Green light wastewater agreement with FM

The Log Lane Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with Fort Morgan for wastewater treatment at the regular meeting Wednesday night.

While the new agreement had some on the board questioning whether it reached too far in allowing inspection of businesses that contributed wastewater to the Fort Morgan system, Town Attorney Carmen Beery explained that it was mainly a typical agreement. The inspections allowed under the agreement were something that was to be expected by such a treatment facility that has to meet government regulations, she said.

Some of the trustees expressed concerns that the updated agreement was making changes that would target the town's businesses that deal with marijuana. Beery said that they would be treated no differently from other businesses or industries in that regard under the agreement.

Further, Public Works Director Bert Kammerzell pointed out that if the town did not approve the agreement, options for dealing with the town's wastewater would be quite limited. It likely would cost a lot of money to reline and start the town's lagoons again for that purpose, he said, adding that he was unsure whether that would even be legal at this point due to environmental regulations.

Beery also explained that the update to the IGA was due to results of an audit and review of the plant by government agencies that required all entities contributing to Fort Morgan's wastewater system to comply with pretreatment standards.

"This just amends the existing IGA to ensure the waste Fort Morgan gets from Log Lane Village complies with the standards that Fort Morgan has to meet," she told the board.

While the legal wording of the agreement may have made it sound like the Fort Morgan city manager could come in and inspect any Log Lane business at any time, that was the not the intent or likely impact of the IGA, Beery said.

"This IGA does not give carte blanche access at any time," she said. What the board approved Wednesday night was an IGA that was "fair and complies with environmental standards. They were required to make the amendments, and that's what these are. ... It's not any departure from the status quo."

Kammerzell also pointed out that he has worked well with Fort Morgan Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Mike Hecker in the past when any issues had come up, and he did not expect that working relationship to change under the amended agreement.

He also pointed out that if a town wastewater contributor were to be inspected by Fort Morgan officials, the town could always dispute the results of the inspection and have it rechecked at the town's expense.

Continued here:
Green light wastewater agreement with FM