July 7, 2017 at 4:14 p.m.
Wastewater plant issues annual ratings, consumer confidence reports
Wastewater plant issues annual ratings, consumer confidence reports
The two reports, the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Certification, which must be filed annually with the DNR, and the Compliance Maintenance Annual Report (CMAR), both show that the plant is operating at a near perfect level, according to public works director Tim Kingman.
Kingman said the CMAR uses a report card-style grading system to rank various operations of the plant, as well as staffing levels.
"It needs to go in front of the council to be approved, that's a regulatory requirement," Kingman said. "I always take it to this committee so it is reviewed beforehand."
He said the grade slipped from a 4.0 last year to a 3.91 this year, after the effluent quality in regard to phosphorus slipped from an A grade to a B.
"This year, we had one bad month of phosphorus treatment, and that got us a B in one of the phosphorus grades," he said. "We also had an overflow, which was not customary, but it has to reported. It didn't affect our rating on the collection system, but it did identify several weak spots in our collection system where we have to start thinking about how we're going to deal with that."
He said that weak spot, where the sewer lines go under the Pelican River called a siphon, collects a lot of the waste from the Lake Julia area.
"Periodically, there is debris that gets caught in the entry of the pipe going across the river and it will clog. Our workmen periodically go over there and check it once or twice a week just to insure that we don't have a problem," Kingman said.
In early spring there was a clog that caused an overflow before it was caught, he added, noting that the situation was remedied quickly.
"It's a good rating, if I were to self-evaluate," Kingman said.
Alderman Mark Pelletier said everyone involved with the plant should be proud of the grade, which shows the plant is able to handle the city's wastewater treatment efficiently with no chemical assistance while operating at about half of the design capacity it was built to deal with.
"All of the workers should be commended on this," Pelletier said. "It runs very, very well."
"I think we're doing good here," Kingman agreed.
On the subject of the CCR, Kingman said this annual report is circulated to all water customers.
In addition to being in the committee packet, Kingman said he also sent the report to all of the members electronically.
"I've found this is a good tool to respond to just about anything in our water system," he said. "So if they ask what the hardness of the water is, or what have you done to treat the water, you have this in your possession now you can refer to or give to them. I give it out freely to a lot of customers, and it seems to be a very good tool."
He said the city is required to certify it has completed this report, which went out with the last water bills and is available on the city's website and at City Hall.
Unlike the CMAR, Kingman said this certification doesn't require approval from the City Council.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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