Red Hook trustees report compliance failures at sewer plants; village terminates operator and hires Delaware Engineering

Village officials told the Board of Trustees on April 14 that recent lab results and ongoing operational problems have left both of the village'operated wastewater treatment plants out of permit compliance and that the village has terminated its contract with the prior operator and engaged Delaware Engineering to take over operations and begin repairs.

What officials reported Mayor and staff summarized February laboratory data (reports were filed with the board) that show multiple exceedances at both the older Red Hook plant and the newer plant that came online during the recent expansion. The February results cited in the meeting included: - Total suspended solids (TSS): old plant 13.7 mg/L, new plant 10 mg/L (permit limit cited as 10 mg/L). - Ammonia (NH3): old plant 4.9 mg/L, new plant 58.2 mg/L (seasonal permit limit for Nov. 1'May 31 noted at 1.81 mg/L). - Fecal coliform: reported at 2,420 colonies/100 mL (permit limit discussed as 200/100 mL). - Dissolved oxygen: old plant 2.0 mg/L, new plant 2.3 mg/L (minimum cited as 7 mg/L for compliance in the report). - Daily average flow noted for the Red Hook plant: about 36,000 gallons per day (monthly average).

Those numbers indicate concentrations well above the limits the village reported to the board. The mayor said these February results predate the operator change and that the village has been addressing mechanical and operational failures since March.

Operator change and short'term fixes The board reported the village terminated the contract with the prior operator (identified in reports and previous meetings as C3&D) and, as of March 31, engaged Delaware Engineering to provide operator services and an immediate technical assessment. Officials described Delaware as performing a day'one assessment with multiple engineers on site and beginning steps to stabilize biological treatment, investigate influent characteristics and address mechanical problems.

Interim steps taken in March included: increased sampling, a controlled "dump" of mixed liquor to re'establish biological activity, use of chlorine where UV disinfection was not yet fully operating, and connection of the equalization (EQ) tank to the odor control system as ground conditions allowed.

Public reaction and trustee remarks Several residents spoke during public comment. Paul Alomar asked whether tests were being run and whether there were improvements; an official replied that improvements are being made but that routine lab reporting is lagged and February results are the most recent formal set in the record. Longtime local resident George Beekman urged the board to consider a moratorium on any sewer expansion until the plants are reliably operating. He said an expanded system would increase long'term maintenance responsibility and risk to village operations.

Grants and planning Officials told the board that, despite operational challenges, the village is continuing efforts to pursue grant funding for sewer expansion because grant application schedules are fixed; staff said the village can decline awards later if operations remain noncompliant. The village also reported an income survey is under way to improve chances for infrastructure funding.

What the board asked of staff Trustees asked staff to continue frequent sampling and to post lab results and operations reports for public review. The mayor and staff said they will work to publish recent sampling results on a dedicated sewer operations page on the village website and that Delaware Engineering will produce a short'term action plan and timeline for returning plants to permit compliance.

Ending Trustees said returning the plants to compliant operations is a priority and that the village will continue to staff the sewer operations team, keep residents informed, pursue grants as appropriate and not proceed with expansion decisions until the operational baseline is stable.