The Harper Valley Waste Treatment Plant at the Harper Valley Subdivison in Kirtland will be decommissioned under a plan to send the waste it processes to another facility. (Jon Austria The Daily Times)

The Harper Valley Waste Treatment Plant is pictured Thursday at the Harper Valley Subdivison in Kirtland. (Jon Austria The Daily Times)

FARMINGTON Construction to disconnect the Harper Valley subdivision from a sewage plant out of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards may begin this fall.

EPA officials have said the wastewater treatment plant in the subdivision, now the main residential area of the town of Kirtland, needs to close in the next three years.

Earlier this month, the San Juan County Commission approved a Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund package from the New Mexico Environment Department to finance the project. The package is for $600,938, according to county documents. Of that, $248,281 will come from a grant, and the rest of the needed funds will be loaned, according to county documents. The county will administer the state funds.

The project is estimated to cost $676,290, but officials are also budgeting for approximately $100,000 more in contingency funds that would finance unexpected expenses, said Larry Hathaway, Harper Valley Homeowners Association president, and the county's general services and community development administrator.

"Hopefully, we'll come in around $600,000, but we'll just have to wait and see," he said.

New Mexico Environment Department officials are now writing an agreement for the County Commission and the department's cabinet secretary, Ryan Flynn, to sign. Once that is approved, and after the project is designed, which could take two to three months, construction could begin in September, Hathaway said.

The goal of the project is to decommission the wastewater treatment plant. To do that, crews will upgrade the sewage pumping station at the plant and lay pipe from the station to another pumping station where County Road 6100 meets U.S. Highway 64. From there, the subdivision's waste will be pumped into the Valley Water and Sanitation District's sewer system.

This project is one of many other wastewater system improvements included on the county's infrastructure capital improvements plan. It is the fourth priority. The first priority, a project costing approximately $9 million, is the first phase of connecting Flora Vista's wastewater system to Farmington's.

Here is the original post:
Harper Valley sewage plant soon to be shuttered

REGIONALWhile milder weather is in the forecast for the next several days, last weeks cold snap sent the frost line plummeting, and that could soon be putting water lines and septic systems at risk.

As of Wednesday, MnDOTs frost gauge near Orr reported frost at a depth of 62 inches. Thats well ahead of the average for this time of year, and is only eight inches short of frost levels last year at this time, when problems with water lines were already becoming widespread.

Last year, of course, it was city residents and businesses that bore the brunt of the problem, since city water lines and mains lie under plowed streets and sidewalks. Plentiful snow cover last year helped prevent such problems in rural areas, where septic systems, wells, and water lines are normally protected as long as theres adequate snow.

But with as little as six inches of the white stuff on the ground in some parts of the region, the risk to rural residents is rising. Its just starting, said Dan Rogers, who operates Northern Minnesota Services, an Eveleth company that specializes in thawing frozen water lines and pipes. While temperatures were colder last year, the abundant snowfall that came with those temperatures helped to protect water lines and septic systems at most rural residences.

But this year, theres little snow cover, said Rogers, who was working on a frozen water line when contacted by the Timberjay this week. People have to be aware of it.

That means residents should know where their water lines, septic systems, and drainfields are located and make sure that they provide adequate insulation. In a normal year, snow (which is an excellent insulator) will typically do the job. But in a dry winter, like this one, the available snow may not be sufficient to protect your water and sewer lines, especially if the snow is tramped down, or plowed away.

A lot of times, Im dealing with people who bought a four-wheeler with a plow. Then they plow their whole yard and wonder why their water line freezes.

While the situation is not yet extreme, theres still plenty of winter ahead, and this year has the potential to rival the winter of 2003-04, when the majority of rural septic systems in St. Louis County froze, creating widespread inconvenience for rural residents. At this same point in the winter of 2003-2004, the frost had only penetrated 48 inches, according to MnDOT data, and the frost never reached deeper than 72 inches the entire winter. That year, it was the lack of snow that created the widespread problems with freezing.

Rogers said 2003-04 was one of the worst years in memory for frozen water lines and septics. It was worse than last year, even, he said. I had four crews going around-the-clock, he said.

Whether this year equals 2003-04 in the end depends on temperatures and snowfall during the second half of the winter. Even average temperatures going forward could pose a serious problem without more snow, so residents will want to pay attention to the weather and take steps soon to try to head off potential problems.

