Greene County sewer board authorizes outside review of 90% wastewater plant plans after engineering concerns

Speaker 5 (board member) told the board it attended a 90% completion meeting for the new wastewater treatment plant and now has additional questions after reviewing the plans in detail. "There's no incoming wet well," Speaker 5 said, expressing concern about how flows from multiple lift stations would be buffered.

The board voted to authorize an external engineering review of the 90% plans. Speaker 2 moved to authorize the review and the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Speaker 3 estimated the review would "not be more than $22,000" in cost.

Why it matters: board members said missing or underspecified features on the plans could increase long-term operational risk. Speaker 5 recommended retaining an outside engineer (transcript references 'Wessler'/'Westler' Engineering) to identify necessary changes before the district signs permits or proceeds further.

Board concerns included removal of post-aeration equipment, whether to include a third oxidation ring as an alternate bid item to accommodate growth, and the need for on-site water distribution sized to support fire-hose flows for tank cleaning. Speaker 5 argued eliminating some mechanical components could reduce future maintenance costs but warned against underbuilding the plant for expected growth.

Speaker 4 asked whether signing NDPS permits would be premature while design issues remain; Speaker 5 advised caution: "I would say that we should wait to sign those until we've had our need." The board accepted that advice, directing staff to commission the outside review before taking further permitting steps.

Next steps: the board authorized the external review of the 90% plans (cost estimate discussed), and will consider the reviewer’s recommendations before signing permits or advancing construction contracts.