Recent problems with buildup of hydrogen sulfide, a potentially dangerous gas, in the Hanover Township Sewer Authority's Paris area sanitary sewer system, particularly in the Devils Den Road area, was a topic of concern at Thursday's meeting of the Weirton Sanitary Board.
Ward 3 Councilman Fred Marsh, Ward 2 Councilman Harold Miller, Ward 7 Councilman Max Fijewski and City Manager Gary DuFour attended the meeting to discuss concerns about septic sewage coming into the city's system from Hanover Township.
There is a contractual agreement between the township authority and the sanitary board in which the sanitary board agreed to accept sewage from the Paris area for treatment at the sanitary board's treatment plant.
The Paris sewage has become septic because of lower-than-anticipated flow in the system, causing the sewage to remain in the system longer than 18 hours. Hydrogen sulfide is formed when bacteria in the sewage consume the oxygen in hydrogen sulfate. Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs and exposure can cause health problems, including headaches, eye irritation and sinus problems.
The councilmen discussed the different methods the sanitary workers had employed to address smell complaints in Lisa Circle, off Culler Road, over the summer, including flushing the lines, placing deodorizing blocks into the system and sealing shut the manholes in the area, so the smell could not seep through the manhole vents.
"It would be an understatement to say my phone rang off the hook," said Marsh. "It is to the credit of the (sanitary) department that they moved quickly to address it."
The councilmen said they hoped that the cost of these measures would be passed on to Hanover Township, as the problem was not the sanitary board's fault.
"Why should we bear the expense?" asked Marsh.
The councilmen also expressed concerns that the hydrogen sulfide gas was or will come into the Weirton system and potentially impact the health of residents. Marsh noted he had spoken to two Lisa Court residents, who live nearest the manhole where the systems connect, and they had continuing smell complaints.
Marsh also asked about the South Circle Drive pump station.
"I was under the impression that those facilities would be phased out and would no longer be needed because of the flow system," he said.
A.D. Mastrantoni, utilities director, said the sanitary board had worked with the township authority to place an interceptor line so the Weirton system could use gravity flow in the area, eliminating the need for the South Circle Drive, Valley Way and Joseph Drive pump stations. He noted that was part of the long-range plan and still in the planning phase, as the sanitary board is working on the East Weirton project near Colliers.
"As soon as that project is done, we would turn all our attention back to East Weirton and eliminating those problems," said Mastrantoni.
He added, now that the manhole vents are sealed, he doubted the gas could leech out of the sanitary sewers, noting there is a lot of flow in the area, because the Hancock County Public Service District also ties into the Weirton system at that point, and the flow would draw the gas with it.
"It (hydrogen sulfide) is heavier than air, so it would blanket the ground," he said.
DuFour also spoke, telling the board he was aware of media reports that Hanover also may connect with the Burgettstown-Smith Township Joint Sewer Authority and have that authority treat its sewage as well as Weirton. DuFour said he was concerned about the effects such a contract would have on the contract between the Hanover Township authority and the sanitary board. He suggested that Dan Guida, board counsel, pursue the matter.
In September, the Hanover Township Supervisors directed the sewer authority to consider having sewage from the Bavington and Florence areas treated at the Burgettstown-Smith Township treatment plant, instead of building the authority's own plant in Bavington.
DuFour also noted the problems with the hydrogen sulfide and how it might affect the Weirton system and residents and said that also was something the board might want to consider with the contract in light of.
"The board entered into the contract in good faith for mutual benefit," said DuFour.
Also during the meeting:
The 2009 report will be presented to the West Virginia Public Service Commission.
The third party testing holding tanks has not yet reported to Westech, but it appears that the surfaces were improperly prepared.
The rotary press has been running for five weeks. It is meeting or exceeding expectations, and will reduce the amount of sludge taken to the landfill. However, it does not meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines for "sludge of exceptional quality," which can be used as fertilizer, because there is too much zinc, possibly because of the industries in the area and the zinc orthophosphate put into the water by the Weirton Area Water Board to protect the water system.
The board discussed the East Weirton project, noting work was done for the time being, although crews may do some additional work. There was a discussion of further funding of the project, with estimates of between $40,000 to $50,000 to complete the project. There was a discussion of whether the sanitary board should apply for Community Development Block Grants to fund the project.
The board passed a resolution to accept the Wells Fargo health insurance for sanitary employees, to renew the vision plan and to appoint a third-party provider to administer the payments of the health insurance deductible. Board members noted the altered program will save the board $13,000.
A report on the current sewage rates and future rates was finished Thursday afternoon, and board members were unable to review the report before the meeting. It was not presented.
(Wallace-Minger can be contacted at swallace@pafocus.com)
