by Neil Richard
Because of the severity and complexity of the issues surrounding the King George County Service Authority (KGCSA) in recent months, we are "jumping the timeline" by giving you an inside look at the operations at five local Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs). These five WWTPs are Dahlgren District, Fairview Beach, Hopyard Farms, Oakland Park, and Purkins Corner. These WWTPs are operated and maintained by KGCSA and are under the enforcement authority of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Continuing our modern history coverage of the King George County Service Authority, you can also read about the First Quarter of 2017 and the Second Quarter of 2017.
CAUTION - Some of the links below may show images of human waste.
On July 6th there was a pump station overflow in Fairview Beach. According to emails between DEQ and Daniel Powell of the Service Authority, it occurred between 8th Street and 10th Street. Although Fairview Beach is never mentioned by name, it was the only logical location in King George County. The amount of the spill was undetermined and the area was appropriately limed.
Chris Thomas, General Manager, was working to remedy his past silence by continuing to provide DEQ with their required information. On July 7th, Thomas sent an email to DEQ to address the issues found during previous inspections at the Fairview Beach WWTP. Because these inspections occurred well in the past, December of 2015 and April of 2016, the Service Authority had long ago corrected many of the issues. Present in Thomas' report, and many other reports, violations, and inspections, was reference to the UV System. This disinfection system, present at multiple WWTPs, appears to be a common weak point in the treatment system and, in the case of the Fairview Beach WWTP, the likely cause of excessive amounts of Fecal Coliform and Enterococci being released.
Thomas again responded to DEQ notices on July 11th, this time regarding the Purkins Corner WWTP. Again, the response was to older inspections from December 2015 and April 2016 and again, many of the issues had already been corrected. That same day, DEQ visited King George and created an Diagnostic Report for Hopyard Farms and Purkins Corner WWTPs. As with previous visits, DEQ noted a lack of maintenance and repairs. The staff at Hopyard even stated the grinder broke "many years ago" and had yet to be repaired. DEQ went on to note "The grinder/macerator is missing from the facility. The unit was removed from its place at the influent to the plant headworks and was allowed to sit next to the headworks structure until the operators were told to move it out of sight, after which the unit disappeared. This unit needs to be located, repaired and returned to service."
Days later on July 13th, Thomas responded to DEQ with actions taken based on Oakland Park's previous violations. As with his response for Fairview Beach, the UV System was once again a primary source of many issues. Again, because these inspections and violations dated back to 2015, many of the problems had already been fixed.
On July 18, 2017, DEQ visited the Dahlgren WWTP and created a Diagnostic Inspection report. Once more, DEQ noted "...considerable evidence of maintenance issues at the facility." The equalization basin liner was the most notable issue, being in such disrepair that plants were growing through the holes in it. Despite such a major issue, DEQ did note that "Otherwise the overall appearance of the facility was very good." That evening, Chris Werle reported at the Board of Directors meeting that he had met with Chris Thomas, "the operations manager and a homeowner association manager" at Hopyard Farms to investigate the cause for higher than normal water consumption. During the same meeting, Thomas gave a short update on the Route 3 and Route 301 water expansion project.
July 20th saw DEQ issue three Notice of Violations documents for Purkins Corner, Oakland Park, and Fairview Beach WWTPs. Purkins Corner was cited for failing to submit a required response from January 2017. Oakland Park was cited for failing to submit required response from November 2015 through June 2017 as well as for a May 2017 measurement of TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen) of 9.9 mg/L when the limit was 4.5 mg/L. Fairview Beach was cited for a May 2017 measurement of Fecal Coliform of 53 n/100mLs when the limit was 14 n/100mLs.
The next day, July 21st, Chris Thomas sent a message to DEQ in response to a more recent inspection at Oakland Park in June of 2017. In his response, Thomas notes that many of the issues were fixed immediately or shortly after the DEQ visit.
One key event that occurred at the meeting was approval by the Board of Directors to allow Chris Thomas to fund an emergency repair of the equalization basin liner at the Dahlgren WWTP. Ruby Brabo asked during the presentation if it was required to submit the repair for bids however because it was declared an emergency, the standard bid process was not required according to King George County Code. Chris Thomas also gave updates during the meeting covering the industrial park project and the Route 3 and Route 301 water expansion.
