Veolia reports February operations, pump-station problems and safety upgrades to Charlton commission

Veolia staff provided the Town of Charlton Water and Sewer Commission with its February 2025 monthly operating report at the April 9 meeting, describing staffing, safety training, maintenance activities and several field incidents.

Vinnie, the Veolia operator on the call, said the plant was staffed in February by himself, Zachary Campbell, Mike Derusha and Amy Nossas and that Amy passed her Grade 3 operators exam. Veolia completed its inspection programs and the company’s 2025 safety-commitment requirements; staff reviewed site inspection plans and "life-saving rules" for working at heights. Vinnie said the facility added an exterior fire extinguisher near the propane storage area and purchased a manhole guard to barricade open manholes during system work.

Compliance and sampling: Veolia reported submitting the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) into the EPA's ICIS/Net (CDX) on March 15; Vinnie said there were no permit exceedances recorded for the reporting period. The team completed PFOS sampling at Veolia’s request with influent, effluent and sludge samples collected.

Operations incidents and maintenance: On Feb. 1, crews responded to a sewer backup at 134 Sturbridge Road. Vinnie said Slim Sewer Service and a drain cleaning crew cleared a grease blockage near Treehouse's driveway and restored service by about 11 p.m. He reported two grinder-pump service calls (95 Lakeview and 125 Sunset), replacing one grinder pump and adding a redundant run circuit for the other.

Pump-station problems: North Sturbridge pump station experienced repeated failures where the indicators showed a running pump but it would not start; staff manually pumped down wet wells multiple times and called Slim Sewer Service to clean wet wells. LaFleur Electric replaced a failed float and staff installed a spare pump; Vinnie said there have been no repeat failures since these repairs.

Other operational notes: Veolia reported taking 10 loads of sludge to Cranston, receiving four totes of caustic and a delivery of 3,830 gallons of ferric. Staff performed snow-response tasks, replaced a pH probe flash-mix and calibrated instruments, and performed vehicle maintenance including replacing a truck battery.

Procurement and recommendations: Vinnie presented quotes for generator preventative maintenance: Premier Solutions quoted $4,282 for a one-time service (oil change and fuel filters); FM Generator quoted $4,625 including a major PM and a secondary minor PM visit; Hilltop did not submit a quote. Vinnie recommended FM Generator based on the scope of services reported. He also said RSI provided a $9,000 quote to install backflow devices at two flooded homes on Stevens Park Road.

Surplus equipment: Vinnie asked the commission to declare old pumps, piping and other materials from the RAS/WAS upgrade surplus for auction; he noted the piping is a specialized type not reused elsewhere in the system. The board approved advertising those items for auction and later approved transfer of old chemical storage tanks to another municipality.

The commission asked staff to pursue a valve-and-hydrant exercising/cleaning program and to seek quotes for gate-box cleaning and valve exercising; Vinnie said he would contact Gabe to request a quote. Commissioners discussed that neighboring towns do hydrant and valve exercises annually, and noted the town does not have staff dedicated to that work.

Vinnie concluded the report and commissioners thanked him for the updates.