Municipality Code: 14-014 Bayfield County, WI 20201111 SD Agenda

Town of Clover Sanitary District– Meeting Notice

Wednesday, November 11, 2020 to follow immediately the Town Board Meeting, likely  around 8:00 PM in the Meeting Room of the Town Hall (Historic Gym).  NOTE: This meeting is in the main area—Gymnasium proper. Masks are required (WI Executive Order #90 & Emergency Order #1). The chairs  are arranged to that social distancing (at least 6’ apart) is maintained. Please do not rearrange the chairs. The surfaces have been sanitized and  will be again after the meeting(s). Cleaning your hands by using the sanitizer provided at the entrances (or better yet washing your hands for  20 seconds in one of the 4 bathrooms) is encouraged, if you cough do so in the crook of your elbow—not into your hands, feel free to wear  masks to protect others, and project your voice so that all can hear.

NOTE: The public is invited to attend, you may walk at any time, you will need to sign for the record, but there is no requirement to sign in separately if you wish to speak. A speaker will not be limited to a three (3) minute time if responding to a particular agenda item during the  discussion regarding that item. Should it seem the point of your speaking to an agenda item is not evident, you may be asked to clarify what  your purpose is. When speaking to any agenda item, should it seem to the Chair that the same points are being repeated without additional  information; the Chair will interrupt and list the points that have been heard to check that our hearing is accurate and asked if there are further  points to be made.

NOTE: The packets will be available to the public 1/2 hour prior to the meeting (that is 6:30pm).

Agenda: 

Call to Order: 

Roll Call: 

Minutes of: (see packets)

– October

Treasurer’s Reports:

– October

Expenditures: Motion to approve batch S-1111

Announcements:

Reports: 

– Operations: 

– Dump Station Reports: 

o Lakeshore: 

▪ May=69,500 gal

▪ June=71,000 gal

▪ July=94,300 gal

▪ August=69,800 gal

▪ September=68,000 gal

▪ October

o #2 Septic Pumping & Excavating: 

▪ October

Business: 

– Discussion/Likely Action repair and or replacement of 3 valves at the ponds that are either non functional or operating with great resistance–Steele

– Any Agenda Items for next month or later

– Motion to adjourn

Agenda Items for Next Month or Later: 

o Conjoined commercial properties at #04-014-2-50-07-09-2 00-152-30000 that if sold  separate will require unhooking from one and hooking up separately to the District

Main

Agenda prepared by the Town Chair. Notice and agenda posted by the Clerk on or before 7:00 PM Tuesday, November 10, 2020.  Posting is at the Town Hall, Post Office, the Town Website herbsterwisconsin.com and email group.

The Town Hall is accessible to those persons with physical disabilities. For assistance please contact the Town Office at 715-774- 3780.

 

 

APPENDIX 

Announcements, nothing further 

Reports 

– Follow Up of I/I Discovered with Collection System Video: 

o Property #04-014-2-50-07-09-2 00-152-30000 demonstrated a large leak around  the junction of lateral into the main. No remote-controlled camera is available  at a reasonable cost. A letter was sent October 12, 2017 (following approval of  the Amendment to the SD Ordinance 10/11/17) to the business owner notifying  them that the District will excavate the site to inspect the situation, if the  problem is with the main, the District will foot the costs of repair, if the problem  is found to be the either the connection of further up on the lateral the Business  will pay for the costs of excavation and repairs. We will be in further communication with them as to when the excavation will be done. The Certified  Operator-in-Chief will be working with the Birch Street Excavating and a Licensed  Plumber on this project.

– Training in Progress: The Certified Operator-in-Training is now working with the  Certified Operator-in-Chief on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. The goal is to have the Operator-in-Training familiar with in a hands-on way all 128 items on the Robust Preventive Maintenance list. When a task calls for two (2) persons to do a task, the  Operator-in-Training will provide the second person.

– Valves: At the ponds, the valve between the two (2) ponds cannot be opened. There is  a need to likely replace this valve. The transfer spring transfer between the ponds is  being diverted thru the use of another valve and by gravity emptying into Cell 2 pond.  There are two (2) other valves at the ponds that are working with great resistance. All  the valves are 34 years old, so will likely need to be replaced over the next few years. In  2021 the nonfunctional valve between the two (2) ponds will need to be replaces, and  the other two (2) valves that are working with great resistance will need to be replaced.  It is now known what the function of the valve that cannot be found is. With use of a  metal detector this valve could not be found, but probing will be done in the Spring in  an effort to locate the mission valve. The missing valve has not yet been removed from  the list of valves needing exercise.

