At the request of SSD#2, members of the county, CU, CLPOA, along with representatives from the EPA divisions of wastewater and drinking water, met January 11th at the Madison County Engineers office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss copper levels at the county Sanitary Sewer District #2 (SSD#2) plant that serves the Lake Choctaw community.
The SSD#2 plant operates on a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. These permits are reviewed every 5 years, and the SSD#2 permit is up for review in 2019.
After an hour discussion, CU agreed to partner with the county to put together a testing protocol to explore where copper is entering the waste stream. This protocol will be agreed to by the county and CU, and will be signed off by a Professional Engineer.
Although CU is operating a plant fully in compliance with all regulations, CU and the county have agreed to partner together to investigate the sources of copper in the waste stream. The county and CU have agreed to share the cost of this investigation. Expect more details as we work through 2018.
Although the SSD #2 was in compliance with the copper discharge limitations on the NPDES permit for all of 2017, CU, SSD#2 and the EPA are proactively addressing this issue to ensure future compliance.