Update October 14, 2010
Department engineers CMT are drawing plans for the well house improvements. The plan will include facilities for chemicals and EPA requirements to bring them up to acceptable standards. Well house #2 behind City Hall requires replacement because of its poor condition. CMT will design what is necessary with cost estimates for the plan.
The initial plan of seeking help from USDA for funding well house improvements and water meter replacement, will not work. The City of Oregon water bills are not sufficiently high enough to qualify for assistance. Water alone, not including sewer must be a minimum of $43 a month, and the City fee is $11.91.
The City of Oregon annual inspection has received an evaluation from the EPA and we will respond to the deficiencies. We are in compliance and the deficiencies are minor.
The cleaning of sewer lines continues and a troublesome line near the wastewater plant was extremely difficult to clear. It started with the First Street sewer-main and then required cleaning four trunk mains. It took two men six days of work to clean the lines, and then we needed to evacuate our sewer plant traps and runways to be rid of the debris that was loosened up. Some of these lines have not been properly cleaned in decades.
Work continues at a fast pace at the wastewater plant upgrade. All concrete structures are now complete and mechanicals are being installed. The start up date for the new equipment is November 22nd, and with the new equipment operating, our existing system will be by-passed so that our existing equipment can be cleaned and new equipment installed. We plan a six-week window to complete modifications of our existing equipment, and work will continue through the winter until completed. They plan an April 2011 completion date.
MDES will be a big part of cleaning existing structures so modification can take place. Existing structures are being recycled with modernized efficient equipment and are an important part of the overall function and design.
The City will purchase two casings for 50-foot wells near our new clarifier and the wells will remain and will be available to dewater our equipment when it is necessary for service. These will be left installed permanently and will be capped until needed.
The EPA will have a contractor inspect our upgrade project November 17th and CMT will handle the proceedings. This inspection is a requirement for the $477,000 STAG grant for the cannibal process. It will be a site inspection with an audit of the necessary documentation.
