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Palmyra utility managers flag UV equipment failure and wastewater foaming tied to local truck wash
Summary
Water/Wastewater Manager Dustin Smith told the Board of Public Works the UV touchscreen controlling the plant failed and a replacement has been shipped; he warned the city must have the unit operational by April 1 to meet Missouri DNR requirements. The board also discussed foaming at the wastewater plant potentially linked to chemicals from Leeser Truck Wash and directed staff to pursue mitigation.
At the March 19 Palmyra Board of Public Works meeting Water/Wastewater Manager Dustin Smith reported two operational issues that the board described as priority follow-ups.
Smith said the touch screen that operates the wastewater plant’s UV disinfection system no longer works; a replacement unit has been ordered and shipped. Smith told the board that Missouri DNR requires the UV system to operate from April 1 through November 1 to assist with E. coli control and that, if the unit is not operational by April 1, the City will need to notify DNR and would be in violation of that requirement. The minutes note the board’s concern about timing; staff did not provide a schedule for final installation beyond shipment of the replacement unit.
Smith also raised an ongoing foaming problem at the wastewater plant. After reviewing a chemical list provided by Leeser Truck Wash, Smith identified chemicals that include a surface-active agent known to cause foam in treatment processes. The board discussed potential mitigation steps; the minutes record that Council Liaison Steve Bland will return a call to Ron Brink (associated with the truck wash) and that Smith will work with Leeser Truck Wash to reduce the foam-causing discharges. No enforcement action or compliance timetable is recorded in the minutes.
Other operational items recorded in the minutes: staff are reviewing water-loss calculations and corrected meter-read miscalculations; the Missouri Rural Water Association is scheduled to perform a leak-detection test in roughly two weeks; Pam O’Brien has accepted the water plant operator position and Andy Tayor has accepted a water/sewer maintenance position while interviews for a wastewater plant operator continue; the invoice for the vac truck is reported as "a little over $12,000," and obtaining signatures on a sewer easement has proceeded slowly.
Board members did not record specific technical fixes or deadlines for the foaming issue in the minutes; next steps recorded are staff outreach to Leeser Truck Wash and a liaison call from Steve Bland to Ron Brink.
