Minutes 02/10/1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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q67 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1987 removal of textile dye colors therefrom, Councilman Cole presented the following prepared statement (consideration of which Council scheduled for its forthcoming February 24th meeting) in which Mr. Cole notes the importance and need for proceeding with a third (regional) sewage treatment plant, as proposed by the Henry County Public Service Authority, as well as the importance and need for the establishing of a "task force" to "tackle the problem of red water": Last Thursday, February 5, 1987, the Martinsville Bulletin carried these headlines, "Stiffer Color Limits May Kill Sewage Plant". The article that followed reflected quite clearly the problems that local officials, primarily the P.S.A., have encountered over the past year in obtaining approval to proceed with construction of a sewage treatment plant located near the confluence of Marrowbone Creek and the Smith River. The concern that I have is the thought expressed in the article that "proposed limits, if enacted, could double the cost of the plant which would be followed by a recommendation that the project be abandoned". In light of such a statement, it may be timely to remind ourselves of the time and effort and money that were put into this Third Plant plan. Members of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, the Henry County P.S.A., the Martinsville City Council, their staffs and consultants, all agreed that the Marrowbone Plant could ultimately serve all of Henry County. There are a number of interim steps before that happens. These include enlargement of the Forest Park Plant, changing the process from anaerobic to aerobic and construction of a by-pass to the Koehler Plant to take full advantage of its capacity. Someday, if we stick with the Marrowbone Plant, it is conceivable that the Forest Park and Koehler Plants could be shut down or operated with a modified process which would be odor free. Space does not permit any further elaboration on the importance of the Marrowbone Plant. We must resolve that the total comprehensive sewage treatment plan go forward. The red water problem is a separate problem. I acknowledge the efforts of our local officials to secure a permit with color standards that we believe we can meet. However, I think that it is time that all of us show some impatience with anything that contaminates our water. I believe that if certain responsible and knowledgeable leaders of Martinsville and Henry County put their heads together they would come up with an answer to the red water problem. Industry and local government working together can solve this problem and solve it now. The Federal Government has just approved a 20 billion dollar clean water bill--18 billion dollars is for sewage treatment plants. We should take steps to get our share now.