Two days after the meeting on August 3rd, Thomas sent a response to DEQ regarding recent inspections at Dahlgren and Hopyard Farms. While the response for Hopyard Farms was short, a replaced sampling tube, the Dahlgren response was longer. The first item listed was the repair of the equalization basin liner that Thomas stated was expected to be repaired by October 2017. However, in this response, Thomas refers DEQ to the June 29, 2017 response as well. In his response from June, Thomas tells DEQ that "KGCSA has employed the services of Draper Aden Associates and Land Savers, Inc. to investigate, design and repair the synthetic liner within the EQ Basin. We estimate a completed repair by October 1, 2017."
This statement makes it unclear how Thomas could know on June 29, 2017 that the Board of Directors would approve his repairs on August 1, 2017. To put this point into perspective, here is a timeline of events:
Moving forward, on August 6, 2017, Thomas responds to a DEQ inspection at Fairview Beach. Once again, the UV System appears to be the cause behind the high levels of Fecal Coliform. In the same email, Thomas also responded to inspections of Oakland Park and Purkins Corner, where again the UV System was a weak point.
On August 15th, DEQ issued a Notice of Violation for Fairview Beach, citing several issues. First, the June 2017 DMR (Discharge Monitoring Report) was due on July 10th and wasn't received until August 9th. Second, the June 2017 DMR reported a value of 67 n/100mLs of Fecal Coliform when the limit was 14 n/100mLs. Third, the June 2017 DMR reported a value of 5.2 mg/L of Dissolved Oxygen when the minimum was 6.0 mg/L.
That same evening, Chris Werle reported in the Board of Directors meeting that he had reviewed the draft changes to the Service Authority Regulations as well as the draft DEQ operating permits. There was a lengthy discussion and update on the Shymansky family's Rosedale Drive property, however no mention of any other outstanding issues with DEQ. On August 17th, Chris Werle issued clarifications on Facebook regarding the recent article in the Free Lance-Star.
In internal DEQ emails in mid-September, staff and management are remaining positive that an amicable solution can be found to bring the Service Authority into compliance. One email from Jerome Brooks of DEQ, includes a great summary of recent events. Brooks states "I think things have gone very well in terms of our visits to each of the plants." After going over various details and future plans, he concludes his email with "One consistent observation by my staff at all the facilities was the lack of communication between the plant operators and management (disconnection), questionable staff, in terms of experience and knowledge, running a plant [several of the primary plant operators were unlicensed but allegedly received instructions from a licensed operator], and lots of broken equipment. The external appearance of the plants (ground maintenance) and attitudes of the staff working with my guys were good."
In an ongoing string of emails that lasted much of the summer of 2017, Chris Thomas was working diligently to acquire the necessary parts to repair the UV System.
On September 21st, Chris Werle stated on Facebook that he met with numerous local leaders and staff from the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Fairview Beach erosion project.
DEQ closed out the quarter by issuing another NOV for Fairview Beach. This one cited an excess amount of Ammonia at 10.8 mg/L when the limit is 4.7 mg/L.
Because of the severity and complexity of the issues surrounding the King George County Service Authority (KGCSA) in recent months, we are "jumping the timeline" by giving you an inside look at the operations at five local Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs). These five WWTPs are Dahlgren District, Fairview Beach, Hopyard Farms, Oakland Park, and Purkins Corner. These WWTPs are operated and maintained by KGCSA and are under the enforcement authority of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Continuing our modern history coverage of the King George County Service Authority, you can also read about the First Quarter of 2017 and the Second Quarter of 2017.
CAUTION - Some of the links below may show images of human waste.
July 2017
Based on an internal DEQ email dated July 5, 2017, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was holding back a little on pushing enforcement through the Service Authority. In short, DEQ was still trying to be cooperative with the Service Authority, especially with the recent developments of the last two weeks and the radically improved communication. As DEQ was preparing to meet with the Service Authority, they were hammering out a few details so that "...in that discussion, outlining all that has been done as we move into, hopefully, a collaborative resolution phase."On July 6th there was a pump station overflow in Fairview Beach. According to emails between DEQ and Daniel Powell of the Service Authority, it occurred between 8th Street and 10th Street. Although Fairview Beach is never mentioned by name, it was the only logical location in King George County. The amount of the spill was undetermined and the area was appropriately limed.
