Official: lagoons continue to stink

FORT RECOVERY - Village council members on Monday heard treatment has started at the wastewater treatment plant's lagoons to combat odor issues, but it might take weeks for residents to notice a difference.

Village administrator Randy Diller said village staff two weeks ago began injecting calcium chloride at the Cooper Farms Liquid Egg Processing (LEP) facility in an attempt to lessen the odor.

Diller at the last village council meeting two weeks ago had said part of the issue likely stems from sanitizing chemicals used by Cooper Farms LEP, whose water is treated at the village's wastewater treatment plant.

Hydrogen peroxide has been added to incoming wastewater from lagoon one and lagoon two. A transfer pump also was added to the effluent in pond two to dilute incoming water from pond one. Staff are also trying to reduce high ammonia levels, he said.

Diller added he is seeking estimates from four companies for the cost of an intense cycle of biological supplementation, also known as bioaugmentation, that would reduce the odor and amount of sludge.

So far, Diller said the cost of a year-long bioaugmentation cycle is between $30,000-$40,000.

If the cycle is effective, Diller said the village next year could implement a maintenance cycle that is less intense at a reduced cost of $20,000-$25,000.

At the last council meeting, officials from Poggemeyer Design Group, which is conducting a complete wastewater system study for the village, including the wastewater stream from Cooper Farms, and Keith Uccello of Hawkins Water Treatment Group, Muncie, Ind., had said the odor problem is largely due to a nutrient loading issue. Hawkins Water Treatment Group works with the processing side of Cooper Farms' Liquid Egg Processing facility, Uccello had said.

Mayor Dave Kaup said during Monday's council meeting even though treatment to address the odor issue began two weeks, the wastewater lagoons still smell bad. Diller noted Uccello had said it would likely take a month or more to notice a reduction in odor.

About a dozen Wabash Road residents attended the last council meeting to ask how village officials planned to address the ongoing odor issues.

Additionally, Diller said Monday there's a 90% chance any sludge dredged from the bottom of the lagoons would not be able to be land-applied. Diller said it can't be land applied due to agents in the sludge.

Diller added the surrounding villages of St. Henry and Coldwater also cannot apply sludge from the wastewater treatment plant for the same reason.

As a result, the cost of getting rid of the sludge increases exponentially, Diller said. Dredging could still be an option if the bioaugmentation doesn't work well or if the wastewater study says it is necessary, he said, but added hauling the sludge could cost between $300,000 and $400,000.

In other business, council members passed an ordinance to sell 4.1 acres in Industrial Park West to Lake House Lifestyles LLC, Fort Recovery, at a cost of $61,500.

Councilors passed the legislation as an emergency measure after suspending the rules requiring three readings.

Although the measure was approved at the last village meeting, Diller said council did not have the votes necessary for its passage so it needed to be approved again. Council member Cliff Wendel abstained from voting because he is part of the LLC.

Diller had said the owners of Lake House Lifestyles LLC plan to build a speculative building. Such a structure is built without securing a particular buyer or client.

Moving on to project updates, Diller said he received a proposal from Choice One Engineering, Sidney, for the Milligan Street project.

The project will include saw-cutting curbs, removing the concrete street and likely undercutting the street and putting down asphalt, Diller said. He said he's waiting on a cost estimate, which likely will take about two weeks. The project he expects will be put out to bid in June and hopefully finished by August, Diller said.

The State Route 49 reroute project is nearly complete, Diller reported, as signage is the last thing that needs to be completed by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The village has a flashing LED light for the stop sign on North Wayne Street.

ODOT recommended a four-way stop at the intersection of Broadway and Wayne streets. ODOT also recommended Broadway and Elm streets remain as they are, Diller had said.

Council members Monday also,

• heard village garage sales are happening Thursday through Saturday.

• heard junk cleanup is May 14. Restrictions apply, including no tires, concrete, bricks, rocks, yard waste, tree limbs, railroad ties, wet paint cans or construction waste. Two furniture items are allowed per household. Any additional furniture items must be tagged.

• approved closing the 100 block of North Wayne Street from 1-11 p.m. June 15 for the Harvest Jubilee Taste of the Town.

• heard Diller report the village is still accepting positions for summer help. Beginning pay is $10 an hour, he said.

The next village council meeting is 7:30 p.m. May 2 at the village hall.