WATER POLLUTION CONTROL COMMISSION
Regular Meeting
Virtual Zoom Meeting
August 19, 2020
Present: Amy Atamian, Todd Eubanks, Dave Pattee, Kirby Klump, Vanessa McPherson
Also Present: Eugene Burke, John Oatley, and Matt Johnson of Veolia. Katherine Stauffer, WPCC Administrator.
Amy Atamian called the meeting to order at 7:30PM
ITEM 1: APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE JULY 15, 2020 MEETING.
Motion: Approve the minutes from the July 15, 2020 minutes: T. Eubanks, motion. D. Pattee, second. Approved unanimously.
ITEM 2: APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES FROM JULY 23, 2020.
Motion: Approve the minutes from the July 23, 2020 Special Meeting. D. Pattee, motion. V. McPherson, second. Approved unanimously
ITEM 3: REPORT FROM VEOLIA WATER PLANT MANAGERS
Health and Safety
Veolia Water monthly safety training topics conducted in July 2020 included:
· Heat Stress
The project has completed 19 years with no safety incidents.
Noteworthy Operational Information / Maintenance and PM
· Weekly power washing of the on-line primary drum screener.
· Wasted 59,435 gallons of sludge from recycle wet well to the GBT
· 13,060 gallons of waste was removed for off-site disposal
· Chronic Aquatic Toxicity testing completed
· Organic and Inorganic membrane backwash cleaning was completed
Regulatory & Compliance
There were no permit violations for Redding in the month of July 2020.
Alarms
None
CBYD
7-16-20 – 52 Old Georgetown Road – No mark out required
7-16-20 – 115 Redding Road – No mark out required
Points for Discussion
Drum screener quotes from Maher Corp and Fleet – Mr. Burke is waiting on these 2 quotes for the bearing and roller along with a maintenance schedule. Mr. Burke stated that once they come in, he will present them to the commission.
Blower repair – Parts were supposed to arrive by 8/17 but now, the blower will not be arriving until 9/9. Veolia has also been charged an extra $350 for expediting the order, Mr. Burke has questioned this and is waiting to hear back.
· Power study – Matt Johnson and John Oatley were present to talk about to power study that was done before the upgrade to digital.
o The first issue that was found was the low voltage system. There were isolators installed to keep the plant safe from the peaks that came in.
o 85% of the facility runs off of VFD, which means the power comes in waves. When the waves line up into one, there is a drop in power.
o Within the power usage study, there is a proposal to install a filter, but the main concern is finding the right size for the plant. Mr. Johnson stated that he has found one for $14,000, but it may not be the right fit for the plant. He stated that at this point, the damage that is being done is not so bad that something needs to be done right now. He stated that it may be better to hold off until a better fit is found.
o Mr. Eubanks asked what the downside would be for not fixing this right now. Mr. Johnson stated that the average VFD seal is about 10-12 years and with the power surges being seen in this case, that may be shortened to 8-10 years.
o Ms. McPherson asked Mr. Johnson to clarify whether or not this is an Eversource issue, or an issue with the harmonics of the VFD’s. Mr. Johnson stated that it is not due to the power coming in.
o Ms. Atamian asked if there is anything that can be done in the meantime within the operation of the plant to help prolong the life of the VFD’s. Mr. Oatley stated that there would be a big list of things to do to make that happen including going through Layne to try to re-route the power.
o Mr. Johnson stated that it may be best to wait until the infrastructure is in place and the plant is at capacity to get the best result.
Ms. Atamian asked if there were 2 different energy providers coming into the plant, it would be better. Mr. Johnson stated that because the plant is at the end of the power line, it may be difficult to get another provider in. Mr. Oatley stated that it is more about the number of VFD’s within the plant than the energy provider.
Air compressor service – the air was not being distributed as it should have been. The pressure switch was compromised. Mr. Burke stated that the pressure switch has been changed and is now working better than ever. Kaeser Compressors has offered to provide maintenance for free.
