Dearborn is making strides toward meeting a federal mandate requiring them to install a new irrigation system in their lagoons — or spend a lot of money to disinfect waste.
The Board voted to move forward to get an engineering report and involve the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to begin the process of getting a permit to install the irrigation system in their waste treatment lagoons.
“DNR dropped the rate specifications,” Public Works Director Tim Otto said. “We have to meet the specifications or we have to disinfect (the waste).”
The answer to their problem could be in the use of a de-stratification and aeration system. The objective of a de-stratification and aeration system is to keep water moving to prevent it from settling, stagnating and killing the lagoon’s ecosystem, including in the typically “dead zone” near the bottom. It also kills bacteria which could be harmful to humans and the ecosystem.
At this point, the City estimates around $4-5,000 will be needed for the engineering report and to complete the paperwork for a permit from DNR to install the system with another $2-3,000 for electrical expenses. But the price tag is nothing compared to the alternative ultraviolet disinfection system. According to Otto, that has a price tag of in the neighborhood of $250,000-$300,000.
To read the full story, see the Jan. 18 edition of The Platte County Citizen.