Title
Approving an agreed order with TCEQ in the amount of $131,540, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same.
Summary
As has been noted previously, the City has experienced delays with the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Phase I Expansion Project. With the delays to the project throughout 2022 and until major components were put online in May 2023, staff were unable to manage the flows at the treatment plant with the original treatment plant while still meeting the City’s discharge permit requirements. As these events occurred throughout 2022 and early 2023, staff would communicate to TCEQ the challenges occurring with the expansion project and that discharge requirements could not always be met with some of the existing equipment. While staff worked with TCEQ on these items, an Agreed Order would need to be completed in order to pay fines for any effluent discharges that didn’t meet quality limits as well as other items that could not be completed until the expansion project was substantially complete. A summary of the violations noted in the Agreed Order and their corrections are as follows:
· Discharge violations on effluent quality during the several months in 2022 and early 2023 for total ammonia, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), and TSS.
o These items were remedied as soon as the new processes were put online in May 2023.
· Failure to update the City’s industrial stormwater permit for the Central Wastewater Treatment Facility
o This item is being remedied currently as a new permit could not be applied for until the as-builts were completed indicating new drainage points.
· Failure to transfer Type I Reclaimed Water that meets effluent quality requirements.
o This item was remedied as soon as the new processes were put online in May 2023.
The majority of the items were corrected after the new Biological Nutrient Removal processes were brought online with the exception of the stormwater permit which is being completed currently. Wh...
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