Odor emanating from the City of Newcastle Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) the last couple of months was just one of the factors mentioned in a consent order by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The consent order, which had already been underway before the odor problem, came with corrective actions which must be completed on a timeline. It also came with a hefty fine to the City.
Newcastle has been under the DEQ consent order for several violations at its wastewater treatment facility spanning the last couple of years. Because of the violations, the City was assessed a penalty of $64,500. The City is to pay $32,250 of that amount within 30 days of the execution of the order, but DEQ deferred a portion of the remaining amount pending compliance with the order requirements. Of the total penalty amount, $12,250 can be applied to the completion of the requirements.
The City was ordered to submit and implement an interim Wastewater Treatment Facility Operational Plan to prevent violations until the WWTF upgrade being built by the City is complete. This is due back to DEQ by March 1, 2024. The City was also ordered to submit an engineering report with results of infiltration and inflow study and flow monitoring that recommends upgrades to the sanitary sewer collection system and includes a schedule. This is due back to DEQ by February 1, 2025.
DEQ requires the new facility be complete by January 1, 2026, although the City has said the new facility will be finished by October 2024.
If these orders are not completed, DEQ can assess additional penalties on each of the tasks on a per-day basis. The penalties range from $105 per day to $700 per day
The City has been required since May 1, 2021, to electronically submit Discharge Monitoring Reports from the old WWTF on a monthly basis. In that time, several unauthorized discharges have been made and noted.
Excessive discharges of fecal coliform exceeding the permit limits were made in May 2021 and July 2021, and then discharges of E.coli exceeding permit limits were made in May 2022, two times in August 2022, and in May 2023.
Thirty-five unpermitted discharges were noted from April 2021 through October 2023. While heavy rain events were the cause for many of those, equipment malfunctions, blockages and “plant upset” were noted as the cause of others.
The most current problem at the old plant has been the smell. At the December 11 City Council meeing, Mayor Karl Nail explained that a total kill of the plant’s bacteria, was caused by discharges of heavily chlorinated water from a waterline installation at a new housing development. Apparently, the developer used a common practice of cleaning their new water lines with heavy doses of chlorine, which ended up in the WWTF. All new water lines must be treated with chlorine and pass testing to ensure that they are sanitary prior to use. It is a common practice to discharge the chlorinated water into the waste system in larger cities. However, the amount discharged into the small Newcastle system was large enough to result in a bacteria kill
Nail said the City starting building back up bacteria levels, by bringing in sludge from Oklahoma City, and purchased additional microbes to stabilize the plant, and then there was a second kill off because of a developer disinfecting their new water lines and then dumping it into a manhole. Nail said this is a common practice in other communities where new developments are going in, but they have a much larger WWTF which can handle these types of inflow.
Newcastle is now working with new developers to ensure this doesn’t happen again. All developers will be provided notification at the time of permitting that will detail required disposal of the water utilized to sanitize the lines. DEQ noted in late 2023 that the City has taken steps to prevent further discharges of heavily chlorinated water to its collection system.
Additional aerators and accessories for the WWTF were approved for purchase by the Council in their January meeting. The City is buying four aerators with 25hp motors to aid in oxygenation at the facility at a total cost between $88,000 and $96,000. City Manager Kevin Self said the City continually checks oxygen levels in the WWTF basins, and while the levels are up considerably, they are still not where they need to be.
The City also has a city-wide water and sewer model, which is being conducted by the firm Civil & Environmental Consultants and will provide a map to the future for Newcastle’s infrastructure needs. This model meets the requirement listed in the consent order for an engineering report and DEQ has agreed to accept it when completed.
Nail said the City is working very closely with their waste water engineering firm to ensure that the improvements to the existing plant will correct all of the issues noted to allow for efficient operation until the new facility is online.
During the construction of the new plant the firm will have employees on site in Newcastle on a regular basis and will be able to assist the city in monitoring the existing plant and addressing any issues
In related wastewater business, the Council conducted a special meeting Monday with a goal of having the opportunity to talk with multiple companies about Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plant products. The intent is for the Council to gain an understanding of these types of products, and the potential for locating a MBR Plant somewhere in Newcastle near State Highway 9 and U.S. Interstate 35.
Membrane Bioreactor plants are new technology for wastewater systems that are considered to be more efficient and less expensive
A fact sheet from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that MBR systems are more advantageous over conventional biological systems because they result in better effluent quality, smaller space requirements, and ease of automation.
