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City explains Jan. 16 wastewater power interruption and subsequent EPA notification letters to customers
Summary
City staff described a Jan. 16 power interruption at a wastewater treatment plant that caused a temporary dip in chlorine concentration mid-treatment but maintained an effluent chlorine concentration above the minimum; the EPA later issued a violation letter and the city mailed notifications to more than 40,000 customers per EPA instructions.
City water and sewer staff told the finance committee about a Jan. 16 power interruption at a wastewater treatment plant that briefly affected an intermediate chlorine concentration in the treatment process but did not result in unsafe effluent being discharged, according to staff remarks to the committee.
A staff presenter explained that, during the power interruption, a backup generator did not immediately come online and a portion of the treatment process saw chlorine levels drop to about 0.9 (below a stated midpoint minimum of 1). The city reported the effluent being discharged to the distribution system maintained a chlorine concentration of 3.1 and "there was never any water, pushed out into the system that was unsafe," the presenter said.
Staff said they immediately notified the state, which provided "positive feedback." Several weeks later the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a letter identifying a violation and instructing the city to follow specific notification steps. The city mailed letters to more than 40,000 customers within the municipal limits in compliance with the EPA letter, staff said.
Committee members sought clarification and staff reiterated that customers were not exposed to unsafe water and that the notifications were being mailed to comply with federal requirements. "We notified the state immediately of that issue. The state basically gave us good feed positive feedback," the presenter said.
No formal action was required by the committee on the explanation; staff said they had followed state and federal notification processes.
