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Water and wastewater crews report high flows during June storm but plants stayed in compliance
Summary
Inframark reporting to council on July 29 said a June rain event pushed wastewater flows to peaks near 7,700 gallons per minute (about 11 million gallons per day); operators maintained compliance by increasing aeration and augmenting UV disinfection with chlorine. Capital repairs and staffing updates were also reported.
Operators told council July 29 that a June rain and flooding event caused a sharp, temporary rise in wastewater flows that the treatment plant handled without violating permit limits.
Doug (Inframark operations) reported the system was flowing about 2,000 gallons per minute before the storm and peaked near 7,700 gpm during the event, which he estimated equates to roughly 11,000,000 gallons per day. He said operators manned the plant around the clock during the event, increased aeration and mixing to protect solids handling, and temporarily augmented UV disinfection with chlorine to maintain disinfection efficacy. "We sent a report to DEP, and they had no further requirements for us," he said.
On costs and operations, the authority reported the wastewater account was over budget for the month by $7,273 and was about $60,752 year-to-date, primarily driven by sludge production and dryer operation; warmer weather was expected to speed digestion and reduce dryer run-time and related costs. Capital projects reported in the update included a pump replacement (part under investigation for defects), a high-service pump rebuild expected to complete soon, and planned work on final clarifier drive, pump-station motor/pump rebuild and aerobic digester blower rebuild. Diffuser stack replacement and an NIR check‑valve repair were scheduled for quarter 4.
Staffing: the plants reported being fully staffed but screening applicants for a Maintenance 2 wastewater position.
Council voted to accept the June operations report. The report and the capital project approvals give the borough and the authority a roadmap for repairs and timing; the operations update said both plants remained in compliance during the storm and subsequent work.
Why this matters: The storm-related flow spike tested the system; operators maintained permit compliance and identified planned capital items that should reduce operating risk going forward.
