The Mount Carmel Board of Mayor and Aldermen began the process last week of correcting sewer plant violations that may result in fines of nearly $300,000 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The BMA voted to authorize Interim City Administrator Jim Stables to perform a credit application to have a total evaluation done on the sludge aeration blowers. The board also approved up to $15,000 to have up to 20 loads of septic taken off site to a treatment facility.
In June, Mount Carmel was sent a notice of violations that carries close to $300,000 in fines relating to untreated water discharge into state waterways labeled as “exceptional.” Attorney Allen Coup warned that the fines would increase over time as the city had been unable to remedy these issues.
After enlisting legal counsel from William Penny in Nashville to speak with TDEC on the town’s behalf, Coup further recommended the town hire a licensed operator and create a plan of correction to show TDEC its efforts to remedy.
Hugh Thomason was hired as interim sewer plant consultant on Aug. 12 and has been providing weekly reports. Thomason lent his recommendations for an initial plan of action at the plant.
Through these opening recommendations, Mount Carmel hopes to get back into compliance before more violations are issued.
“I don’t want to wait and have continued violations piled up. That’s the reason I want to get this moving as quickly as I can,” Stables explained.
‘Repair versus floundering’
Stables said the issues were created by the buildup of sludge at the plant, leading to dirty water entering waterways and creating the violations stated by TDEC.
Stables recommended Osborne Electric perform the evaluation based on Thomason’s prior experience in working with the company to fix high-voltage electrical issues. The initial cost is estimated at $2,000, and Stables said it was necessary for the town to troubleshoot exactly what needed to be fixed in the sludge removal process.
Mount Carmel uses aeration blowers to dry the sludge into a “cake” that can be taken to a treatment facility. Despite being relatively new equipment, the blowers are indicating an overheating issue, leading to a failsafe mode that shuts them down.
“We are currently running 6,000 or 7,000 parts (of sludge) per million (parts of water),” Thomason explained. “We should be running 2,500. We’re probably two or three times too much sludge than what we need.”
Stables said that once the evaluation is performed, Osborne Electric will provide an estimate of costs.
“Whether it’s a motor issue, whether it’s a power issue, whether it was wired correctly or it wasn’t. All of those things being said gets us to a place where we’re in repair versus floundering,” Stables said.
Septic removal
The BMA also voted to approve up to $15,000 in septic removal from the plant.
At $750 per load, Stables recommended the town move the product off site to further reduce the buildup of sludge. Each load can take between 2,200 and 2,400 gallons of septic.
“That (price) is actually a lower rate than if you go elsewhere,” Stables said when asked about the cost of removal.
Stables added that during the September meeting, he will approach the board again to speak on the usefulness of removing septic and whether Mount Carmel should continue with the service.
‘You can revive it’
Though sewer budget funds are being used to pay for the initial $17,000 total in this first wave of remedies, other options will be explored if prices become too high.
Other areas of interest include lab testing of the water at the plant, trash pump additions, and other smaller equipment repairs. Phase II of the sewage plant overhaul is expected to begin in September.
Though Thomason guessed that many of the system errors came from the system not being maintained for close to a decade, he also gave the board a word of hope on the revitalization of the plant.
“Everything has a life cycle,” he said. “If not maintained properly, it shortens the life of it. But you can revive it. These things are resilient, and I think that we can get it taken care of.”
Paving projects
In other business, the board voted unanimously to approve a $249,450 total bid to repave Hammond Avenue, Dover Avenue and Independence Street.
Dover’s repairs will take place from Main Street to Cedar Street.
Independence will be repaired from Main Street to 512 Independence Street.
Hammond will be paved from 830 to 925 Hammond Avenue, the Public Works Gate to the EMS building, 1132 Hammond Avenue to Lloyd’s Chapel Road, and at the intersection of Hiawassee Drive.
The fiscal year 2024-25 budget carried a $300,000 line for road repairs this past July.
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