outside the floodplain and allow gravity to assist operations based on the area's topography. The project would require obtaining only one easement from the farm's owners, who have previously expressed interest in selling or donating land for the pump station.

The third option involves relocating the station to Blue Grass Airport at an estimated cost of approximately $48 million. That project would be significantly larger and more complex than the other alternatives.

The Bowman Mill option has drawn opposition from some residents and advocacy groups, including Fayette Alliance, who fear the relocation could open the door to further development outside Lexington's established Urban Service Area. The service area was created to contain urban infrastructure and help control utility costs.

The Urban County Council Work Session will take place at 3 p.m. Monday in the Council Chamber of Lexington's Government Center at 200 East Main Street. The meeting will also be broadcast live on LexTV.