The Stanley Council met in regular session Monday, Oct. 20.
Included in business items was a discussion on ensuring water to city residents, engaged in by council members and city employees. With the northwest treatment plant down, it came to a fundamental question: how to ensure the citizens of Stanley had safe drinking water?
Discussion came as news spread that the northwest water treatment plant had been off for five weeks, and was operating on two wells as of the meeting, pending bacti testing of wells 5 and 7. Part of the issue was lack of an on site water operator, with Jon Strand of CBS Squared handling paperwork while city employees ran things day to day.
With two plants that needed supervision and maintenance the situation led to potential communication issues. The plant had gone down Sept. 11, with weeks of delay as plant issues were sorted out.
The issue which shut the plant down, related to ozone equipment, had since been sorted out. In the meantime the city had received a lot of phone calls on water quality.
“How many calls did you get on water last week?” Wastewater operator Nick Martin asked deputy clerk Maggie Keeku.
“A lot,” Keeku replied. “I can’t number it, but a lot.”
With two plants (central and northwest) serving the entire city and both needed to be operational as a new plant was built near the central water treatment plant, the prospect of one plant being down for five weeks was unacceptable. Important to operating the plant was hands on training, something in need.
But there was hope.
“Three tests and 1,000 hours,” Martin said of requirements to be certified on water plant operations.
Cost was another issue driving the need for an onsite water operator. Contracting services out to CBS Squared was costing the city money, to the tune of $75,000. Strand noted that he had donated some hours to enter data. In the end three more months were approved for EMOR submittal by CBS Squared, at a cost of $700 per month through December. Motion to approve was made by Mark Fitzsimmons, seconded by Ben Wald.
A special meeting was scheduled Oct. 29 to accept the resignation of Jeriame Czubakowski and go over a proposal from Eric Lynne regarding water department assistance, as well as discuss CBS Squared services.