LYONS, Kan. – An update on the Lyons Wastewater Treatment Plant was presented to the Lyons City Council Monday. Thaniel Monaco from BG Consultants provided information on where things stand concerning the development of a facility plan for the plant. A major part of the report dealt with population trends as they relate to the plant’s capacity.
Monaco reviewed average daily flow data records going as far back as 2010 and as recent as February 19th of this year. This data indicated significant reductions in the daily flow from the plant, some of which may be related to metering issues. The current average flow rate works out to around 73 gallons per capita per day.
Monaco also briefed the Council on improvements in treatment efficiency over the past several months, to the point where only ammonia levels remain out of compliance, with those levels now half of what they were last November when issues at the plant reached a critical state.
Public Works Superintendent Jared Jones supplied the council as part of his report a letter dated April 18th from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) which stated permit effluent limits had been exceeded for the prior four monitoring periods. KDHE gave the city until May 12th to submit detailed information on how the facility will come back within permit effluent limits and prevent future exceedances or missed testing with the threat of possible enforcement actions or civil penalties. Monaco told the council he is in discussions with KDHE on bringing the plant into compliance, including briefing them on major repairs to the plant since the first of the year.
Meanwhile, another issue of non-compliance at the Wastewater Treatment Plant has surfaced. This issue involved the failure of a former utility superintendent to collect samples for compliance monitoring as it relates to distribution systems containing asbestos-concrete pipes. This testing is required every nine years, with the last testing done in September 2011. A letter addressed to the former superintendent by KDHE was sent in September 2020.
