Officials from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality rejected the city’s preferred plan for a sewage treatment plant last week in a letter written to the city government.
Holley Vinson, district representative of DEQ’s wastewater enforcement section gave multiple reasons for rejecting the city’s preferred option for wastewater treatment, the Aquarius Multi-Stage Activated Biological Process plant. This is the second time DEQ has rejected the city’s engineering report.
“The proposed MSABP process is not one included in DEQ’s construction standards for wastewater treatment facilities,” Vinson said in the letter.
Don Maisch, supervising attorney for DEQ’s water quality division, said the MSABP simply did not meet with state regulation.
Lone Grove City Manager Marianne Elfert said in a previous report on July 25 the MSABP is operating in other locations throughout the country and called DEQ’s resistance to the plant “archaic.”
Maisch would only say sewer standards are set by state regulation.
“Our job is to ensure that those minimum requirements are met,” the attorney said.
DEQ refuses to acknowledge the MSABP would generate no waste-activated sludge.
“I’m attorney, not an engineer,” Maisch said. “I’ve been to multiple wastewater treatment plants in the state of Oklahoma, and I have not seen one yet that does not create sludge in some form or fashion.”
The city’s engineering report listed three other alternatives, including connection to Ardmore, labeled “Alternative D.”
Vinson said given Alternative D’s capital cost is about half the cost of Alternatives A, B and C, the city must present more analysis to justify why it is not being selected.
“There was no explanation as to why the cheapest option was not chosen,” Maisch said. “That was one of the deficiencies cited in the letter.”
The city council has unanimously opposed connection to Ardmore, with Mayor Mike Hicks saying in an Oct. 7 report the city will not seek a connection with Ardmore, but would consider any offer put forward in good faith.
City Manager Marianne Elfert was not available for comment.
Phil Banker, 221-6542
