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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-02-22; Encina Joint Advisory Committee Ad Hoc; MinutesCITY CLERK ENCINA JOINT POWERS MINUTES OF THE JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1978 AT THE ENCINA WATER POLLUTION CONTROL FACILITY CONFERENCE ROOM Ed Stiles, Chairman Stanley Mahr, Vice Chairman 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Ed Stiles called the meeting to order at 9:02 A.M. ROLL CALL: Present: County of San Diego Buena Sanitation District San Marcos County Water District Vista Sanitation District Leucadia County Water District Encinitas Sanitary District City of Carlsbad JAC Counsel League of Women Voters Absent: Encina Joint Powers County of San Diego Guests: Brown and Caldwell Blade-Tribune BPZA CM Engineering Associates Leucadia County Water District Chuck Oldsen Ed Stiles, Bill Dominguez Jim McKay, Stanley Mahr Joe Zapotocky, Bob Foo Richard Hanson, Stan Van Sickle Mark Schneider, Jack Kubota Mary Casler, A. J. Skotnicki Ron Beckman -Roy H. Gann, Esq. Ruth Honnold, Jane Skotnicki Les Evans Jim Frandsen Graham Eraser, Garr Jones Jim Esterbrooks Fred Wilson John Murk, Jerry Frieling Eric Elliott JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAR^^2, 1978 \q^L 2. MINUTES OF JANUARY 25, 1978 Chairman Stiles asked for the approval of the January 25, 1978 minutes as submitted. On motion by Mr. Zapotocky, seconded by Mr. Mahr, the motion carried. INFORMATION 3. CLEAN WATER ACT OF 1977 Chairman Stiles introduced Garr Jones of Brown and Caldwell who spoke oh the Clean Water Act of 1977. Mr. Jones addressed the JAC regarding the Clean Water Act Amend- ments of 1977. He explained that the new legislation was an op- portunity for each ocean discharger to apply for modification of the requirement for secondary treatment. In order to receive a secondary modification, an oceari discharger must demonstrate that the discharge will not adversely affect the marine environment. Mr. Jones believes that the EPA will require a substantial amount of data to support a modification of the secondary treatment re- quirement. He recommended that the Joint Powers proceed with de- sign of a secondary facility while, at the same time, pursue an application for modification of secondary treatment requirements. He added that, if we are successful in obtaining a secondary modi- fication, we would need to build only one portion of the secondary facility, thereby cutting both capital investment and operating costs. Mr. Jones feels that the technical documentation supporting an application for secondary modification must be extensive. He rec- ommended that work associated with developing such an application be divided into two phases consisting of the first phase which would be a detailed review and analysis of existing data. On com- pletion of the first phase, the Joint Powers could decide whether to go forward with the program. The second phase of the effort would include development of addi- tionally received water surveys and development of legal arguments. He indicated that Brown and Caldwell would be willing to undertake such a two phase program at an approximate cost of $15,0000 to $20,000 for Phase 1 and $100,000 to $125,000 for Phase 2. He stated that the EPA would be hard-nosed about granting modifi- cations principally because they did not want to open the door for east coast dischargers where their concerns are a little more well founded. - 2 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAE%2, 1978 , He believes that there would be a more significant amount of gathering data around our particular outfall. Mr. Oldsen de- cribed the work being done at the outfall included coliform, clarity and observation for floatables which is a quarterly program now where it used to be a semi-annual program. Mr. Oldsen said that it would all help but mentioned that Mr. Evans would have more direction as a result of the meeting with other west coast dischargers. Mr. Zapotocky stated that it was premature to make any decision at this meeting until Mr. Evans had brought back information from the EPA meeting he was attending. He suggested that a special staff meeting be scheduled. Mr. Hanson suggested that the staff of each agency meet and discuss this matter prior to any committment to Brown and Cald- well. Mr. Zapotocky moved that action be deferred on this until inform- ation was received from Mr. Evans and that a special JAC meeting be convened for the purpose of discussing the future of the plant. Seconded by Ms. Casler, the motion carried. The special JAC meeting will be held on Marh 8, 1978 at 9:00 A.M. at the Encina Water Pollution Control Facility Conference Room. The agenda would be Phase III modification and how to proceed. 4. COASTAL PERMIT STATUS Chairman Stiles called upon Mr. Gann to report on the Coastal Permit Status. Mr. Gann reported that the presentation had been made at the Febru- ary 15, 1978 Coastal Commission hearing and that Encinitas has been excluded from the permit conditions. He stated that there has been some problem clarifying the steep slope areas and agricultural areas on the maps. It was Mr. Beckman's position that the steep slope areas were de- fined arbitrarilly and the definition of the agricultural areas, as expressed in the form of the exhibits to the permit, were not in accordance with the Williamson Act. Mr. Gann stated that he believed those two problems had been resolved by the staff of the Commissions's position. Mr. Gann stated that the Commission felt they had followed the Williamson Act but, in any event, the staff has indicated that they are willing to work with the agencies in that regard. A transcript