City of Chester Water & Sewer Committee met July 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:
Aldermen present were: Russ Rader and Robert Platt. City Engineers Harold Sheffer, Engineer Ted Beggs, Mayor Tom Page, City Clerk Bethany Berner and Water Plant Superintendent Tim Crow were also present.
Mayor Tom Page advised that the city received a public water supply evaluation letter from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The IEPA is strongly recommending the Chester Water Plant feed carbon in the water treatment process. The Chester Water Plant is the only water plant along the Mississippi River that doesn’t use carbon for water treatment. This item needs to be implemented in a five to ten year plan.
City Engineer Harold Sheffer stated that J.T. Blankinship Inc. applied for a funding nomination through the IEPA. As of July 1, 2018, the IEPA is offering a loan program with 75% loan forgiveness not to exceed $1,500,000.00 loan forgiveness. If the City of Chester is awarded the funding nomination, the loan money will be used to replace the lime system, plant roof, CO2 system, head tank and recarbonation tank repairs at the water plant.
Superintendent Crow informed the council of the twenty year maintenance required on the storage tanks behind the water plant. City Engineer Sheffer recommended adding the storage tank maintenance to the funding nomination to maximize the loan forgiveness.
Next, Superintendent Crow advised the VFW ground storage tank will be inspected on July 30th. This tank holds 500,000 gallons of water and has been out of service for several years. Superintendent Crow noted that this storage tank has been extremely beneficial for the city during major leaks and he would hate to permanently lose the tank. Mayor Page recommended that the council waits to view the inspection report before making any decisions on the future of the tank.
In October 2017, the IEPA required the water plant to begin testing for ecoli in the river water. If the test averages exceed 100, the water plant will be required to begin cryptosporidium testing in early 2019. If cryptosporidium results exceed IEPA requirements, the City of Chester will be required to provide enhanced treatment within three to four years. One option would be installation of UV treatment that will cost approximately $2,000,000.00. Engineer Ted Beggs recommended installing a more powerful unit than required to allow for future IEPA requirements.
In the evaluation letter, the IEPA is recommending an additional generator be purchased to run the entire water plant during a power outage. Superintendent Crow voiced concern about the purchase of an additional generator before all of the required projects are complete. Engineer Beggs recommended purchasing a generator double the size required to run the plant. Superintendent Crow warned that space in the current plant is going to be an issue. Engineer Sheffer recommended tearing down the old water plant and putting up a new building to allow additional space for all of the new projects. Superintendent Crow recommended purchasing the property on Wall Street next to the water plant to allow for expansion if the property is listed for sale. Discussion ensued.
Superintendent Crow stated the water plant will receive a demo grit removal system at the end of August. The water and sewer plants have major issues with sand damaging and eating away at the plant pumps. Placement of the screw press and alternative options were discussed.
Finally, Engineer Sheffer presented a list of upcoming work and mandates needed for the water plant. Superintendent Crow and City Engineers prioritized the list of upcoming projects and developed a five year plan for the water plant. Superintendent Crow recommended contacting surrounding municipalities to see how they prioritized and implemented unfunded mandates.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:29 a.m.
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