Mancos Trustees again discussed the town’s wastewater treatment plant at their meeting Jan. 25.
The plant has not worked properly since it was built in 2012, Town Administrator Andrea Phillips said. That is in part because inorganic materials have been infiltrating the wastewater system that the plant cannot break down. Workers have found kids toys, diapers, pairs of jeans and other materials in the system that won’t break down, Phillips said.
The town has budgeted $120,000 to find a solution at the plant in 2017.
“The bottom line is we need something,” Phillips said.
Town staff members have been working with Souder Miller, Aqua and Aquarius engineering firms to discuss options for the plant. All engineers and town staff members agreed that some additional treatment method is necessary to make the plan more effective, Phillips reported to the board.
One possible solution for the plant is to use a settling pond system outside the plant, so that non-biodegradable items do not make it into the plant. A second option would be a bar screen, which would remove inorganic materials larger than 6 millimeters before they enter the plant, according to town documents. The bar screen would be costlier but likely more effective than a settling pond option, Phillips said.
Public Works Director Robin Schmittel has been testing a temporary solution since September, using the existing ponds outside the plant as a pre-treatment, Phillips said. That temporary solution has had few issues, she said.
Trustees did not take a vote to commit to either option, but they directed Schmittel to keep using the temporary pond solution to see if it is effective.