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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Aug. 26, 1998
98-151
Contact: Sandy Howard Rudnick, public information manager, (360)
407-6239
Kathleen Emmett, water-quality specialist, (360) 407-6281
OLYMPIA - After a history of staffing difficulties at Pe Ell's wastewater treatment plant, the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) yesterday fined the town for dismissing the plant's certified operator without making provisions for a replacement.
The absence of a certified sewer-plant operator threatens the water quality of the upper Chehalis River," said Kathleen Emmett, a water-quality specialist with Ecology. "People who enjoy the river for recreation -- not to mention all aquatic life in the river -- are placed at risk with no certified operator keeping a close eye on the plant's operations."
A $500 fine was levied against Pe Ell for leaving the position absent and for not notifying Ecology about the staffing shortfall.
On Aug. 17, Ecology site inspectors found various signs of neglect in Pe Ell's wastewater treatment plant. The influent bar screen had not been cleaned, the scum ring around the clarifier was caked with sludge, and the chlorine contact chamber was covered with green scum.
"Pe Ell needs to stay on top of its plant's operations," said Emmett. "In the past, even with a certified operator, we've documented that the plant's performance is marginal."
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
