Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

City to purchase aerators

The Prescott City Council has approved some $76,000 for the purchase of two aerators that will help a local manufacturer solve issues related to their wastewater. The decision was among the actions taken at the June meeting of the council.

According to Prescott Water Department Manager Perry Nelson, the city faces an increase in algae every summer. Until now, the problem has been dealt with chemically.

Nelson said that the citys drinking water is taken from the Little Missouri River and channeled into a 20-acre holding pond. During the warm summer months, that pond tends to grow algae. Currently, the city drops in enough copper sulphate to kill off the algae. Nelson told the council members that the amount of algae being introduced into the pond is within the limits of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Qualitys standards, and that the water is safe to drink.

On the water end of things, everything is okay, Nelson said.

The Prescott Firestone facility uses water from the citys supply in their plant, both for human consumption and for manufacturing purposes.

The problem is that Firestone has a wastewater permit of their own, and that their requirements for dumping treated water are much more stringent than that of the city.

Nelson said that the citys practice of introducing copper sulphate is causing problems for Firestone. He said the amount of copper remaining in the water when Firestone is preparing to dump their used water is higher than the ADEQ allows for the type of permit Firestone operates under.

Nelson said the city also has a wastewater permit, but said the citys requirements are less restrictive than that of a manufacturing facility, such as Firestone, because of the type of wastewater permit each has been issued. That means that the citys wastewater is within the guidelines set out in that permit.

The answer, according to Nelson, is to use some other method of controlling the algae. He recommended the purchase of two pumps that will aerate the water in the pond - the point at which algae can become an issue. Nelson said aeration is a proven method of controlling the growth and that its being used successfully by other cities.

The pumps Nelson recommended are solar powered, meaning theres no need to run power lines to the holding pond - an expensive project, according to Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor.

The solar panels have the capacity to store energy, meaning theyll continue to run the pumps overnight. Nelson said theyll actually run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nelson said he considered two different types of pump. One mixes only at the top of the water while the other - the type he recommended for purchase - picks up water from near the bottom of the pond and pumps it to the top. These same kinds of pumps are often used in commercial catfish ponds as a way to circulate the water.

Nelson said the pumps he recommended will pump 3,000 gallons of water per minute, but will actually move some 10,000 gallons per minute, once the water has begun to circulate.

The units the council agreed to purchase have 25-year warranties and are guaranteed to sufficiently lower the amount of algae. Nelson said the company will send a team in at the beginning of the process to test the water and install the equipment. The company will return later to monitor the algae in the water, to be sure the product is working. Those services are included in the purchase price.

Taylor said the citys efforts are going to pay off for Firestone.

So they might be willing to help with the cost, Taylor said.

Both Taylor and Nelson said theres no firm commitment on that participation at this point. The council voted to approve the purchase.