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DEQ inspected Nelson County wastewater plant after reported overflows; board hears mixed accounts
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Summary
County staff reported DEQ observed EQ Basin overflow to a wooded area during a membrane-cleaning performance test and required testing and public notification; a resident later disputed the DEQ "no concern" finding, reporting visible solids in the woods and the stream.
Nelson County staff updated the Board of Supervisors about intermittent unauthorized discharges from the service authority's new wastewater treatment plant and a recent DEQ inspection.
Staff said DEQ inspectors observed overflow from the plant's equalization (EQ) basin that flowed through a culvert into a wooded area and that, at inspection, DEQ found "minor" settled solids in the woods and no evidence of solids at several downstream sample points on the South Fork Rockfish River. The transcript records staff saying DEQ requested immediate testing at overflow points, public notification of discharges and weekly operational reporting while the manufacturer conducted membrane cleaning and performance testing.
During public comment, a resident who had visited the site challenged the conclusion that there were no downstream solids, saying he saw material "about 4 inches deep up there in the woods" and reported finding personal-hygiene products in the debris. Staff noted that DEQ had performed an in-person compliance inspection and that the service authority implemented a temporary pump-and-haul solution but that some discharges continued during peak flows, especially in wet weather when hauling was difficult.
Staff and DEQ have asked the service authority to test at points downstream of the overflow and to provide results publicly; staff said those tests were completed and reported no concern for downstream property owners, while a resident disputed that account during the meeting. The county also described a plan to seek additional USDA RD loan funding to advance repair and rehabilitation options for the authority's system.
Why it matters: Unauthorized discharges from a wastewater plant can pose environmental and public-health risks; DEQ oversight, testing, and public notification are standard parts of the corrective process, and differing local observations underscore the need for transparent results.
What happens next: DEQ requested the service authority provide timelines for corrective actions; the county and the service authority are to report testing results and continue operational updates to DEQ compliance staff. The transcript records no determination of enforcement penalties at this meeting.
Quoted: Staff read DEQ findings that "the overflow and wastewater from the EQ Basin flows through a culvert under the EQ Basin access road into a wooded area" and that "no evidence of wastewater solids was observed at" several river sample points (staff member, speaker 7). A resident responded: "It's probably 4 inches deep up there in the woods... There is women's products. There is enough rubbers up there in the creek."
