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Morton approves $132,000 nutrient assessment plan to address downstream phosphate limits
Summary
Trustees approved Resolution 14-26 to enter an agreement with Grama LLC (referred to as Fairgram/Fairgram LLC in discussion) for $132,000 to produce a nutrient assessment reduction plan intended to inform future phosphorus limits and avoid potentially costly infrastructure upgrades, the Director of Public Works said.
The Village of Morton Board of Trustees on July 21 approved Resolution 14-26, authorizing a proposed nutrient assessment reduction plan with Grama LLC (the transcript also references "Fairgram") for a lump sum of $132,000, to be completed by the end of 2025.
Public-works staff and the village engineer said the plan would help identify phosphorus reductions and other nutrient-management measures upstream and downstream of Wastewater Plant Number 2. The director said the village is upstream of a waterway identified as impaired or at risk of eutrophication and that regulators could set stringent phosphorus limits that would require expensive infrastructure and ongoing chemical treatment. Staff said the village initially considered alternative options with the EPA and joining a larger watershed effort but chose a scaled approach using the consultant to seek a reasonable permit limit and avoid larger capital costs.
Trustees questioned whether the violation stemmed from the village's own monitoring or from state testing; staff replied the impairment (Prairie Creek) was already identified in their permit under a special condition and that the village had not submitted the determining information to the EPA. Staff said they were currently monitor-only and hoped to achieve a target of about 1.0 mg/L rather than a stringent 0.1 mg/L limit, which would be costlier. The motion to approve the resolution was moved, seconded and passed by roll call.
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