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Morgantown approves IDEM action plan for lagoon violations and advances water project pay request
Summary
The council approved an IDEM response plan to address violations at the town lagoon, authorized possible smoke testing and camera inspection for infiltration, and approved Reed & Sons Pay Application #4 as the water project began on Oct. 13.
Morgantown’s council moved forward on water and wastewater work at its Oct. 13 meeting, approving an IDEM action plan to address inspection violations at the town lagoon and accepting a large pay application for the water distribution project.
Lori Young of consulting firm Fleis & Vandenbrink presented an Action Plan prepared in response to an IDEM noncompliance letter that listed multiple violations at the lagoon. The plan included a spreadsheet addressing the violations. Council President Joe Blevins noted continuing infiltration in the collection system where customers may have sump pumps discharging to the sewer; the council discussed possible smoke testing and camera inspection of parts of the collection system. Jewel Blevins moved to approve the Action Plan; Jeremy Baker seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Separately, the council reviewed a map of the water project and questioned why only 10 fire hydrants were shown for replacement rather than all hydrants; the Elm Street portion of the project was extended. Contractors Reed & Sons began work that day. The council approved Reed & Sons Pay Application #4 for $263,081.26 (motion by Jeremy Baker; second by Stacie Baker), enabling contractor payments as work proceeds. A coordination meeting was scheduled Oct. 14 to determine when water from Brown County Water will be activated.
Why it matters The approved IDEM Action Plan is a required step to address regulatory violations and reduce environmental and public-health risks tied to wastewater handling. Approving Reed & Sons’ pay application funds continued work on the distribution project, which includes hydrant replacements and street work affecting residents.
Next steps Council authorized the IDEM plan implementation and directed staff to pursue targeted infiltration testing (smoke test and camera). Project coordination with Reed & Sons will determine the schedule for turning on Brown County water and continuing hydrant and piping work.
