Wastewater violations costly for Whiteville

Whiteville Mayor James Bellar announced due to a total of 42 violations at the Whiteville Wastewater Plant from May 2014 till April 2015, the city has been fined a total of $113,483.08 by the State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Division of Water Resources, during the August 3 meeting of the Whiteville Board of  Aldermen.
According to the report sent to Bellar by Robert Martineau, Jr., TDEC Commissioner, violations include two total suspended solids violations, one pH violation, three settleable solids violations, seven ammonia nitrogen violations, six residual chlorine violations, one failure to monitor (mercury) violation, two dissolved oxygen violations, and 21 overflows in the collection system.
“These problems have now been taken care of  and we have put in or are putting in procedures to make sure they don't happen again,” Bellar said.
According to Louis Coleman, Superintendent of Water and Wastewater for the City of Whiteville, at the moment, the city is only required to pay $16,483.08, which includes $16,200 in penalties, and $283.08 to cover costs incurred by the state during the investigation. The remainder of the fine will only have to be paid if the city does not comply with several requirements. Coleman reported to the board he has already begun work to correct most of the problems and comply with the order.
“With the  exception of the overflow violations, we have been in compliance since November,” Coleman said. “We will always have some problems with overflow, because you can just about count on it to happen every time we get a major rainfall. There is a way to fix it but it would cost millions of dollars.”
Coleman went on to say every city in the state has a problem with overflows.

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