davide
12-09-2009, 11:05 AM
It looks like Pueblo could really use some TARP money. Who is responsible for securing it ? Did someone put Solar over Sewage ?
That is an odd priority.
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/12/05/news/local/doc4b1a0a5daec12295695987.txt
Published: December 05, 2009 12:37 am
Partially treated sewer water released into river
Pueblo has been trying to fund improvements at the wastewater plant to eliminate river spills.
By CHRIS WOODKA
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
A release of more than 300,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater raises new questions about aging systems at the Pueblo sewage treatment plant.
The release occurred at about 5 p.m. Thursday, at the James DiIorio Wastewater Reclamation facility about a mile east of the confluence of Fountain Creek and the Arkansas River, releasing an estimated 323,750 gallons of wastewater that had not been treated with chlorine, according to Gene Michael, wastewater superintendent.
“This isn’t raw sewage. This is water that has been completely treated, except for the disinfectant,” Michael said.
The release was caused when an automatic valve that switches chlorine feed from one bank to another malfunctioned. An alarm sounded, as it is supposed to, but it took as long as 40 minutes to gain manual control of the system. The Colorado and Pueblo City-County health departments were notified.
“This raises suspicions about the age of the facility,” said Ross Vincent, chairman of the Sangre de Cristo Sierra Club. “The system is very old and clearly needs upgrades that will require investments the city has been unwilling to make. We hope the state health department would require the city to make the type of investment of money it needs.
This is the second largest spill since 2007 at the Pueblo treatment plant. In 2007, a vacuum line broke, causing 500,000 gallons of over chlorinated water to be released into the Arkansas River.
The city realizes the plant is aging, and has tried to make upgrades, but they are expensive, Michael said.
“It’s certainly an old plant and we’d like to make upgrades, but it costs money to do that,” Michael said.
The city applied for federal stimulus money to upgrade to an ultraviolet treatment system that would eliminate the need for the chlorination treatment, the last step before water is released to the Arkansas River.
The city received a portion of the money for a solar power system, about $1.5 million. Installing the solar panels will cost a total of about $2.2 million.
The UV treatment system, which did not receive federal stimulus funds, would cost about $4 million, Michael said.
Bacteriological samples have been taken from the river and effluent and are being analyzed. It’s expected that results will not be available until the first part of next week, Michael added.
cwoodka@chieftain.com
That is an odd priority.
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/12/05/news/local/doc4b1a0a5daec12295695987.txt
Published: December 05, 2009 12:37 am
Partially treated sewer water released into river
Pueblo has been trying to fund improvements at the wastewater plant to eliminate river spills.
By CHRIS WOODKA
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
A release of more than 300,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater raises new questions about aging systems at the Pueblo sewage treatment plant.
The release occurred at about 5 p.m. Thursday, at the James DiIorio Wastewater Reclamation facility about a mile east of the confluence of Fountain Creek and the Arkansas River, releasing an estimated 323,750 gallons of wastewater that had not been treated with chlorine, according to Gene Michael, wastewater superintendent.
“This isn’t raw sewage. This is water that has been completely treated, except for the disinfectant,” Michael said.
The release was caused when an automatic valve that switches chlorine feed from one bank to another malfunctioned. An alarm sounded, as it is supposed to, but it took as long as 40 minutes to gain manual control of the system. The Colorado and Pueblo City-County health departments were notified.
“This raises suspicions about the age of the facility,” said Ross Vincent, chairman of the Sangre de Cristo Sierra Club. “The system is very old and clearly needs upgrades that will require investments the city has been unwilling to make. We hope the state health department would require the city to make the type of investment of money it needs.
This is the second largest spill since 2007 at the Pueblo treatment plant. In 2007, a vacuum line broke, causing 500,000 gallons of over chlorinated water to be released into the Arkansas River.
The city realizes the plant is aging, and has tried to make upgrades, but they are expensive, Michael said.
“It’s certainly an old plant and we’d like to make upgrades, but it costs money to do that,” Michael said.
The city applied for federal stimulus money to upgrade to an ultraviolet treatment system that would eliminate the need for the chlorination treatment, the last step before water is released to the Arkansas River.
The city received a portion of the money for a solar power system, about $1.5 million. Installing the solar panels will cost a total of about $2.2 million.
The UV treatment system, which did not receive federal stimulus funds, would cost about $4 million, Michael said.
Bacteriological samples have been taken from the river and effluent and are being analyzed. It’s expected that results will not be available until the first part of next week, Michael added.
cwoodka@chieftain.com