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Public hearing held on headworks upgrade; engineering firm says finding of no significant impact likely
Summary
Engineers presented the headworks upgrade at the wastewater treatment plant and opened a public hearing required for the USDA/Clean Water SRF environmental review; if no comments are received during the 30-day period, the state may issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
The city held a public hearing on a proposed headworks upgrade at the municipal wastewater treatment plant, a required step in the environmental review overseen by the state for federally funded projects.
Mike Maynor of Aldrich & Elliott, the project's engineer, told the council the proposal would demolish the existing headworks and build a roughly 2,000-square-foot headworks building with a new screen, washer-compactor, and grit removal system to protect downstream equipment. He said the Vermont Clean Water State Revolving Fund and USDA financing process require a National Environmental Policy Act review; the state's review concluded the project can qualify for a Finding of No Significant Impact provided mitigation measures are implemented.
Maynor said the primary environmental issue identified was flood plain placement: the proposed building footprint is within both the 100-year and 500-year flood plains. Mitigation will require placing critical electrical and mechanical equipment at least three feet above the base flood elevation so that critical components remain functional after inundation.
No public comments were offered at the hearing, which the council chair closed at 6:35 p.m.; Maynor said the project will proceed into the 30-day public comment period. The hearing record and the state's independent review will inform the final FONSI determination.