More here:
Frost line dropping in region

By By Craig Scott and Lauren SalbergJanuary 9, 2015 12:00 am

Toilets and sewer systems are designed to transport and dispose of specific materials. The pipes that connect your home to the sewer or a septic system are only wide enough to transport three things: water, toilet paper and human waste.

When other materials are flushed down the drain, they can get stuck and cause damage from clogged drains to sewer backups and overflows; and these materials can create maintenance challenges for pumping out septic tanks.

Sewer back-ups are not only smelly; they can damage homes and businesses resulting in expensive repairs. If a spill leaks into the environment, the negative effects can be extensive. All these complications result in damaged systems, which increase the citys sewer maintenance, repair costs and your sewer bill.

Recently, the prime culprits in clogging sewer systems have been flushable products. Contrary to their name, these products should not be flushed, as they do not degrade as fast or as easily as toilet paper. The only truly flushable item is toilet paper, which readily disintegrates in water, making it easy to travel through sewer drains. Currently, there are no state or federal standards for flushable products, so products labeled flushable or septic safe have no regulated definitions.

Additionally, disposing of chemical products through the toilet leads to dissolved chemicals traveling through the sewer system and into aquatic environments, where they can pollute and disrupt these ecosystems.

Items that should never be flushed include:

Flushable items (cleaning wipes, toilet bowl scrub pads, disposable mops, diapers);

Tampons, tampon applicators, sanitary napkins, condoms;

Medications, vitamins and supplements;

Read more:
Be mindful of what youre flushing down toilet

BENTON COUNTY, Mo. -- Customers in a former sewer district are up-in-arms after they say their voting rights were violated and now they are being charged for services they do not want or need.

People living outside of the city of Warsaw in Benton County say they are being charged $80 per month to flush their toilets after years of mismanagement by the Benton County Sewer District #1.

After federal courts, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Attorney General intervened, people say they are not given a choice when it comes to getting rid of their sewage.

Now, they hope to flush the past 20 years away and go back to what they can afford.

Inside the Benton County courthouse, residents of the Blue and White Branch communities near Lake of the Ozarks say their voices are not being heard.

Hubert, a retired Vietnam veteran, and his wife, Joyce, moved to the area full time ten years ago. For as long as they've lived there, there's been problems with Benton County Sewer District #1.

"With everything that has gone in with the district, with the management, the rate hikes, we can't afford them, the people can't afford them," says Harris.

Residents say the sewer district came about in the 90s after water officials said that septic tanks failing in the area were polluting the lake.

After years of service, voters elected to dissolve the district in 2013. Following the vote, the Attorney General ruled shutting down shop would not be that easy because someone has to pay the USDA back for loaning the district $1.6 million to clean up the lake.

"The board got a loan in 1996 without the voter approval of the people. The people never voted to in debt the district," says George Hall, a former customer and resident trying to intervene into the court case.

Link:
Benton County Residents Upset Over Steep Sewage Prices

Published: Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 7:25 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 7:25 p.m.

Several springs protection advocacy groups have joined forces in the hopes they will accomplish more together than separately.

In December, representatives of nine groups, including four from North Central Florida, established the Florida Springs Council.

Together, they plan to advocate for comprehensive springs protection legislation during the upcoming legislative session in Tallahassee, and potentially mount legal challenges against groundwater pumping permits, water supply plans and minimum flows and levels that they feel harm or do not do enough to protect the states springs and the aquifer.

They also plan to launch an education campaign to distribute technical data on the springs and aquifer.

The idea is to bring all these groups together to speak with a unified voice on springs protection, to educate and advocate on springs issues said Bob Knight, with the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, the Silver Springs Alliance and the newly formed coalitions executive committee.

Other member groups from this area include the Ichetucknee Alliance and Our Santa Fe River Inc. From other parts of the state, the Save the Manatee Club, Wakulla Springs Alliance, Kings Bay Springs Alliance, Friends of Warm Mineral Springs and Withlacoochee Aquatic Restoration Inc. were also organizing members.

The basic idea of this is to approach these issues more holistically, said Bob Palmer, with the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, the Ichetucknee Alliance and the newly formed coalition.

Knight said he expects the councils membership to continue to expand.

