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City staff report brief ammonia exceedance at wastewater plant; remediation credited with return to compliance
Summary
City staff told the council a two-week ammonia exceedance at the municipal wastewater plant this summer was resolved after operational changes—stopping wasting of bio-solids and increasing aeration—which staff say restored compliance.
City staff told the Wixom City Council that the city’s wastewater treatment plant experienced a brief ammonia exceedance in August but returned to compliance after operational changes.
During the city manager’s reports, Deputy Mayor Resnick asked for details about an ammonia exceedance flagged in August. Ruben, a city wastewater staff member, said laboratory testing showed "a slight upward trend in the ammonia" leaving the plant and that the problem persisted for about two weeks before resolving.
Ruben described the troubleshooting steps staff used: checking mixers and dissolved oxygen levels, inspecting the microorganism population that breaks down ammonia, and sending samples to outside labs to look for toxic substances that might have harmed the microbes. "We stopped what we called wasting…we stopped wasting for a week and then we increased the aeration motors," Ruben said, adding that those steps proved effective and "at this point we're back in compliance." Deputy Mayor Resnick followed up during the report to confirm the plant was again meeting permit limits.
The staff explanation emphasized process-level fixes rather than infrastructure changes: conserving the microbial population by pausing routine wasting and raising aeration to boost dissolved oxygen, which supports the biological treatment process. Ruben said external lab tests did not detect toxic agents that would explain the disruption, but he cautioned the tests may not have covered every possible contaminant.
Council members did not request further formal action during the meeting; no motion to open an investigation or commission an outside study was recorded. The report was given during routine department updates, and staff told the council they would continue monitoring permit results and operations.
The council then moved on to other agenda items and approved the consent agenda; no additional public comment or debate on the plant exceedance was recorded. The meeting record does not specify permit numbers, exact ammonia concentrations, or the identity/position of ‘‘Ruben’’ beyond his remarks during the report.
