Annual Report 2012: Charles River Pollution Control District

During Fiscal Year 2012, the Charles River Pollution Control District’s (District) regional advanced  wastewater treatment facility received and treated approximately 1,740 million gallons (4.8 million gallons per day) of raw wastewater, including 6.1 million gallons of septage from the District’s member and customer towns before discharge to the Charles River. The volume of waste treated was higher than the previous year due to an increase in heavy precipitation.

The District is anticipating the renewal process to begin this fall for its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for discharge of its treated wastewater to the Charles River. Under the preliminary draft NPDES permit, the District and the Towns of Franklin, Medway, Millis, and Bellingham will have to maintain an ongoing preventive maintenance program to prevent overflows and bypasses caused by malfunctions or failures of the sewer system and an infiltration and inflow reduction program.

CDM Smith and staff from the District prepared a 20-year capital improvement plan (CIP) to improve the wastewater treatment facility to meet more stringent NPDES permitting requirements and provide a more reliable wastewater treatment facility at its current capacity.

In July 2010, the District was informed of its acceptance on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) Bureau of Resource Protection Calendar Year 2010 Intended Use List for State Revolving Funding (SRF). In order to expedite the designs and proceed with the project in a timely manner,
the CIP was divided into three phases (A, B and C).

Phase A, which is scheduled for completion this October, includes the replacement of both primary clarifier
mechanisms, addition of two screenings washer/compactors in the wet well, primary scum handling improvements, and plant lighting and security improvements.

Phase B, the capping of the on-site residuals landfill, is scheduled for completion August 2012.

Phase C, focuses on reducing phosphorus, improving the disinfection system, and extending the life of the facility for an additional 20 years. This phase is currently in the early stages of design and is expected to be
complete in late 2013 with construction starting in early 2014. A District-wide Global Information
System was developed as part of this phase to assist with infiltration and inflow reduction requirements.

The District is scheduled to fund Phases A and B with a 20-year SRF loan of approximately $3.3M for costs associated with bidding, construction, and resident engineering. Costs for planning and design which are not eligible for SRF loans will be funded by a General Obligation Bond of approximately $1.5M. The total project cost is still under review and will become more detailed as design progresses.

The District is one of seven municipal wastewater treatment plants selected by the Mass DEP to participate in a pilot program that involves energy auditing, assessments for renewable and clean energy possibilities, and
support of implementation for energy related projects. The purpose of this pilot program is to reduce the amount of energy used at municipal wastewater treatment plants by 20%, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving municipalities money. The District was granted $847,583 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to install a 20 kW solar voltaic array and two turbo style blowers. The solar
panels will produce energy onsite whereas the turbo blowers will provide oxygen to the secondary treatment system using approximately 30% less power than the existing blowers. The District is anticipating a 20%
reduction in energy costs from these energy improvements. At this time, the solar voltaic array is producing energy which is used at the treatment plant and the turbo blowers are in place.

Peter SantaCaterina retired in March of 2012. He started his career as a Maintenance Mechanic and was later promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. The District wishes Pete a great retirement and sincere thanks for
25 years of service.

The District’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget is 2.5% higher than the previous years’ budget. The District’s FY 2013 budget for operations and maintenance is $3,414,100, while the capital projects budget is $594,160. Franklin’s share of the operation and maintenance and capital projects budgets are estimated to be
$2,298,070 and $356,810, respectively.

Respectively submitted

Douglas M. Downing, Chairman (Medway)
William J. Goode, Jr., Vice-Chairman (Franklin)
Alfred H. Wahlers, Clerk, (Franklin)
Paul J. DeSimone (Medway)
Gene Guidi, (Franklin)

CRPCD Officers:
Cheri R. Cousens, P.E., Executive Director
Emma J. Catalano, Treasurer
Barbara Maffeo, Executive Secretary
Cornetta, Ficco, Simmler, & Vallee, Legal Counsel


Note: the report was prepared after the FY 2012 fiscal year completed and published in November 2012. One sentence reads "scheduled for completion this October" - refers to October 2012.

Published by the Town Clerk, this comes from the 2012 Annual Report
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/