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WEST WARWICK SEWER COMMISSION
SEWER SUBCOMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
DATE: DECEMBER 3, 2020 TIME: 3:00 P.M.
A. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 3:08 P.M. BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMSON
B. ROLL CALL
MEMBERS PRESENT
Councilman Licciardi (Absent)
Councilwoman Williamson
Acting Town Manager Colonel Mark Knott
Superintendent Harrison Songolo
Director of Administration Christine Suvajian
James Geremia, James Geremia and Associates
OTHERS PRESENT
Charles Lombardi, CWL O&M Solutions, LLC
C. QUORUM ON RECORD DECLARED
D. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
A motion was made to approve the November 5, 2020 minutes by James Geremia and seconded by Councilwoman Williamson. All in favor none opposed.
E. REPORTS
1. Plant Manager’s Report
The following is taken from the Plant Manager’s report data through November 18, 2020.
· Average daily flow was 4.2 mgd with a minimum of 2.5 mgd.
· CBOD removal was 99%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· TSS removal was 99%. DEM requirement is 85%.
· Total Nitrogen is out of season so we are monitor only.
· Total Phosphorus was 0.72 mg/l. DEM requirement is 1.0 mg/l.
· Sludge removal to Synagro was 345 wet tons which is 86.2 dry tons. No sludge was sent to the Landfill.
· There were 5 private line blockups.
· There were no public line blockups.
· We conducted a PPE training this month.
· There were no odor complaints or facility violations.
· The Evoqua training with the WWTF staff for maintenance of the scrubbers has been completed.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked where we are with the sludge removal budget and if the private line blockups were new or repeat offenders. Mr. Songolo replied the blockups were first time offenders and the problems were in their private laterals. We check the Town’s line to make sure it’s flowing, if it is we recommend they contact a plumber. Councilwoman Williamson asked if we follow up to make sure they do that. Mr. Songolo replied we do take a ride by the next day to make sure there is no repair work being done without a permit.
· Ms. Suvajian said we are at 30% with the sludge budget through November.
2. Director of Administration Report
· FY21 Year-to-date operating and debt expenses as of November 30th totaled $4,966,906 which is 53% of the annual budget
· FY21 Sewer Use and Sewer Assessment Revenue collected as of November 30th totaled $4,387,056 of which $64,740 represents interest.
· Cash and Investment balance as of November 30, 2020 will be reported at the next Sewer Commission meeting.
· We will be extending our contract with Rick Nunes for Sewer Excavating Services. This Resolution will go before the Sewer Commission at the December 15th meeting.
· There will be a Sewer Use Appeals Abatement Resolution going before the Town Council at the next meeting. It was a situation where the water did not go through the sewer system therefore we are going to give him a relief on his sewer use bill.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked about the other two Appeals that were heard. Ms. Suvajian replied they were denied.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if they will be notified. Ms. Suvajian replied the Sewer Commission Clerk will send out letters notifying them of the Board’s decision.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if there are any concerns about going over budget this year. Ms. Suvajian replied right now we are fine.
3. Industrial Pretreatment Program for the month of November 2020
Significant Industrial Users
· Rhodes Technologies submitted their self-monitoring report and they were in compliance.
· The annual inspection of Warwick Ice Cream showed the facility violated their permit limit for oil and grease and a Notice of Violation was issued. They will retest again in November.
· Rhodes Technologies went into bankruptcy and sold the facility. The new owner is Noramco Coventry, LLC. They will operate the facility similar to Rhodes Technologies however, due to the change in ownership they will need to submit a new questionnaire and permit. The Permit will be developed in December and potentially be issued in January.
Food Service Inspections
· Five inspections were conducted this month and all was in compliance.
· Denny's located at 795 Centre of New England Blvd was found to have closed with no notice.
Food Service Permits
· Caliente Mexican Grill at 289 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick.
· Miss Cranston Diner & Grill at 45 Quaker Lane in West Warwick.
E-Permitting Systems
· The Building Department has received its first E-Permit submittal of plans for 1353 Main Street in West Warwick. This location was formally occupied by a newspaper publishing operation and is now being converted into a seafood distribution operation. The Program provided the necessary applications and requirements and we expect to have that information by next month.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked when they plan to open. Lt. Houle replied they are in the very early stages. The Fire Department is still reviewing the plans.
· Mr. Geremia stated it’s great to be able to see the plans in the beginning stages with this new system instead of getting them at the end.
