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Mooresville council moves to update sewer-use ordinance after wastewater-plant chemical upset, grants president emergency procurement authority
Summary
Council described a two-month chemical upset at the municipal wastewater treatment plant that has killed treatment bacteria, approved hiring Taft Law Group to rewrite the sewer-use/pre-treatment ordinance and gave the council president authority to obligate emergency purchases while normal claims processing continues.
Council members said on Nov. 18 that Mooresville's wastewater treatment plant has experienced an unusual chemical upset for about two months that has killed the treatment bacteria and disrupted processing. The council announced staff and outside experts from Aqua Utility Services, HNTB and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have been on site to investigate and recommend fixes.
Why it matters: Town officials said the upset threatens the plant's ability to treat incoming flows and could force repeated reseeding of biological treatment tanks unless the town limits harmful discharges at the source. Council members framed a rewrite of the town's sewer-use (pre-treatment) ordinance as a way to shift responsibility to industrial users and avoid raising residential sewer rates.
What the council did: The council voted to authorize Taft Law Group to begin rewriting Mooresville's sewer-use ordinance so local limits, monitoring and enforcement match current conditions and IDEM requirements. The council also approved a motion to allow the council president to obligate funds to purchase equipment or chemicals needed immediately to restore plant operations; claims for those purchases will still be processed through the town's normal claims and payment procedures. Both votes were made by voice with "Aye" responses and carried.
Public reaction and safety: Residents raised concerns about a persistent odor and asked whether the chemicals are hazardous. A member of the public who said she grew up in town asked, "Am I inhaling nastiness and killing my lungs that are already broken?" Town officials and IDEM staff present said IDEM has told the town the safety side is "not hazardous," though residents said the smell remains disruptive and the council pledged to continue investigation and monitoring.
Next steps: Staff will work with Taft Law Group and the technical team to define updated local discharge limits, add monitoring requirements (cited options included 24-hour samplers in manholes or catch basins) and pursue enforcement against industrial users if needed. The council authorized the procurement authority to allow timely emergency purchases while the ordinance rewrite and enforcement plan proceed.
