FAYETTEVILLE — More than 25 people came to the public library Thursday for a hearing related to mineral concentration in the West Fork of the White River.
At A Glance
Public Opinions
Residents who didn’t attend Thursday’s meeting have until Feb. 27 to submit comments to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality on Fayetteville’s request to modify water quality standards for minerals in the West Fork of the White River. Comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Doug Szenher, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Public Outreach and Assistance Division, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, AR, 72118.
Source: Staff Report
Fayetteville is challenging water quality standards where effluent from the Noland Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges into the White River.
The river eventually flows into Beaver Lake, the drinking water source for more than 300,000 people in Northwest Arkansas.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality limits chloride, sulfate and dissolved solids levels to 250 milligrams per liter, 250 milligrams per liter and 500 milligrams per liter, respectively, for water designated as current or potential drinking water sources.
But, because the West Fork is listed on the state’s impaired waterbody list, the Noland plant faces stricter limits of 20 milligrams per liter for chlorides and sulfates and 160 milligrams per liter for dissolved solids.
City officials want to change that from 20 to 60 milligrams per liter for chloride, from 20 to 100 milligrams per liter for sulfate and from 160 to 440 milligrams per liter for dissolved solids.
According to a roughly $400,000 study by engineers with CH2M Hill and FTN Associates, the Noland plant discharged an average of 40 milligrams per liter of chloride, 59 milligrams per liter of sulfate and 352 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids between November 2010 and November 2011.
The study concluded “continued discharge of minerals from the Noland WWTP will have no adverse impacts on downstream designated uses.”
Billy Ammons, regional manager with CH2M Hill, the company that operates the city’s two wastewater treatment plants, estimated complying with stricter standards could cost tens of millions of dollars.
Larry Lloyd, chief operating officer for the Beaver Water District, said Thursday low levels of the minerals in question don’t pose health risks, but in large quantities could affect the taste of drinking water.
“It would cost us an enormous amount of money (to treat the water) if the total amount of chloride, sulfate and total dissolved solids got to the point where the taste became objectionable,” Lloyd said.
Ray Smith with the Arkansas Chapter of Trout Unlimited was one of three residents to speak Thursday. Smith said high concentration of chloride and sulfate, which are types of salts, can adversely impact aquatic insects.
He said other cities in the White River watershed, such as Huntsville, have sought exemptions to mineral discharge limits.
“If all the municipalities that are discharging into the White River increase their standards, what is the effect overall,” Smith asked. “I think we need more study on that.”
According to Marcella Taylor, an attorney with the Mitchell Williams law firm, possible exemptions to state law will be reviewed by legislative rules and public health, welfare and labor committees after the fiscal session ends.
The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission could rule on the issue this spring or summer, Taylor said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will then have 30 days to accept or reject the ruling.
story created on Thursday 2/13/2014 at 6:49:35 pm by Joel Walsh
story modified on Thursday 2/13/2014 at 9:16:24 pm by Ben Griggs