of the Commission's hearing will be ordered by the Gen- eral Manager for reference and and/or possible clarification. _ 3 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAlC^2, 1978 Mr. Oldsen questioned if there was not to be another meeting regarding the maps, which were not present at the hearing, and Mr. Gann responded that it would not be a public hearing. How- ever, he added, the maps would have to be formally adopted as a part of the conditions. Also, the report by the Coastal Com- mission had to be rewritten for the exclusion of Encinitas. Mr. Gann stated that the Coastal Commission took a very adamant position on the "assess for benefit" condition and that the sewer should not be singled out any differently than the rest of the assessments. However, the Coastal Commission did not accept that argument. PHASE III PROJECT PROPOSAL Chairman Stiles called on Mr. Oldsen for his comments. Mr. Oldsen responded that a reply had not been received to Mr. Evans1 letter of January 25, 1978 to Ray Walsh of RWQCB. The subject is to be held in abeyance until receipt of such response. REPORTS - ROUTINE 6. OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE REPORT a. Miniature Digesters Chairman Stiles called on Mr. Murk of CM Engineering Associates for a report on the miniature digesters. Mr. Murk stated that the "A" pilot digester is working quite satisfactorily. Since the last JAC meeting, a method was in- stitued whereby sampling could be done and samples analyzed should a problem occur. What is being done is that everyday"s _ feed sludge to the digesters is being saved for at least a 24 hour period so if anything were to go wrong the following day, the sample could be analyzed. Arrangement have been made with an outside laboratory to handle the samples as needed. The digesters, especially "A", have been working extremely well and the foaming, when it has occurred, has been sporatic. It comes in a period of about a day and subsides in about 2 days which tends to indicate that something is coming into the plant to stimulate foaming. The digesters are being operated at approximately 95 F. and are being well mixed. The indications at this point are that the digesting system put together properly will handle this but an outside agent - 4 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAR^52, 1978 is coming in to stimulate it. He believes that the foam- ing shows up within a matter of hours after the feeding of the sludge and slowly subsides to barely nothing within 2 days. Chairman Stiles asked whether this outside agent could be attributed to the septage tank dischargers or to the normal flow into the plant. Mr. Murk answered that, at this point, it was unknown but that he was very well satisfied with the ability of the small digesters to handle the situation. Mr. Murk stated that the key thing would be to continue try- ing to isolate what is coming into the plant. Digester "A" was the only digester which was completely re-seeded in De- cember, 1977. Digesters "B" and "C" are being brought along with minimum operator attention. They are also being watched but are not being used as absolute control because we don't know what we actually started with. Attendants to the di- gesers take notes when foaming is observed in the digesters. Mr. Murk stated that digester "A" is the digester on which they can "hang their hat" as purposeful continuity. Alka- linity and pH are very satisfactory and very consistent and, hopefully, they will be able to grab the right sample and find the problem. The parameters are good and the foaming upsets are likely caused by some agent coming into the plant. Mr. Schneider mentioned that the Industrial Waste Report showed some zinc coming in from Burroughs and asked if that was being looked at for analyzation. Mr. Murk responded that, basically, they were looking at all the heavy classic metals; i.e., zinc, chrome, lead, nickel and some other compounds which have caused digester problems. He is trying to find a reference on complex organics formed by chlorine, phenol and cyanide which is known to cause immediate digester problems within hours of minute concentrations. Mr. Beckman noted that,outside of the benefits of the program outlined to date, the one important benefit is that the min- iature digesters are acting as a predictive tool; i.e., if they foam, they will foam one or two days before the big di- gesters and the operators will not be caught by surprise. Mr. Schneider asked Mr. Skotnicki whether the City of Carlsbad penalized someone like Burroughs who had been in violation. Mr. Skotnicki referred the question to Mr. Beckman who stated that there was no fine established at this time. Mr. Beckman further added that the zinc problem had cropped up this past month and that Burroughs has instituted a much more aggressive - 5 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING m^^^^MIMTUES - FEBRUAF22 . 1978 _, program to isolate the cause and are working with the Indus- trial Waste people. b. Sludge Pumps Chairman Stiles called upon Mr. Waters regarding the sludge pump problem. Mr. Waters stated that the Moyno sludge pumps had been wear- ing due to excessive grit coming from the headworks. He had ordered extra parts, which will amount to $1,000, since the parts cannot be replaced as rapidly as they are wearing. Mr. Van Sickle moved that we expend the $1,000 for the pump parts. Seconded by Mr. Skotnicki, the motion carried. c. Clyde's Septage Service f Chairman Stiles noted that we had a problem with Clyde's Septage Service going out of business with an overdue account of $361. He asked Ms. Taylor if there was any way that Clyde could be located. Ms. Taylor replied that a letter had been written and that calls had been made by both she and Mr. Evans with no response whatsoever. Chairman Stiles requested authority from the Board to write this bad debt off of the books. Mr. Skoknicki questioned if it would be feasible to take Clyde to Small Claims Court IF he could be found. Mr. Gann stated that the small claims maximum was $750. Mr. Kubota made a suggestion for Management; i.e., if this were a new service which could not demonstrate physical in- tegrity, a $500 deposit would not be out of line. The JAC agreed whole-heartedly with Mr. Kubota. Collection of the $361 from Clyde's Septic Service was de- ferred until the next JAC meeting. 