Town board authorizes up to $1.5 million for emergency cleanup of wastewater digester

Town board members voted to immediately authorize emergency work at the town's wastewater treatment plant after staff described a primary digester clogged with foam, rags and other debris that has trapped methane and raised the risk of structural damage. The resolution authorizes an agreement on a time-and-materials basis not to exceed $1.5 million to begin cleanup.

The board heard from Tim, a staff member, who explained that the primary digester is meant to be cleaned every seven to nine years but has not had a full cleanout since 2004. "We're going on 22 years of no clean out," Tim said, describing the unit as effectively operating as a roughly 500,000-gallon storage tank rather than digesting sludge. He said the cover is now about six feet higher than normal and about six inches from a safety structure, and that operators have been unable to vent methane reliably.

Tim said the immediate operational problem is heavy foam and accumulated solids——plastic, hair and grit——which are holding methane in the sludge and clogging vents. "This can hold up to 100,000 cubic feet of methane," he said, and estimated the cover section weighs about 40 tons. Staff told the board the only remedy is to clean the digester itself; attempts to force venting have failed because the gas has become trapped in the sludge and foam.

The resolution read to the board declares the project a type-two action under the statute cited in the reading (referred to in the transcript as "SRA") and finds that degradation of the digester "may imperil life, health, safety and/or property." The measure authorizes town supervisors to sign an agreement with "ja bondage DBA Drain Docker" on a time-and-materials basis, not to exceed $1.5 million, to proceed with immediate work. The reading states the resolution takes effect immediately.

A board member moved to adopt the resolution "as written" and another seconded. After a brief follow-up discussion, the chair called for a voice vote; the motion was declared to carry. The transcript records that someone said "I opposed," but it does not identify who and no roll call or named vote tally was provided in the record.

During discussion, Council member Kilmer asked that the public record reflect concerns about how the town's existing order-and-consent requirements and enforcement by the DEC affect small-town maintenance budgets. Kilmer said the town deferred the cleanout for years because programs and revenues were allocated elsewhere and urged future talks with DEC about what the town can reasonably maintain.

Staff described containment steps for interim work: using spill socks and raking and hosing areas where material has overflowed onto town property, hauling removed material by truck to the appropriate facility (the transcript references "BSA" as the hauling destination), and diluting residual material where appropriate. Staff said DEC has noted the issue during inspections and that if the overflow persisted beyond a week or two DEC involvement would escalate.

The board approved the emergency authorization and then adjourned. The resolution text and the agreement documents were to be circulated by email to board members immediately.

Notes: the transcript supplies several quantitative figures used by staff: last full cleanout in 2004; rag removal system installed in 2013 and typically emptied quarterly (about three tons per quarter); estimated 100,000 cubic feet of methane in the unit; an estimated weight of 40 tons for the cover section; and the authorization cap of $1.5 million. The transcript identifies the contractor name as read aloud ("ja bondage DBA Drain Docker") and refers to DEC in conversation; neither the transcript nor the record provides a full roll-call vote or named vote counts.