Cloverdale making gains on sewer ban

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Earlier this month, the Cloverdale Town Council announced at its August meeting that the town had been placed on a sewer connection ban by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), effective July 31.

On Monday, Cloverdale Town Council President Don Sublett told the BannerGraphic IDEM recently contacted town officials telling them they had 60 days to complete a technical review.

Sublett said IDEM pointed to 15 items that needed to be addressed before the council could move forward with plans to approve the town's new wastewater treatment plant.

"That's a little delay," Sublett said.

Cloverdale Town Utility Manager Mike Gray told the BannerGraphic on Monday that engineers from Triad and Associates, the company working with Cloverdale on the wastewater treatment plant, had already looked at the items.

He said the items were minor and paperwork had already been sent to IDEM.

Gray added the town was waiting on a construction permit from IDEM to continue working on the treatment plant.

IDEM sent the town a certified letter on July 31 confirming the ban for all new sewer connections on the town's publicly owned treatment works.

At the August monthly meeting, Sublett said the town received a violation from IDEM one month earlier after there was an overflow following a dose of heavy rains.

Sublett added the Cloverdale Redevelopment Commission recently sent a letter to IDEM asking for relief regarding the ban for Crossroads Arena, which has already started construction on its proposed horse show arena, and the ethanol plant.

Sublett, however, said the Crossroads Arena had not applied for a sewer connection yet.

On Monday, Sublett said the town was in good shape regarding the sewer ban.

"What caused this whole thing is our overflow," Sublett said. "It was no fault of the town or anything. It was just heavy rains.

"We're going in the right direction. Everything is in place."

The letter IDEM sent to the town regarding the sewer ban stated appeals may be made, but said since that was a legal procedure, consultation with an attorney was suggested.

An IDEM report issued prior to the ban stated bypassing in the town took place 22 days in 2004, 47 days in 2005 and 30 days in 2006.

All of the bypasses, according to the letter, were prohibited by the town's discharge limit.

The town hopes to have its new wastewater treatment plan in place by August 2007.

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