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Farmington wastewater plant reports strong treatment performance, details winter repairs
Summary
Authority staff reported January plant performance — about 2.9 million gallons average flow, BOD removal 96%, suspended solids 98.5%, total nitrogen removal 83% (roughly 30 pounds under limit) — and described multiple pump-station repairs and freeze-related equipment fixes carried out in January.
Authority staff presented the January operating report and a summary of maintenance work at the plant and across pump stations.
Speaker 1 said the plant averaged about 2,900,000 gallons for January, with biological oxygen demand removal at 96% and suspended solids removal at 98.5%. Total nitrogen removal was 83%, and staff reported being almost 30 pounds under the permitted nitrogen limit for the month. Speaker 1 also said there was no phosphorus or E. coli testing on the permit until April 1 and that solids content was 20.4%.
The report detailed equipment failures and repairs: a failed float switch at West Farms to be replaced with a different style of float; a generator-fault at Centerbrook caused by a block heater not running (a new block heater was installed and faults cleared); and replacement parts on a corroded discharge flange at Snowberry. Staff also described repeated freezing events in late January that affected a primary scum pump line and a filtrate pump (both frozen and subsequently thawed with heaters and added heat tracing) and frozen hydrant heads that required valve replacements and continuous running.
Speaker 1 recounted a resident concern at 9 Peggy Lane, where an elderly resident feared a newly drilled well might be contaminated by the sewer; staff inspected and explained the sewer and well are not connected and cleaned the line to ease the resident's concern.
What to watch: the authority plans additional capital work this year, including pump-station improvements and VFD/PLC installations; Yukon station equipment testing was underway and installation work is expected when ground conditions allow in spring.