Boiler fault – Edgerton found ground wire not attached – After the maintenance provided by Edgerton to the boiler back in February, there has been an issue with faults. Edgerton has now been out and charged the WPCC 3 times for this issue. The last time they were called, they found that the ground wire was not attached. Ms. Stauffer will be reaching out to Edgerton in regard to this. The Town has recently switched from Edgerton to Mulvaney, so the WPCC may consider doing the same.
Backflow preventer in original plant building – One of the backflow preventors needs to be replaced. Mr. Burke has gotten a quote from Mulvaney and is getting quotes from 4 other vendors. He will also be getting quotes for preventative maintenance. All quotes should be available by the next meeting.
· Mr. Burke stated that after the hurricane, the power was out at the plant for 1.5 days running on generator power.
· Mr. Pattee asked Mr. Burke about NIC coming to look at the level sensors. Mr. Burke stated that currently, the level sensors are working well now, but are trying to get a price worked out so that NIC can be more proactive off-site. Ms. Atamian asked if this has to do with NIC accessing the plant system remotely. Mr. Burke said this is exactly what he is talking about.
· Mr. Eubanks asked about the $8,000 offer that the WPCC was making to Control Systems of CT for the transfer pump. Mr. Burke stated that it was accepted. Ms. Stauffer has received the bill for it.
· Ms. Atamian stated that the WPCC will still have to address the building cracks. She has gotten contact information from Shaun Donnelly for another contractor to look at it. She asked if there has been any difference in runoff. Mr. Burke stated that when the field was mowed, there was a slight trench dug which has helped with the runoff not going straight to the building.
· Ms. Atamian asked about the equipment inventory. Mr. Oatley stated that there is a complete excel file that has been compiled. The only thing he is waiting on is the maintenance done on everything and the current age. He will also be including any warranty information. He hopes to have it finished in the next week.
Veolia left at 8:36 PM
ITEM 4: FY 2019-2020 USAGE REVIEW:
· Meadow Ridge Used: 35,849 GPD
· Georgetown Used: 8,045 GPD
· GLDC Used: 199 GPD
Mr. Eubanks asked if Ms. Stauffer could move a couple of things around within the spreadsheet.
ITEM 5: DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON INVOICES AND FINANCIAL STATUS:
MOTION: APPROVE ALL INVOICES, EXCEPT VEOLIA MONTHLY – AUGUST 2020 $28,671.92 AND EDGERTON $110, TOTALLING $44,960.47. A. Atamian, motion. D. Pattee, second. Approved unanimously.
Bills to be Paid:
FY 2020:
1. Control Systems of CT: $8,000.00
2. Frontier – June: $306.04
FY 2021:
1. Aquarion Monthly: $746.83
2. Eversource: $5,315.34
3. Frontier – July: $319.63
4. Hocon Gas: $15.00
5. Santa Buckley Energy: $1,325.34
6. Veolia Monthly – July 2020: $28,671.92
Ms. Stauffer will be reaching out to Edgerton regarding the multiple service calls without finding a fix. Hold on paying this bill until next month.
Ms. Atamian asked if there has been an increase in the Eversource bills. Ms. Stauffer stated that she has not seen an increase. Ms. Stauffer will take a deeper look at current vs. past bills for a difference in rates.
Ms. Atamian asked if the Aquarion bill is higher than normal. Ms. Stauffer stated that there was probably a membrane cleaning done last month. Mr. Klump confirmed this.
Ms. Atamian asked for some clarification as to where the WPCC ended up with last years budget. Ms. Stauffer provided the final numbers with any necessary clarification.
ITEM 4: COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS
NONE
ITEM 5: PUBLIC COMMENT
NONE
ITEM 6: ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn: K. Klump, motion. T. Eubanks, second.
Meeting adjourned at 9:07PM
Submitted by Katherine Stauffer