– The Robust Preventive Maintenance Refinement: The engineer came out and taught  the operators how to change the coolant in pumps while performing the 1st coolant  change. Their opinion is that the coolant should be changed every 3 years. The various  lists and spreadsheets of the Robust Preventive Maintenance Program was changed to  reflect this recommendation by the addition of 55A to the greater than monthly to  Annual Spread Sheet. Changing of the coolant has been switched from changing every 2  years to changing every 3 years. The next coolant change is scheduled to be performed  in the late summer or early spring of 2023.

– Discharge pipe from Cell #2 (the pond that holds the influent for the 2nd part of the year  and from which the discharge from the ponds occurs): with the opening of the ponds  for discharge from Cell #2 this fall, the discharge flow rate was significantly less than  expected and could not be increased. There was a blockage in the pipe where there is a  45o angle Y. One leg of this Y is the “new” discharge, gravity fed discharge and the side  currently used. The other leg of the Y goes to a stub off at the old manhole from which  cell #2 used to be discharged with a pump that lifted the discharge up to a point west of  the ponds on near Old Hwy 13 and then out by gravity from there. This is the second  time that there has been a blockage in this portion of the drainage system since the  discharge was switched to all gravity discharge. October 13, 2020 a commercial  pumper/roto rooter unblocked this discharge pipe. With each blockage the problem  seemed to be turtles. It is theorized by the experts that turtles gain access to the  stubbed portion of the Y, lay their eggs in this secluded spot, the eggs hatch and the  babies live there because all that the need is present there to thrive. The grow and  eventually grow so large they try to escape, but get stuck in the Y and thus cause  blockage. The Commission, at its September meeting approved that the “new”  discharge pipe be replumbed to permit straight discharge from Cell #2 and thus  eliminate the Y that is so conducive to eventual turtle blockage.

– The DNR inspection occurred November 16, 2017 with both Balog and Steele present.  An e-mail of the report was received with the following recommendations: o Remove weeds from the rep rap surrounding the ponds. These weeds are now  being controlled at least twice/year.

o Modify emergency pumps so that they will be able to perform with the new  configuration at Lift Station #1. Also, modify to improve method of controlling  leakage during pumping. The pumps were tested earlier 2018 and worked for a  brief time pumping effluent to the pond. The pump itself failed, and was  repaired in August. The emergency pumps were tested in situ in October 2018  and were exercised for 15 minutes. Some packing to the main pump needed to  be replaced, the packing has been replaced and the new hoses have been  installed. The emergency pumps were tested in June and again in the Fall of  2019 and passed on all counts. They will continue to be tested two (2)  times/year. The last test was in July 2020. With that test there were some  pump issues that have been addresses, thus the testing was successful. This is  a good example of why the emergency pumps need to be tested at least twice  per year. Next will be 10/14/20.  

o Improvement to hauled waste system:

▪ Screen waste. The screen is now present (January 2020) in the drainage  channel for the haulers to empty their waste into Cell #1

▪ Obtain GPS coordinates for each manhole. GPS coordinates are now  (Summer 2019) obtained for the 40% of manholes inspected utilizing two  (2) operators, the tripod and harness. One of the Operators GPS finder  on a cell phone. With each of the 20% manhole checks the GPS

coordinates will be located and recorded. Thus, all the GPS coordinates  for all the manholes will be present by 2022. (40% of the Manholes as of November 2019 have GPS Coordinates identified). With the 1st attempt  at a deep dive into the 2020 20% of the manholes, the gas meter could  not be calibrated. It is at the manufacturer being repaired. It is hoped  that the meter will be returned in working order so that the 20% of  manholes scheduled for a deep inspection in 2020 can be completed. If  inclement weather prevents this, then rather than 20% of manhole deep  inspections in 2021 there will be 40% inspected and GPS Coordinates  obtained for each of them.

– Safety Lock (ant hill) at Ponds: No spills since the last Commission Meeting – Emergency alarm phone: The phone is now installed and operational (2020) – Wastewater Ponds:  

o Expenses for the ponds are now separated from the Collection System  Expenses Done 

▪ Duckweed is useful for removing phosphorous from solution, but if  allowed to die in the ponds will decompose and release the

sequestered phosphorus back into the pond solution. To reduce the  phosphorous discharged from the ponds, duckweed will be removed  prior to death in the fall and placed over the south edge of the pond  mounds. It is hoped that this will keep the duck from releasing the phosphorous sequestered in its system back into the ponds and thus  further reduce the amount of phosphorous released eventually to  Lake Superior. The duck weed was removed prior to death in the fall for both 2019 & 2020. The phosphorus was down with discharge from the ponds fall 2019. We will continue to monitor and see if  that remains consistent. If so, the removal of duck weed is likely  effective. The trick is to find the “sweet spot” so that not so much  duck weed is removed that it cannot come back with the following  summer as it is needed to remove phosphorus from the ponds. 

