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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Minutes 07.02.2002 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF Tl:l~ WHOLE JULY 2, 2002 6:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Bud Johnson Lauren Van Roekel Doug Poehls Ken Olson Mark Mace Gay Easton Daniel Dart Dan Mears John Oakes OTHERS PRESENT: Matt Erekson Scott Murphy, Mordson-Maiefle Larry McCann Jason Mercer, Morrison-Maierle Pat Murtaugh - ME&A Earl Tufte, Morrison-Maierle Scott Murphy, Jason Mercer, and Earl Tufte attended the meeting to present Phase 1 of the Wastewater Facility Plan. Scott distributed copies of the information that was shown in the slide presentation. Scott Murphy explained that a Facility Plan was necessary in order to develop tools for effective decision- making, including projecting priorities and cost estimates. Completion of the Facility Plan is necessmy for the city to be eligible for low interest loans and state and federal grants, including TSEP, DNRC, CDBG grants and other federal grants. The scope of the Facility Plan includes assessing the current situation, assessing the future situation, developing and evaluating alternatives, and developing an implementation plan. Assessing the current situation required consideration of the planning area and demographics, and the condition, performance, and capacity of the existing systems. Assessing the future situation required consideration of population projections, wastewater flow and load forecasts, and future environmental regulations. This is the process in which Mon'ison Malefic is involved at the present time. The alternatives and implementation plan will be developed soon. The existing wastewater collection system includes over 28 miles of sanitary sewer, and 4,200 feet require monthly cleaning because of the condition. A large part of the original system, which dates back to 1910, is in poor condition. There are two sewage lift stations. The Main/Elm Street Lift Station is 40 years old, has no standby power or alarm system, and has a difficult and unsafe access. The Village Sub Lift Station is over 20 years old, has an on-site backup generator that has to be turned on manually, and has a wet-well that provides little storage during a power failure. The existing Wastewater Treatment Facility was constructed in 1983-84 for a design population of 7,000 people. No major upgrades or maintenance projects, except digester rehabilitation, have been completed on the facility since its construction. Construction debt at the plant will be retired soon, but the systems are showing their age. Excess water that overwhelms the plant during the summer irrigation months is a real cause for concern. During the winter, low flow is generally less than a half million gallons per day. During the summer, low flow is sometimes over two million gallons per day. A recent peak flow in excess of 4 million gallons per day at the system was well above its design limits. The average flows consistently rise at points during the summer months. The preliminary treatment shows significant evidence of corrosion. Major equipment is at the end of its useful life at the plant. Updating to modem equipment would better prevent future downstream problems. City Council Committee of the Whole minutes of July 2, 2002 Most of the pollution is eliminated in the primary clarifiers in the secondary treatment system. It is generally in good shape, but some major things need to be replaced in the next few years and some hydraulic bottlenecks need to be corrected. Parts of the RBC's (rotating biological contactors) may need to be replaced in the future, and major upgrades are potentially needed to meet future effluent requirements. A lack of redundancy in the system stresses the rest of the plant when maintenance is required. The disinfection facility uses chlorine gas. Scott stated that many communities have changed to ultra- violet light for disinfection, as it is friendlier to the environment and lower in cost. Some communities have gone to liquid chlorine for purposes of health and safety. There is a higher potential of harm to workers when gas chlorine is used. In addition to the clean water that is created and leaves the plant, there are residual solids that are stabilized in the digestion process, dried, and hauled to the landfill. An upgrade was done to the digester a few years ago, but a few additional upgrades would provide more flexibility. Overall, it is a low cost operation. Land application should be considered for the future. Utility water is treated and is reused in the plant for wash down or cleaning. The utility water system could be upgraded. The potable water system is not in good shape, resulting in inadequate fire protection at the plant. Replacement of the plant drain pump station is one of the most immediate needs. Excess water accumulates at this location, and the liquid is very corrosive because of its low pH. Some roofs need replacement and additional equipment and vehicle storage is needed at the plant. An average wastewater flow during the winter is .7 million gallons per day. During the summer, over 2 million gallons per day flow through the plant. The plant was designed for about .9 million gallons per day. The peak flow in the winter is about 1 million gallons per day and about 3½ million gallons per day in the summer. The plant was designed to handle periodic values as high as 3 million gallons per day, generally once or twice a year; however, this has happened on a consistent basis during the summers. Population and planning period projections for the City of Laurel have been made using 5% of the Yellowstone County projection figures and also by using staff input on development for the next 20 years. The treatment plant is currently designed for a population of 7,000 people. The future process includes development of replacement and upgrade alternatives, estimate costs, preparation of a draft facility plan, a report to the council and a public hearing, finalization of the recommendations, and obtaining MDEQ approval. There was discussion regarding the need to fix the problem that causes the excess water through the system. The problem happens when a local farmer irrigates his fields, which causes high flow levels at the plant within 48 hours. Precipitation that occurs within the city does not affect the peak flows, but the localized infiltration issue causes the excessive peak flows in the summer. The existing design could accommodate a minimal amount of growth if the excess flow problem is addressed and fixed. Any additional growth with the excess flow unchecked will make it more difficult for the plant to meet the permit limit. Morrison-Maierle's next presentation is tentatively scheduled for August 6th. The presentation would include alternatives, costs associated with those alternatives, and their preliminary recommendations. A difference in population growth would make a difference in the cost of alternatives. Lower growth projections within the city would permit alternatives that could be added if high growth was experienced. City Council Committee of the Whole minutes of July 2, 2002 The recommendation would include which population to use. The alternatives would be triggered based on flow that is coming into the plant, and some alternatives would be easy to prioritize. The cost of extending services could be taken out of developmem instead of city coffers. The hard decisions will be when and how to invest in the plant because it is absolutely necessary to be able to treat the flow that is coming imo the plant. Two growth scenarios are possible. It is feasible to begin by using the low growth option and then add high growth options as necessary. The final decisions are always based on money, available funding, and grants. Scott stated that they would definitely present a phased recommendation to the council. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Allen Council Secretary