With committee meetings in Tallahassee underway in advance of the upcoming session, advocating for a springs bill will be an early priority for the group. In 2014, state Sen. David Simmons R-Altamonte Springs, introduced a bill that unanimously passed the Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee chaired by state Sen. Charlie Dean R- Inverness. That bill then went through numerous amendments that removed or loosened some specific requirements and timelines for setting minimum, flows and levels and recovery plans for water bodies that were below historic flows as well as the basin management action plans for cleaning up impaired water bodies and watersheds.

Excerpt from:
Springs groups unite to strengthen their voice

For what could be a first in the citys history, the decision to appoint a mayor for Beaumont was postponed at the first meeting of the year Tuesday until Jan. 20.

Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Fox motioned to delay the appointment without an explanation during the city council meeting. The council unanimously voted to appoint the mayor at the next meeting.

During a short break, Fox explained why he made the decision, saying the atmosphere wasnt right and there was no rush to appoint a mayor.

Fox was referring to tense interactions between audience members, the council and Mayor Brenda Knight during an action item on a Clean Water State Revolving Fund reimbursement. The item was regarding low-income areas that would be changed from septic to sewer systems. Discussions became heated when Councilman Lloyd White questioned Knight about why she received a letter in December from an organization, called California River Watch, and the council only learned of the letter just before Tuesday nights meeting.

City Attorney David Wysocki said that nothing was being withheld from the council members. He said he was investigating allegations contained in the letter and that the issue would be brought to the council in closed session on Jan. 20.

White asked Knight if she had received the letter and she said yes. White asked to go into closed session to discuss the issue but Wysocki said that would not be necessary because the letter was not an agenda item.

Knight said she was more comfortable following the advice of the city attorney.

Management analyst Kelsey Gormley gave a staff report on the fund that would allow the city to change an area of Sixth Street, between Xenia and Palm Avenues, from septic to sewer system.

Families living in three trailer parks and in 11 single-family residences considered low-income housing on Maple Avenue are affected, said Gormley.

Councilmember Mark Orozco said he had done his research on this subject and had been following it for several years. He asked when the application for the grant had been submitted.

See the rest here:
Mayoral appointment delayed, tensions rise at Beaumont council meeting

TALLAHASSEE Florida environmentalists want lawmakers to steer $80 million a year into protecting Floridas springs and $150 million into buying new environmentally threatened landscapes.

But dividing $757.7 million next year between competing priorities -- such as protecting ecosystems and retiring leaky septic tanks polluting springs in Central Florida could be a months-long political fight.

The green groups including Audubon of Florida, Florida Wildlife Federation and others made their pitch to a Senate panel Wednesday that got updated and higher tallies for how much the amendment will require to be spent on conservation under the Amendment 1 mandate voters overwhelmingly passed last November.

The Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee took up those questions without signaling how policymakers may prefer to divide the massive amount of dollars in play. Thanks to a recovering economy and more real estate transaction tax revenues, Senate staff said Wednesday the amendment would now devote $22.6 billion to water and conservation spending over the next two decades.

Were going to have a lot of room at the table, said Chairman Charlie Dean, R-Inverness.

At the same time, legislature leaders from Metro Orlando have already signaled they plan to pursue a comprehensive water-policy overhaul as part of implementing Amendment 1. That could require substantial new regulations over wastewater-treatment plants, farmers, septic tanks and development projects.

Were not here just to acquire land, said Senate Rules Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs. The goal of course is at the end of the day to preserve our pristine environment here.

Simmons was one of a cadre of Republicans last year that pushed a plan to do just that.

The Senate plan which died in the House would have required local governments, the Department of Environmental Protection, and water management districts identify the worst leaking septic tanks and require their replacement with the state footing the entire cost. Wastewater treatment plants would have to dramatically cut the amount of nitrogen in treated waters by 2019.

Agricultural operations would have been required to use best management practices instead of just being urged to use them. And water management districts would not be allowed to approve new permits from drawing water from springs, rivers and the aquifer if they have any negative impact on flows.

Read the original:
Lots of cooks in Amendment 1 conservation kitchen

Back in late December, a sewage leak erupted on the corner of Bonaire Boulevard and South Shore Street in the Bayside subdivision and caused raw sewage to flood Bonaire Boulevard.

It flooded our whole street, said Bayside resident Ben Martin, who expressed concern for his familys health and safety.

That afternoon my daughter came home with her soiled clothes in a bag, he continued. She had to change clothes at a neighbors.

Martin added that the school bus drops off kids at the same corner where the sewage leak occurred, causing some of them to come in contact with the material.

