The Saratoga Outfall Sewer Project has seen changes since the update at the last Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers (water and sewer) Board meeting, according to Heath Overfield, Chief Executive Officer of Engineering Associates (EA).
“We’re on hold right now as far as the design goes,” Overfield said. There are serious concerns that the project will not meet the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) internal April 1 deadline, but since it’s internal, the DEQ has control over it. “If we don’t get April 1 it’s not going to happen until August or September.” EA has recommended the town should follow up on deadline requirements.
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sent comments to EA last month about the design and construction of the project, outlining three major items that must be resolved, Overfield said.
When the easements are in place, they need to be shown on the drawings and the DEQ wants to have copies of the written agreement to show that the agreement allows the regulatory agencies to access that pipeline in the river as needed if they want to go down and verify the towns testing or whatever they want to do.
The DEQ also raised questions about access to the area and whether that would be maintained year round.
The third is the major one about the design of the diffuser, with the DEQ and EA asking questions about an open ended pipe in the river as opposed to a close ended pipe with perforations. These concerns are about the size and length of the diffuser with respects to what the DEQ feels is necessary for mixing in the river as well as the conditions of the river.
“Our understanding from (a previous meeting) was “Do what you think you need to do, but the permit says feed 50 percent across the river,” Overfield said. In various phone calls and discussions, it has come up that they “can’t just have a perforated section from the center of the river all the way up to the edge of the bank, because the bank is going to change locations from year to year as well as season to season.” The perforated sections cannot be above water.
Now, EA is considering the possibility of two diffuser pipes or a diffuser in the river with an emergency second discharge location. DEQ will evaluate these options, looking at the obstacles Saratoga is facing, and be in touch so the town may weigh in on their comments.
The Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) had received little comment at the last meeting, but now five written comments have been received in relation to this project before the end of the public comment period in December, Overfield said. Most comments were concerned with how dumping waste into the river will affect such a high quality fishing location. Comments will be noted and the report will be finalized. The FONSI will be published again with a 30-day public comment period, and those in opposition may appeal to the Environmental Quality Council.
Jon Winter, director of public works, reported on the June sanitary survey conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency at the Jan. 13 meeting. Winter said the EPA identified three major deficiencies, two of which were related to lack of inspection. According to Winter, Saratoga did not have information the EPA needed, indicating that inspections had not been thoroughly completed, and the town must provide that information. The third defiency was associated with leaking tanks, which provides potential for contaminants to enter the water system. Winter said the EPA report was flawed, so the period of correction will not begin until a correct report has been issued.
At the meeting, the water and sewer board determined that, keeping in mind environmental and systems tests and quality recording to be done, no new businesses may dump septic or portable toilet waste in the wastewater lagoon. Posey Wagon Portable Toilets has been grandfathered in, since the operation used to be owned by Doug Youngberg, who was approved to dump at the lagoon. Blackwater Septic Solutions, of Rawlins, was prohibited from dumping at this time.
While they deliberate testing and composition records, Winter mentioned the possibility of a dump station at the lake in order to accommodate RV traffic and that they will speak with other communities about septic waste and how they manage it. Another town dump station for septic waste is being considered.
The next water and sewer board meeting will be Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at Saratoga Town Hall.
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