ADEM gives Auburn an all-clear

By Katie Stallcup

Published: May 9, 2008

An annual water report filed with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management gives Auburn water management an all-clear.

Reports for both the Northside Water Pollution Control Facility and the H.C. Morgan WPCF were accepted by the Auburn City Council this week.

All public water facilities are required to file annual reports with ADEM, Auburn Water Resource Management Director Laura Koon said.

“This year’s said the actions taken by the city are appropriate,” Koon said. “We’re meeting the requirements of our permits.”

The report is a compilation of monthly reports taken throughout the year, she said.

“The plants are both operating within permit limits,” Koon said. “… We’re pleased the facilities are operating in an appropriate manner.”

Upgrades for the Northside facility are scheduled, according to a memo from Koon to City Manager Charlie Duggan. A new clarifier was added in 2007, and improvements currently being made include a new transfer pump station and upgrades to an existing pump station.

According to the memo, groundwater and rainwater are entering pipes and using the treatment system’s capacity. A project has begun to correct this, too.

The city is performing a study in the H.C. Morgan facility area to evaluate similar issues, according to the memo. A comprehensive facility plan looking at the facility’s long-term use and needs is also being completed by engineering consultant CH2M Hill.

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