SHELBURNE FALLS — Although Buckland and Shelburne voters have already adopted a budget for the shared Shelburne Falls Wastewater Treatment Facility, both towns may hold a special town meeting in September, to ask for $50,000 for a detailed inflow/infiltration engineering study that has been ordered by the state and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Wastewater treatment plant Chief Operator Daniel Fleuriel told Buckland and Shelburne Selectboard/Sewer Commissioners Tuesday night that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is now requiring more detailed reports on inflow and infiltration; this involves “clear water” groundwater or storm water coming into the sanitary sewer system through old, leaky pipes.
“They want to have engineering and documentation … of what’s going into and out of sewage treatment plans,” said Fleuriel. Although the main concern is about plants in large cities, all wastewater treatment plants in the state have to go through this engineering study, he said.
Phase 1 of the studies is due by Dec. 31, but the money was not part of this year’s treatment plant budget, Fleuriel said. When asked why the notification came so late, Fleuriel explained that he submitted an existing report, which he thought would meet DEP criteria – but it wasn’t accepted.
In recent years, both towns have replaced a lot of their old sewer lines during road reconstruction projects, Fleuriel pointed out. This should correct inflow/infiltration issues caused by old, leaky pipes.
The treatment plant serves about 2,300 people within the Shelburne Falls village area, with user fees covering the cost of operations. The money for this engineering report will cost each town (or its sewer users) roughly $25,000. The second phase of the study would be done next spring, when water tables are high.
Also, Fleuriel said a possible leak in an above-ground, 500-gallon oil tank was discovered Tuesday inside a concrete vault that houses the tank. Fleuriel said the fuel is used to power a generator for the wastewater treatment plant during electrical outages. He estimated between one gallon to five gallons of fuel had leaked into the concrete vault.
Fleuriel said he had notified the Department of Environmental Protection of the possible leak. On Wednesday, following an evaluation, Fleuriel said the leak appeared to be from a spill rather than a leak in the metal tank, and that the liquid in the vault appeared to be mostly water.