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Paonia town engineer Steve LaBonde of WestWater Engineering, gave the town some good and bad news at the Aug. 26 work session.
The bad news started with the explanation by LaBonde that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has sent a discharge permit good through April 30, 2010, but it failed to correct a clause on the permit stating the town needed to send a new site amendment for when Regulation 35 goes into effect. The town engineer had already prepared and sent that to the CDPHE. However, because of changes in state staff working on the town’s discharge permit, they didn’t realize it. Regulation 35, among other things, establishes classifications and numeric standards for the Gunnison River in Delta County. LaBonde said he will contact the CDPHE and let them know they do have a new site amendment from the town.
Once the corrected discharge permit arrives for the wastewater treatment plant, he will be able to complete the maintenance manual and issue the “as builts.” Mainly, the problem is just delaying the final steps, and does not pose any substantial problem for the town. The CDPHE and the town have finally agreed on acceptable affluent levels.
He told the mayor, town clerk and trustees present at the work session that Rural Development, which gave the town a 30-year loan for $1.9 million for the wastewater treatment plant, will want to see the town’s annual audit and annual budget. Rural Development wants to know the town can pay them back. They also want to know the town has enough insurance.
LaBonde did a one-year walk through at the wastewater treatment plant with Rural Development. The one year warranty expires on Sept. 14. The plant is “performing quite well.” However, there were three issues. An aerator support cable was bad. Stored sulfuric acid seeped out and corroded an electrical panel for the chlorine analyzer. A new one was sent. This was not an equipment malfunction, but an operator error. It cost $500 to purchase a new circuit board and replace the old one. If it would have been equipment failure, the contractor would have paid the cost. As it stands, this will be at the town’s expense. Another problem was an aerator was not correctly on timing. An electrician can be hired to fix the problem. The contractor will reimburse the town for two of the necessary repairs.
LaBonde complimented public works director Scott Leon and his crew for doing a good job of “de-watering” the old sewer lagoon adjacent to Samuel Wade Road. Sunlight on the bio-sludge has killed pathogens. Sludge samples taken from the decommissioned lagoons should come back rated as Class A. If the sludge meets that standard, then it can be kept at it’s current location or sold in bulk loads. After Labor Day, structures will be removed from the site. The site could be fully decommissioned by November or December. There are $210,000 in Department of Local Affairs funding that can be used for the project. If the town chooses to put a building on the site, it will have to have an engineered foundation. If the town sells the property, they will have to do a deed notification. Mayor Neal Schwieterman said at the council meeting that followed the work session, the town has not discussed what it will do with the former wastewater treatment plant. The town is working with two Paonia High School students in a senior environmental design class to come up with some ideas.
The last issue LaBonde addressed, was the exposure of the sewer outfall line and the bridge abutments in the North Fork. The outfall line had been buried with two feet of material from the creek. Two and a half feet has eroded. The Army Corps of Engineers said the town can still work under the same permit to fix the problem. They can import larger rock into the channel. Mayor Neal Schwieterman and public works director Scott Leon met with members of the North Fork River Improvement Association on Aug. 28. The town can use decommissioning money to fix the problem. The town will ask the county if they want to help with the bridge abutments that have been exposed. The county was originally not interested, but with the decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to not require a new permit, perhaps the decision-makers will change their minds.
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