Chris Thomas, General Manager, was working to remedy his past silence by continuing to provide DEQ with their required information. On July 7th, Thomas sent an email to DEQ to address the issues found during previous inspections at the Fairview Beach WWTP. Because these inspections occurred well in the past, December of 2015 and April of 2016, the Service Authority had long ago corrected many of the issues. Present in Thomas' report, and many other reports, violations, and inspections, was reference to the UV System. This disinfection system, present at multiple WWTPs, appears to be a common weak point in the treatment system and, in the case of the Fairview Beach WWTP, the likely cause of excessive amounts of Fecal Coliform and Enterococci being released.
Thomas again responded to DEQ notices on July 11th, this time regarding the Purkins Corner WWTP. Again, the response was to older inspections from December 2015 and April 2016 and again, many of the issues had already been corrected. That same day, DEQ visited King George and created an Diagnostic Report for Hopyard Farms and Purkins Corner WWTPs. As with previous visits, DEQ noted a lack of maintenance and repairs. The staff at Hopyard even stated the grinder broke "many years ago" and had yet to be repaired. DEQ went on to note "The grinder/macerator is missing from the facility. The unit was removed from its place at the influent to the plant headworks and was allowed to sit next to the headworks structure until the operators were told to move it out of sight, after which the unit disappeared. This unit needs to be located, repaired and returned to service."
Days later on July 13th, Thomas responded to DEQ with actions taken based on Oakland Park's previous violations. As with his response for Fairview Beach, the UV System was once again a primary source of many issues. Again, because these inspections and violations dated back to 2015, many of the problems had already been fixed.
On July 18, 2017, DEQ visited the Dahlgren WWTP and created a Diagnostic Inspection report. Once more, DEQ noted "...considerable evidence of maintenance issues at the facility." The equalization basin liner was the most notable issue, being in such disrepair that plants were growing through the holes in it. Despite such a major issue, DEQ did note that "Otherwise the overall appearance of the facility was very good." That evening, Chris Werle reported at the Board of Directors meeting that he had met with Chris Thomas, "the operations manager and a homeowner association manager" at Hopyard Farms to investigate the cause for higher than normal water consumption. During the same meeting, Thomas gave a short update on the Route 3 and Route 301 water expansion project.
July 20th saw DEQ issue three Notice of Violations documents for Purkins Corner, Oakland Park, and Fairview Beach WWTPs. Purkins Corner was cited for failing to submit a required response from January 2017. Oakland Park was cited for failing to submit required response from November 2015 through June 2017 as well as for a May 2017 measurement of TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen) of 9.9 mg/L when the limit was 4.5 mg/L. Fairview Beach was cited for a May 2017 measurement of Fecal Coliform of 53 n/100mLs when the limit was 14 n/100mLs.
The next day, July 21st, Chris Thomas sent a message to DEQ in response to a more recent inspection at Oakland Park in June of 2017. In his response, Thomas notes that many of the issues were fixed immediately or shortly after the DEQ visit.
August 2017
August of 2017 began with a Board of Directors meeting on the 1st. According to the meeting minutes, there was also a large showing of the public at the meeting speaking in support of the Shymansky family who have been trying to resolve their conflict with the Service Authority. Chris Werle stated in his report that he had met with Chris Thomas, Ruby Brabo, and Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, on July 31st to discuss the issues faced by swimmers at Fairview Beach. This meeting also included Virginia Department of Health, DEQ, and the Fairview Beach Homeowner's Association. Werle also gave an update on the sewage pump station upgrade project in the industrial park and that the Army Corps of Engineers was in the early stages of funding a study in Fairview Beach.One key event that occurred at the meeting was approval by the Board of Directors to allow Chris Thomas to fund an emergency repair of the equalization basin liner at the Dahlgren WWTP. Ruby Brabo asked during the presentation if it was required to submit the repair for bids however because it was declared an emergency, the standard bid process was not required according to King George County Code. Chris Thomas also gave updates during the meeting covering the industrial park project and the Route 3 and Route 301 water expansion.
