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Queenstown commissioners seek bids after wastewater membranes show accelerated decline
Summary
At a June 18 work session the Queenstown Board voted 3-0 to solicit replacement bids and request vendor information after Susquehanna Operations reported progressive membrane deterioration and recommended exploring non-sheet membrane designs and adding a coarse screen.
Queenstown commissioners voted 3-0 on June 18 to seek replacement quotes and vendor information after George Smith, owner of the town's wastewater contractor Susquehanna Operations, reported accelerating deterioration of membranes at the town wastewater treatment plant.
Smith told the board the plant's sheet-style membranes were installed in 2021 with a three-year warranty even though he said the manufacturer had indicated a general 10-year life expectancy. He presented permeability readings that declined after successive recovery cleanings — new at 15, then about 13.5 after the first cleaning, 10.5 after the second, 6 after the third and about 4.5 after an early fourth cleaning — and said the plant's current peak throughput is roughly 80 gallons per minute compared with about 160 gpm for new membranes. Smith also said the M+H report shows ragging at roughly 15% and delamination issues and that, in his view, the chlorine levels used at the plant may have contributed to membrane damage.
Smith recommended that the town obtain cost quotes from M+H for currently available upgraded membranes along with written criteria explaining why an upgraded product would be preferable to the plant's current sheet membranes. He also urged the town to solicit bids from other manufacturers that supply non-sheet (straw-tubular) membrane products and to evaluate retrofitting the plant to add a coarse screen in addition to the existing fine screen.
Commissioners agreed to pursue those steps. Town Attorney Lyndsey Ryan was directed to send letters to M+H and Ovivo regarding the membrane issues; staff were directed to reach out to other manufacturers to obtain bids for membrane replacement; and Smith said he would provide contact information for additional manufacturers. The board closed discussion, the motion was seconded, and the vote was recorded as 3 ayes, 0 nays.
The measure directs staff to return recommended procurement options to the board; no timeline for replacement or final contract awards was specified at the meeting.