South Walton Utility Co., Inc. in Miramar Beach was contacted shortly after and fixed the sewer leak.

Martin said that instead of cleaning up the sewage, the utility company poured hydrated lime on the street and driveways to treat the sewage that remained.

Since the incident, Martin added that the lime and sewage has become a nuisance for residents on Bonaire.

Kids play every day on the street and people try to walk their dogs. It's hard to believe that this is the appropriate response for a sewage spill, said Martin.

Many residents have tried hosing their driveways and the street, but most of the lime and sewage still remains.

Martin said that some of his neighbors have called to complain about the clean-up but have not received a response.

See the rest here:
Bayside residents dissatisfied with sewage cleanup

Leaders of a neighborhood group near the proposed new home of Yuba River Charter School said they are still worried that drainage problems in the area could be worsened if the project moves forward.

The neighbors are not against having a school next door, said Anita Daniels, president of Friends of Squirrel Creek. Were concerned about the environmental impacts that could erupt because of it.

Daniels, responding in advance of a Jan. 13 public hearing before the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, said she has invited school officials and their consultants to a Jan. 6 meeting at her home to show them the waterlogged soil conditions that already exist, including a history of flooding and regular seasonal sandbagging.

She said proposals to add berms and to deepen a neighborhood pond wont be enough to offset the additional runoff from the schools roof and new parking lot.

We want to make someone realize that this isnt going to work without some major changes to their plan, Daniels said.

Daniels and husband Don, the closest neighbors to the proposed school site at Rough and Ready Highway and Adam Avenue in unincorporated Nevada County, made her comments in response to public statements by the school earlier this month that they have worked for the last 18 months to address neighbors concerns, particularly regarding drainage.

All the professional people say the plans are going to work, said the schools business manager, Susan Egan, on Friday. Experts at the county and at outside agencies say its more than what we need.

Supervisors on Jan. 13 will review the revised plans their second look at the project after a Nov. 13 recommendation for approval from the Nevada County Planning Commission. The plans call for a 23,000-square-foot K-8 school to house about 300 students.

The first set of plans, approved by the Planning Commission in May 2013, were appealed by neighbors to the county board in July 2013. Supervisors accepted the appeal and sent the plans back to the drawing board.

The Daniels, who said they have been fighting the project for years, acknowledge that their concerns were addressed, but say they are not yet convinced that their solutions will work.

Read more:
Dissent simmers over plans for Yuba River Charter School in advance of Nevada County Supervisors Jan. 13 hearing

By Nick Roth | Dec 24, 2014

Lewes Should the Highland Acres neighborhood become part of Lewes? Residents were evenly divided on annexation during a Dec. 9 public hearing at Lewes City Hall.

Supporters say tapping into the city's water and sewer is a no-brainer because the community's old septic systems will undoubtedly fail in the coming years. Those against say the $40,000 per person price tag is a financial burden they do not wish to undertake.

After more than an hour of testimony, Lewes Mayor and City Council determined the only fair way to decide on annexation was to poll residents. Council set Saturday, Jan. 31, as the date when residents of Highland Acres and the city will offer their opinions on the community's annexation request.

I think if we don't hold this election we essentially disenfranchise those who are in favor of annexation, said Councilwoman Bonnie Osler. If we go forward and hold an election we give the members of the community time to persuade one another until the day of the election of their point of view. Then we do it the way we do it in this country, we hold an election.

Highland Acres is a 53-home community set behind Shields Elementary and the Lewes School. The development is surrounded by Lewes on three sides and at one point in its history was part of the city.

By annexing into Lewes, Board of Public Works General Manager Darrin Gordon said, Highland Acres residents will tap into the city's water and sewer systems, and roads will be brought up to city standards. Supporters argue being apart of the city will also increase property values and provide access to other city services, such as yard waste collection and snow removal.

Opponents say the cost is too high to bear.

I'm 76 years old, so is my wife, and it just scares me to death to think I'm going to have to go in debt for $40,000, said John Warrington.

Gordon said his figure is the engineer's all-in estimate, including disposal of old wells and septic systems. To defray upfront costs, he said, he has obtained a grant to pay for 50 percent of the engineering costs and secured a 30-year loan with 2 percent interest for all residents. Gordon said he is confident when all is said and done the cost will be less than $40,000.

Read more here:
Highland Acres residents divided on annexation