· Councilwoman Williamson said we need to publicize the fact that this tool is now available.
Private Wastewater Treatment Facilities
· Centre of New England spent three days cleaning and videotaping their main lines. Some of the satellite users were not cleaned at this time but they are making progress.
· East Greenwich Square completed their line cleaning. With the lack of restaurants in the Square now, their line was found to be much cleaner than before.
· Showcase Cinemas conducts a detailed inspection and cleaning of their line every five years. The cleaning was completed however the inspection could not be done because they didn’t have the proper equipment. They will resume the inspection in the Spring.
New Connections
· JP Morgan Chase at East Greenwich Square began construction.
· Coventry Fire District - Anthony Fire Station construction continues.
· Construction continues at 294 Cowesett Avenue
Other
· A building permit for construction of a vacant building was issued for 87 Centre of New England Blvd. in Coventry with the understanding that once a tenant came in, they would need to resubmit plans and applications. During our inspections at Centre of New England we found this building had been sold and the new owners were operating a maintenance and repair facility at that location. (CSM Truck Sales. The owner was informed of the requirements and the Town of Coventry was notified. It was then discovered that this building did not have a Certificate of Occupancy. Both Coventry and the Pretreatment Program are working with the new owners to make sure they’re in compliance.
· Similarly, construction was noticed at 2350 New London Turnpike In Coventry. This former Dunkin Donuts was being converted to a Tropical Smoothie Café. We notified the new owner of the requirements and we also notified the Town of Coventry.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked about the closing of Denny’s restaurant. Mr. Geremia stated they’re unsure if it is a temporary closing due to Covid but they will follow up and find out.
F. CAPITAL PROJECTS SUMMARY
1. Centrifuge
· Mr. Geremia stated the screw conveyor has been delivered and the Centrifuge will be delivered next week. The contractor said they will begin demolition and installation of the new Centrifuge in mid-January.
2. BAF Inflow Pumps
· Mr. Songolo stated the repair of pump #1 was completed by Delta and has been delivered. The riggers are scheduled to come on December 11th to begin rigging up the pump then the Electrician will connect the electricals and Delta will come down during startup to ensure the performance of the pump.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked about the second pump. Mr. Songolo said they will leave the pump running all weekend to determine if the pump needs any attention. If it is running fine on Monday they will begin pulling out the second pump.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked what happens then. Mr. Geremia stated we do have a proposal from Aqua Solutions. The funds will need to be reallocated but Councilman Licciardi had asked that we hold off on that.
· Ms. Suvajian asked if she should prepare the Resolution to go before the Town Council to transfer the funds from the Unrestricted Funds.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if there were funds available from anywhere else. Ms. Suvajian replied they will be using the balance of leftover funds from the repair of pump #1 then take the rest from the Unrestricted Funds.
· Councilwoman Williamson stated she can’t speak for Councilman Licciardi as to why he wanted to hold off on the transfer of funds but that should not hold up the project because the funds are there.
· Mr. Geremia said he will notify Aqua Solutions and Mr. Songolo said they will get the pump ready.
· Mr. Lombardi stated the rigger needs a week’s notice which means the Electrician needs to connect the pump on December 14th so the riggers can remove the second pump on December 15th. Mr. Songolo replied the riggers have already been notified and the scheduling has been coordinated.
· There was some further discussion about the scheduling of the riggers.
3. Dewatering Building Structure
· Mr. Geremia stated this item will be on hold until the Spring.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked the difference between the drain and sludge collection area and the Dewatering Building structure. Mr. Geremia replied one is the exterior of the building which is cosmetic, not structural.
· Ms. Suvajian asked if we should keep it on the agenda every week and if it is even a Capital Project. It was determined it is not a Capital Project but a Maintenance Project and it will be removed from the agenda.
· Mr. Songolo stated he will contact some vendors to get prices.
4. Headworks Grit Screw Project
· Mr. Songolo stated he has scheduled the Maintenance department to start taking this apart on Monday morning to prepare it for sandblasting and lining to be done on Thursday.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked if this will take more than one day. Mr. Songolo replied yes.
· Mr. Lombardi said it’ll be about a five-day process. The vendor needs three days to sandblast, coat it inside and out and to allow the epoxy to cure properly. He said the Chief of Operations is ready to setup the bypass as well.
· Mr. Songolo stated due to Covid and because we are already short staffed he is starting the dismantling process early because the Maintenance staff will not be working solely on the Grit Screw project from start to finish. They will need to be available for all other projects and problems that arise throughout the day.
