What's in the bottom of the lagoon?
SPRING VALLEY — The city of Spring Valley is slowly finding out why they are out of compliance with suspended solids in their wastewater treatment plant.
City engineer Jack Kusek said at Monday's city council meeting the sludge at the bottom of the treatment plant has been sent to the lab, but not all results are back yet.
“We really don't know quite what we're dealing with,” Kusek said.
The city has 40-years of sludge buildup at the bottom of the wastewater treatment lagoon, and it's the sludge that is likely causing the suspended solids problem. The sludge is filled with bacteria and other solids that have helped the growth of plant life in the water and led to the increase in suspended solids.
The city has to get rid of the 72,000 cubic yards of sludge, but first they need to know exactly what the sludge is made of; while they have received some results, there are still more pending.
A representative from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency agrees the city should use enzymes to help breakdown some of the sludge but should wait until the spring when it is most efficacious. The enzyme does not work as well in the cold temperatures of winter.
Kusek also said a new chemical feed pump is needed for the reverse osmosis water treatment plant. The pump was used to feed an anti-scalent to the plant's membranes. An anti-scalent keeps the membranes from becoming clogged with grit, clay and other materials as the water passes through it.
A new, smaller pump is needed since a new formula requiring far less anti-scalent is being used. The city will keep on eye on how membranes handle the new formula before installing the plant's new membranes.
The new pump is expected to cost about $700.
In other business:
• The council voted to spend $55,000 on design and on-site inspections for renovations to the wastewater treatment plant using the IKE grant. The city received $750,000 in funds from the IKE grant, which is named after the hurricane that decimated parts of Louisiana and other areas.
• Economic development director Debb Ladgenski said she is putting together the 2012 calendar. Any business or organization with an event planned should let her know if they want it placed on calendar.
• The finance committee met with the fire department to discuss options for funding a new rescue truck. The committee will meet again with the fire department to work on a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant. The committee is also working on a grant similar to the one for businesses in the tax increment financing district, but for businesses outside the TIF district.
• The city council passed a proclamation from St. Louis Catholic School in Princeton declaring Jan. 29-Feb. 3 as Catholic Schools Week.
• Council members approved renewing the loan with Citizens First National Bank for City Hall expenses. They also approved $33,654 to Cruz Concrete for Mary Street improvements, $3,191 for McClure Engineering for engineering fees for Mary Street improvements, $1,138 to McClure for engineering feeds for the the east side interceptor project and fire department stand-by generator, and $508 to McClure for engineering feeds for sewage treatment plant improvements. All of the expenses were sent to North Central Illinois Council of Governments for payment from grant funds.
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