– The top 10 to-be-sure-to-do items are as outlined by the person to whom the  CMOM will be presented are:

o Televise 10% of your sewer system each year (this is for large systems).  For small systems this would entail excess transportation costs, thus  would most likely be done all at once (completed video of entire system  October of 2016). Televising the system will be done every 5 years and  it is included in Step 1 evidence, Goals (next scheduled video of the  entire system is 2021). The video equipment if available for free from  the Wisconsin Rural Waters Association of which the Town of Clover  Sanitary District is a member.

o GIS Mapping. GIS mapping allows for several layers to be in the  computer imaging, allows for a zoomed in focus on one small section  and likely allows for rotating the image as indicated. In pursuing the  cost and possible GIS mapping Steele received word from Eric

DeVenecia, DNR Sanitary Engineer that GIS is not required and in fact  our As-builts are sufficient. They are scanned to electronic file and a second laminated copy of the portions that could be taken to the field is  present. The purpose of this requirement is so that the operators and  most easily locate any item in the collection system. (completed 2017 and lamination of “as builts” for replumbing of Lift Station #1 was  completed 2018)  

o Sewer Use Ordinance and Charges. The Ordinance was revised July  2015 and reviewed and amended February 8, 2017 and with a further  amendment 10/11/17. Further Amendments were created in 2019.  Charges were created for the 2020 year based on Appendix A. The  charges are created annually based on Appendix A and the Ordinance  will be reviewed and updated as needed at least every 2 years—with the  April Meeting of 2019 the 2019 review was complete (next will be  2021). The Ordinance Amendment(s) are completed for this 2 year  cycle. Separate Budget for the Collection System and Wastewater  Treatment Plant. (Done February, 2018) 

o Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) Control Program. This has not been a  problem thus far in our system. The Operator checks at the main lift  station monthly for balls accumulating and also checks the ponds  monthly when the top layer of the ponds is liquid. This is included in the  CMOM. The final clearance of fat from the system with this round will  be during the cleaning process on the old Air Release Valve. The Air  Release Valve was changed July 2019 for the 1st time since installation  (~30 years) and no fat was present. The Air Release Valve will be  replaced (after cleaning) every other year with the next being 2021. 

o Private Laterals and Building Inflow Sources. 40%-60% of the pipe in  the ground in a District is private pipe. It cannot be ignored if the  District is to have a successful CMOM and I/I reduction program. Private  lateral inspection, televising, repair, rehabilitation and especially funding  are vital for managing the collection system as a whole. The Ordinance  must be reviewed with an eye toward this. (the Commission Continues  to delayed action on this until at least the 2021 Ordinance Review).

o Private Lateral Connection Inspections. This is included well in the  Ordinance and referenced in the CMOM.

o Emergency Response Plan, Esp. Basement Backups. There is a template  for rural communication assistance partnership. How many basements  are there connected to the system in our District? There are 82  improved properties with 22, at least partial Basements. A list of  properties with basement status has been created and shared with the  Operators. Are there really any basement backups occurring or at risk  of occurring? (no basement backups reported to the Commission as of  August 11, 2020) 

o Information and Education (I&E) Program. We are currently sending out at least one (1) educational flyer/year with the 3rd Quarter Sewer bills. This is codified in the CMOM with an exhibit of the annual mailings present. This education will be switched from a 3rd Quarter insertion  into the bills to an annual letter from the prior year to go out with the January bills. The letter will include system specific education regarding  how to maintain a well-functioning system.

o Annual CMOM Program audit and CMAR. CMOM was never intended  to be another paper exercise. It isn’t to be a paper weight or to gather dust. For CMOM success, real committed success, to reducing SSOs and  basement backups and breakdowns and crisis management, it needs to  be reviewed and revised as needed every year especially the GOALS. Did  we meet them last year? Yes. What are our revised or new goals for the coming year? See Section 1 Evidence in the CMOM for these. What  are our changed or new priorities and budgeted tasks/projects based on  that sewer televising? Next to be figured 2021 after the next scheduled  televising. As part of our CMAR (The Operator-in-Chief makes this report annually) view every one of the collection system section performance indicator graphs. Print them and put them in the CMOM every rear, right up front in the Annual Audit section of your CMOM.  What are the trends? Are they decreasing? (Need to do the last two items of this section, discussed with Operator-in-Chief, perhaps Operator-in-Training is the best person to explore implementation of these items) 

Updates: to the Collection System O & P Manuel Section VII is now complete and further  revisions to it plus the Wastewater Treatment System Manuel continue in revision.

NOTES 

None

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