· There was some further discussion about the scheduling of this project.
5. BAF #2 Pump Repair
· Discussed in section F-2: BAF Inflow Pumps.
6. 6. Drain in Sludge Collection Area
· Mr. Geremia stated last month’s minutes indicated that this project will be put off until next fiscal year.
· There was a brief discussion about trying to complete this project earlier if possible. It was decided to leave this project on the agenda and revisit it in the Spring instead of waiting until next fiscal year.
7. Phenix Avenue Sewer Repair
· Mr. Songolo stated after further research and discussions with Rick Nunes and Mr. Lombardi, it was discovered there are two water lines in the road.
· Mr. Geremia stated due to the complexity of the utilities and the bypassing that will be required he feels this project needs developed plans and specifications and by the time this repair could be started the asphalt plants will be shut down for the winter. He recommends waiting until the weather breaks in the Spring.
· Mr. Lombardi stated Rick Nunes wouldn’t be available until after January anyway. He said it is getting worse though, six months ago this pipe wasn’t cracked.
· Mr. Lombardi asked if Providence Water had to get a permit to do work there. Mr. Geremia replied no.
· There was discussion about which lines were Kent County Water and which lines were Providence Water, when they were installed, their depth and placement in the road, etc…
· Mr. Geremia strongly recommended developing plans and specification before doing any work.
· Mr. Songolo suggested moving forward with the planning of the project so plans and specifications will be available in case we need to do an emergency repair.
· Mr. Songolo stated he will continue to do regular inspections of the crack in the pipe to ensure it is not getting worse.
· Mr. Geremia suggested possibly lining the pipe instead of excavating which would be a lot cheaper.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked of the installation of the water line two years ago could have disrupted the sewer line. Mr. Geremia replied not likely, these clay pipes were installed throughout the Town in the 50’s and 60’s and a lot of them have cracks. This has been identified in the Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) study.
· Mr. Lombardi said he agrees this project needs to be planned out and we are working with Kent County Water and Providence Water to get plans.
· Mr. Lombardi stated there is a manhole that is covered over which needs to be located and raised. He said if not we are going to have to bypass 357 feet.
· Mr. Geremia said we need to look at the asbuilt conditions for both water and sewer. He said he does have Kent County Water records as well.
· It was agreed to move forward with the planning of this project.
G. OLD BUSINESS
1. Consent Agreement RIA 432
· Mr. Geremia stated this contract was signed in November so we have 60 days to submit a plan to DEM for sampling upstream and downstream of the river. Per the contract, we need to sample to see the actual impact the Aluminum has on the aquatic nature of the Pawtuxet River. Once we get this real time data the EPA will change how they calculate the impact on Aluminum in order to get a more realistic permit number.
· Mr. Geremia stated the plant has to add Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) to the wastewater to precipitate our Phosphorous. We have a Phosphorous limit of 1 in the winter months and a Phosphorous limit of .1 in the summer months. We can’t cut back on the addition of Aluminum to the point where we violate our Phosphorous therefore we have to come up with a plan to minimize the amount of Aluminum while still meeting the permit conditions.
· Mr. Geremia stated it’s unfortunate we didn’t know this when we designed the Phosphorous because there is no way in the future that we are going to be able to meet this Aluminum number. He said we will need to work with DEM on this.
· Councilwoman Williamson asked about working with Warwick on the testing. Mr. Geremia said Warwick did not want to work together on this however we are both using RI Analytical Laboratories to do the testing.
H. PUBLIC COMMENT
· Councilwoman Williamson stated Jennifer Ludwig sent a letter to the Subcommittee saying she had the honor of being sworn in as District 2 Town Council person on November 23rd and therefore had to resign her member position from the Coventry Sewer Subcommittee. She said she presumes Coventry will appoint a new person in December who may then start attending these meetings.
· Councilwoman Williamson stated Ms. Ludwig asked that this message be read at today’s meeting.
· "It has been my honor to serve the people of Coventry in the West Warwick Sewer Subcommittee This panel is made up of extremely competent, hard working individuals who I have learned so much from -- not only about the operations of the facility, but also about the dynamics of participating in town government. Thank you."
· Councilwoman Williamson congratulated Ms. Ludwig on her victory and formally thanked her for her participation.
I. ADJOURN
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Councilwoman Williamson and seconded by James Geremia. All in favor, none opposed.
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