7. FLOW REPORT Chairman Stiles asked if there were any questions on the Flow Report. Mr. Zapotocky questioned whether or not the report included the heavy storm. Mr. Oldsen answered that they were average daily flows and not dry weather flows. - 6 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAT^^2, 1978 8. SULFIDE CONDITION REPORT Chairman Stiles asked if there were any questions on the Sul- fide Report. Since there were no- questions, the report was passed over. 9. EXPENDITURE REPORTS Chairman Stiles asked Mr. Oldsen for his remarks on the Expen- diture Report. Mr. Oldsen pointed out that the report showed 1 inches of rain for 7 days of January which was not correct because the meter was flooded out. It rained a lot more than 7 inches in 7 days and there was a lot of infiltration into the plant which was in the 20 mgd range. However, it caused no major problems. Mr. Oldsen also pointed out that the operating costs were below budget. 10. 5EPTAGE HAULERS' POLICY Chairman Stiles asked Mr. Dominguez for a report on his find- ings on the septage haulers. Mr. Dominguez referred to the memorandum in the agenda packet and stated that it was correct but that he would like to add the suggestion, which has been brought up earlier in the meet- ing, to consider a deposit of some kind to cover ourselves against instances such as Clyde's Septic Service. Mr. Dominguez stated that the recommendations made would be low cost for the protection of the Encina plant and would not require high staff time involvement. He suggested that this kind of pol- icy should be formulated, adopted by the JAC and implemented as quickly as possible. He felt that we had been receiving some illegal dumps at the plant for some length of time and that some of the reduced problems of the foaming digesters have resulted from fewer septage hauler dumps. He noted that in January, 1977, 219,800 gallons were dumped and in January, 1978, only 61,450 gallons were dumped. Mr. Dominguez felt that our fees were substantially lower than those of-the Escondido plant and that we should be at least equal. Mr. Oldsen commented that apparently there is a tremendous amount of the haulage now not coming into Encina but going down to San Diego Metro for free. He felt that if our prices went up, there would be little or no discharge. Mr. Dominguez stated that a - 7 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAFf^2. 1978 policy should be devised that would not only protect the plant but would also provide some better monitoring of the situation with which we are currently being faced. Mr. Zapotocky asked what would be done with the sample taken from the septage hauler. Mr. Dominguez explained that the sample would be taken here at the plant to prevent the haulers from taking a sample from somewhere else. It would be checked with litmus pa- per and, if the pH were high, would be tested immediately in the lab. He further suggested some type of alarm mechanism be in- stalled so any of the plant personnel could do a litmus test when a hauler came to dump. Mr. Skotnicki didn't want to put the nickname of "septage crusader" on Mr. Domiguez. He did, however, point out that a lot of extra hours had been put in on this report. Mr. Dominguez received a hand from the JAC. Mr. Kubota stated that he had heard of ambu- lance chasers but had never head of a "septage tank chaser". Mr. Dominguez agreed that it was kind of a "dub'ious" title but was "knighted" nonetheless. OTHER BUSINESS a. Plant Rerating Study Mr. Zapotocky asked where we stood on the Plant Rerating Study. Mr. Oldsen answered that it was primarily subject to the conclusion of the digester study which was several months along at present. Mr. Mahr stated that John Murk should be complimented on the wonderful job he has been doing in this rerating study and that it was one of the best jobs we have had done since the plant began operation. The JAC unanimously agreed. b. Encina Brochures Mr. Schneider asked the status of the Encina brochures. Mr. Skotnicki stated that he had spoken with Mr. Evans about the brochure and was told that the delay was caused by the unavail- ability of an aerial photo. c. Tri-City Boxing Club Chairman Stiles stated that the Tri-City Boxing Club Awards Dinner was to be held on February 23, 1978 at the Oceanside Elks' Club. He added that some of the JAC had committed them- selves to buy some tickets to help the club. - 8 - JOINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUAR^1? 2, 1978 Ms. Taylor stated that she would appreciate the support of the JAC and she had tickets for sale. Sixteen tickets were sold, some of which were returned to Ms. Taylor to be used by the boys who could otherwise not afford to attend. d. Next Meeting Chairman Stiles announced that the next JAC meeting would be held on Wednesday, March 22, 1978 at 9:00 A.M. at the Encina Water Pollution Control Facility Conference Room. There being no further business, Chairman Stiles adjourned the meeting at 10:25 A.M. Respectfully submitted, MaryJUj Taylor Recprcfing Secretary