New hire in Rock Hall tackles water improvements

ROCK HALL — Project Manager and Utilities Supervisor Jack Steen didn’t need much time on the job to see how hard his crew work around town. As of Sept. 12, the date of their council meeting, with just ten days employed by the town, he had nothing but praise for them.

He provided Mayor James Cook and the Rock Hall Town Council a glimpse of the tasks his five-man crew did regularly last month.

They went from the daunting job of fixing three water main leaks, daily and weekly testing at the sewer plant to making repairs in both plants.

Around town they fixed fences and patched roads. They did four bulk trash pickups last month, trimmed trees for school buses to have safe passage, as well as prepared the streets for various town functions and events.

“These same men work the streets, the sewer and the water requirements,” Steen remarked. “They're all over the place. It’s amazing.”

He’s here to work hard as well. The mayor explained that Steen's new position is to facilitate all of the new projects the town has started.

"The town reviewed many applicants and based off of Jack's professional experience and his enthusiasm for utility and infrastructure projects, he was selected."

Steen provided an update of this important work.

Chesapeake Landing Project

Cook reported they have started to install blow off valves and blow off hydrants at the end of dead end water mains in town which tended to hold more sediment and oxidized iron. The buildup in the lines caused discolored water to occur within the distribution system.

That process is underway, Steen noted, finding two areas needing flush valves.

“Jack has been very helpful in identifying those lines and installing the valves so we can flush those lines more effectively," Cook relayed to the council.

They'll drain the hydrants on a timely basis so the lines will no longer be an issue, Steen pointed out.

Water Plant

That cleans iron from some existing water mains, but the whole system is being cleaned up as well. Cook said at the water plant, they have replaced their old damaged filters with new sand filters, noticing a remarkable difference.

Steen reported, the iron level is far well below standards. It's resulting in a reduction of over 90%, Cook added.

With the new sand filters installed, Cook said it's also good to have a visual showing how much iron is being taken out.

Wastewater Plant

The clarifier that is responsible for separating the treated wastewater (effluent) from the biological sludge is in need of repair.

There was a motion to approve of roughly $6,000 for the cleaning and the repair of the clarifier. It was unanimously approved.

Another motion was given for Pump station 1, approving the expense of approximately $11,700, also unanimously approved.

This was good for the council to hear, as they set out to implement pieces of the water project in the near term that would have the biggest impact for the least cost.

Steen said, "It’s exciting. There are lots of moving parts, but we’re improving."

Cook commended Steen. "He's done a fantastic job learning about the entire water and sewer system and helping us make the changes."