Under construction, Fuller reported that an inflow and infiltration inspection and repair program had been implemented using sewer maps, video, smoke testing and repairs as needed. “The main sewer line from the waste water treatment plant to Shady Lane has been cleared and ready for smoke testing. Two manholes were repaired along the line and two more need repair,” she said.
Manholes are also inspected for I&I during heavy rains like the ones Thursday, she added. Inoperable fire hydrants are being removed or repaired, and routine sewer washing of 35 problem areas are being performed weekly.
Routine repair or replacement of service lines as needed also been added, and three are scheduled pending line locations, including one past Council President Horace Patterson’s home. Work has also begun on the implementation of the Fats, Oil and Grease Program, which the council approved last year, is almost complete.
At the water treatment plant, new fluoride pumps and a backup caustic pump have been installed and the roof has been repaired. A new pump has been installed in the Bingham Well, the entrance to the Brecon Steel Tank has been repaired, and a maintenance schedule has been developed for the water treatment plant and all city wells.
Chlorine scales have been replaced at the treatment plant and four wells, and a new system of daily log sheets for operators at the treatment plant has been implemented.
The report goes on to list the purchase and installation of a 300 horsepower soft start motor for pump number one at the creek, two new valves in the basin at the plant and installed a backflow preventer. The chemical feeding points for caustic and fluoride have been changed, and a cross training program has been implemented. New gates have been installed at the creek pump and Tipton Well, and all safety hazard reports requiring corrective action have been completed, she said.
At the Wastewater Plant, a routine preventive maintenance schedule has been completed, the fence has been repaired and the eye wash station has been repaired. A new RAS pump for the Brecon Sewer Plant was built, and a new concrete pad for “effluent sampler at the airport plant.” The flow meters at the main plant have been replaced, run timers have been installed at the Shocco Lift Station pump and “all safety hazard reports requiring correction action have been completed,” according to Fuller’s report.
In the business office, all customer service representatives balance their cash drawers daily, a balancing report is printed from billing software daily, and a balance sheet is signed by each teller. Each drawer is balanced to $250, with any discrepancy reported immediately to the supervisor. Deposits are taken to the bank at the end of every day, and the bank reports any discrepancies immediately. Cash drawers are randomly audited twice per month, and each employee is required to sign off on the policy.
In the billing department, two billing cycles per month are now in place, a more systematic work order policy has been implemented, and debit, credit card and online payments are now available. The process of installing radio read meters remains under way.
“Everyone is working together to improve all aspects of the water and sewer system,” Fuller said. “The construction department and wastewater department helped with the improvements at the water plant. We are all working as a team and proud of the improvements we are making to our system.”
Councilman Lance Grissett was particularly complimentary, singling out several of the department’s accomplishments specifically.
Although not presented to the council, the departments recent accomplishments were also noted in letters from the Department of Public Health and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
The Health Department letter states “I am pleased to inform you that the fluoridation problem the Talladega Water Filtration Plant has had in years past has been corrected and the fluoride levels should maintain 1 (part per million) thanks to the efforts of “(Acting Water Plant Supervisor) Doug Martin and staff. Martin informed me on April 5 that the fluoride levels now will be able to maintained due to a different process feeding the fluoride into the finished water. The problems with the fluoridation were brought to the attention of the previous management but were never addressed.”
Flouride levels have been below where they were supposed to be for at least half of each year since 2005.
“I also noticed a difference of appearance in the plant. It now appears to be much cleaner and more organized,” according to the letter.
The ADEM inspector agreed. “The condition of the water treatment plant has improved significantly since the last inspection,” he wrote. Most items noted in the Sanitary Survey have been addressed. One major item that still needs (to be) addressed is the coal/tar linings of the water storage tanks at the water treatment plant. This lining is no longer an approved water storage lining and needs to be removed.
All other aspects of the system were deemed satisfactory.
Also Thursday, the council:
O Heard complaints from two citizens about the proposed closure of the Brecon and Bemiston Recreation Centers. The council will discuss this issue in much greater detail during a public hearing Monday evening at 5 p.m.
• Heard a complaint about large trucks blocking North Street while bypassing the square.
• Heard a complaint from a citizen about the closure of the concession stand at the sports complex, which was replaced with vending machines. Councilmen Donnie Miller and Eddie Tucker both said they were opposed to the switch, and the issue will be taken up again between them, Manager Michael Stampfler and Parks and Recreation Director Parvin Neloms.
• Commended everyone involved in the city’s 175th Anniversary Celebration, including the cast of an original play made up primarily of Talladega High School students.
• Passed a resolution honoring the Talladega College Men’s and Women’s basketball teams for winning USCAA Championships this year. College President Billy Hawkins introduced the players and the coaches, including half a dozen who are also academic All-Americans. The teams have already been to Montgomery to meet the governor and state legislators, and the city will be writing a letter asking the teams to be invited to the White House.
• Approved liens on two properties that had been demolished.
• Approved the surplus of pieces of city property.
• Heard Tucker ask the council to reconsider a demolition order for a property across the street from his home. The structure is currently condemned for repair.
• Approved a three way stop for the intersection Ponderosa Drive and Robin Circle.
• Voted 4-1 to approve water and sewer invoices, with Tucker dissenting.
for more info: http://www.FluorideAction.Net