Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Stink Raised Over Sewer Permit For Emmet Discharge

By JOHN MILLER A stink is being raised in Emmet because of the city's sewer permit. Some residents have complained the permit renewal has no restrictions on the sewage to be dumped into the Terre Rouge Creek system, which flows into the Little Missouri River and on into the Ouachita River Basin. The cause for concern comes from a legal notice from the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology (PC&E). According to the notice, the City of Emmet has applied for a renewal of its permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act. The permit must be renewed every five years, Mark Bradley, PC&E permit section chief said. Changes from the former permit, the notice states, include: interim limitations being deleted and the schedule of compliance deleted as well. This, however, does not mean the wastewater will be dumped into the Terre Rouge Creek without being treated. Bob Singleton, with the PC&E's water quality division, said this is a standard discharge only when the stream is flowing. The waste will be treated to meet all standards. These standards include the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), fecal coliform and the water's Ph balance. Mostafa Mehran, an engineer with the PC&E, said the BOD amounts are determined by the amount of oxygen needed for bacteria to be consumed in the water, while the TSS are the amounts of solids in the water. Mehran said the BOD limits are set at 30 milligram per liter and are checked monthly. The TSS amounts are 90 mg per liter. He said the water's Ph balance should be between six and nine. In talking about fecal coliform amounts allowed, Mehran said from May to October the limit is 200-400 colonies per 100 milliliter. The limit is raised from November to April to 1,000-2,000 colonies per 100 ml. The difference exists because Emmet can only discharge its treated wastewater into the creek during the "wet" months of the year, normally November through April, when the stream is flowing. For the remainder of the year, the wastewater must be stored. This is done in the city's sewer pond. Emmet Mayor Chuck Otwell said the city will be under the same rules and regulations as always from the PC&E, with all requirements being met. Bradley said his department received a call from a teacher asking if all limits are being met. The question was answered by Singleton, who said the city could be in serious trouble if the limits were not being met and nothing was being done to correct the situation. "Our goal is to protect the oxygen standard (in the water)," Singleton said, "with the BOD levels allowed. Everything should be OK. "The sewage from the city is treated. We're just required to publish it (notices of permit renewals). If there's a problem, we'll investigate. Any problem would show up in the water quality." Singleton also said the fish in the creek will not be harmed by the discharge, which, in fact, serves as a food source for all aquatic creatures in the system. Because of the unusually wet summer, Otwell said Emmet will be asking for permission to discharge temporarily so the city's sewer pond can be lowered. He said the rains have the pond levels at its limit, and there is nowhere else to put the treated water. A discharge, he said, would eliminate stoppages in the city's sewer system as well. These stoppages occur because the pond is full and overflows back into the system itself. Otwell said the PC&E may send someone down to look at the creek and see if it's flowing enough to allow a temporary discharge. However, anyone with complaints about the renewal of the permit can make their comments to Mark Bradley at P.O. Box 8913, Little Rock, AR 72219-8913, or by calling (501) 682-0744. All complaints need to be received by the PC&E by Sept. 15, 1996. Should no complaints be received by the department, the permit will become effective on Oct. 1, 1996, according to the notice.