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Council hears DEQ concerns about wastewater capacity; staff outlines $150,000 mixing-zone/stream-gauge study and planning loan option
Summary
City staff told council that DEQ flagged possible wastewater capacity and ammonia-limit concerns related to a 36-home development; staff recommended pursuing a DEQ planning loan to pay for required studies, including a ~$150,000 mixing-zone and stream-gauge study.
City staff provided the council with an overview of state regulatory concerns from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) about Amity’s wastewater treatment system and a potential ammonia limit in the city’s NPDES permit.
Nathan (city staff) told council DEQ wants additional studies to verify plant capacity given 36 new homes approved in the Amity Oaks development. He described two potential technical paths: upgrade the treatment process (for example, a moving bed bioreactor) or reconfigure the outfall and conduct a mixing-zone/stream-gauge study to dilute effluent across a wider area. "A solid mixing zone study that includes the installation of a stream gauge which would monitor the flows through a winter season would cost approximately 150,000 for the city to do," Nathan said.
Staff explained DEQ’s planning loan program could reimburse planning expenses and sometimes includes forgivable principal; however, the timing to get on the intended-use plan and to execute a loan would take months, and some expenditures made before approval might not be eligible for full reimbursement. Councilors discussed starting the gauge before winter to collect the required data and the relative merits of borrowing versus using sewer-fund reserves. A motion to apply for planning funds was made and seconded on the record; the transcript records the motion but does not include a verbatim roll-call of the final vote in the segment provided.