Two days after the meeting on August 3rd, Thomas sent a response to DEQ regarding recent inspections at Dahlgren and Hopyard Farms. While the response for Hopyard Farms was short, a replaced sampling tube, the Dahlgren response was longer. The first item listed was the repair of the equalization basin liner that Thomas stated was expected to be repaired by October 2017. However, in this response, Thomas refers DEQ to the June 29, 2017 response as well. In his response from June, Thomas tells DEQ that "KGCSA has employed the services of Draper Aden Associates and Land Savers, Inc. to investigate, design and repair the synthetic liner within the EQ Basin. We estimate a completed repair by October 1, 2017."
This statement makes it unclear how Thomas could know on June 29, 2017 that the Board of Directors would approve his repairs on August 1, 2017. To put this point into perspective, here is a timeline of events:
- January 24, 2017 - DEQ states in an internal email "...I was unable to locate an operator at Hopyard even though the gate and facility building were open." This same email contains the Dahlgren inspection report that states "The water level in the lagoon had increased since previous inspection and the liner appeared to still be in need of repair."
- June 29, 2017 - Thomas tells DEQ that "KGCSA has employed the services of Draper Aden Associates and Land Savers, Inc. to investigate, design and repair the synthetic liner within the EQ Basin. We estimate a completed repair by October 1, 2017."
- July 18, 2017 - DEQ again inspects Dahlgren and states "The liner for the EQ basin has several holes and there was evidence of grassy vegetation growing through the holes. There was no indication of a timetable for repair of the EQ basin liner."
- August 1, 2017 - Board of Directors approves emergency repair of Dahlgren equalization basin liner and gives Thomas permission to proceed.
- August 3, 2017 - Thomas again notifies DEQ that "KGCSA has employed the services of Draper Aden Associates and Land Savers, Inc. to investigate, design and repair the synthetic liner within the EQ Basin. We estimate a completed repair by October 1, 2017."
Moving forward, on August 6, 2017, Thomas responds to a DEQ inspection at Fairview Beach. Once again, the UV System appears to be the cause behind the high levels of Fecal Coliform. In the same email, Thomas also responded to inspections of Oakland Park and Purkins Corner, where again the UV System was a weak point.
On August 15th, DEQ issued a Notice of Violation for Fairview Beach, citing several issues. First, the June 2017 DMR (Discharge Monitoring Report) was due on July 10th and wasn't received until August 9th. Second, the June 2017 DMR reported a value of 67 n/100mLs of Fecal Coliform when the limit was 14 n/100mLs. Third, the June 2017 DMR reported a value of 5.2 mg/L of Dissolved Oxygen when the minimum was 6.0 mg/L.
That same evening, Chris Werle reported in the Board of Directors meeting that he had reviewed the draft changes to the Service Authority Regulations as well as the draft DEQ operating permits. There was a lengthy discussion and update on the Shymansky family's Rosedale Drive property, however no mention of any other outstanding issues with DEQ. On August 17th, Chris Werle issued clarifications on Facebook regarding the recent article in the Free Lance-Star.
September 2017
In internal DEQ emails in mid-September, staff and management are remaining positive that an amicable solution can be found to bring the Service Authority into compliance. One email from Jerome Brooks of DEQ, includes a great summary of recent events. Brooks states "I think things have gone very well in terms of our visits to each of the plants." After going over various details and future plans, he concludes his email with "One consistent observation by my staff at all the facilities was the lack of communication between the plant operators and management (disconnection), questionable staff, in terms of experience and knowledge, running a plant [several of the primary plant operators were unlicensed but allegedly received instructions from a licensed operator], and lots of broken equipment. The external appearance of the plants (ground maintenance) and attitudes of the staff working with my guys were good."
In an ongoing string of emails that lasted much of the summer of 2017, Chris Thomas was working diligently to acquire the necessary parts to repair the UV System.
On September 21st, Chris Werle stated on Facebook that he met with numerous local leaders and staff from the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Fairview Beach erosion project.
DEQ closed out the quarter by issuing another NOV for Fairview Beach. This one cited an excess amount of Ammonia at 10.8 mg/L when the limit is 4.7 mg/L.
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