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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.0 Staff ReportREQUEST: • • BOCC 11/1/99 PROJECT INFORMATION AND STAFF COMMENTS Review of the Spring Valley Sanitation District Site Application for expansion of a sewage treatment works and construction of two (2) lift stations APPLICANT: Spring Valley Sanitation District I. Description of the Proposal The Spring Valley Sanitation District is proposing to upgrade an existing 52,000 gpd wastewater treatment facility to a 499,450 gpd facility and to construct two lift stations to allow the district to serve the identified service area. The new facility is being designed to meet current water quality discharge standards and to accommodate additional development within. (See enclosed application) The proposed method of treatment is an activated sludge, ammonia removal and disinfection , tertiary treatment facility. Engineers for the District have designed the facility to be completed in a single phase, which will eliminate the need for future residents of the District to fund additional expansion. Treated effluent may be re -used by landowners in the district, but is not proposed as a part of the treatment process. Re- use of the effluent is no longer required as a result of the reclassification of the Landis Creek drainage to use -protected Aquatic Life -Cold Class 2 and Recreation Class 2 stream, not subject to the anti -degradation standards of the Colorado Code of regulations. The recently approved service plan had anticipated the possible need for land treatment to meet the previous more stringent anti -degradation standards. In addition to the upgraded waste water treatment facility, the District needs to construct two lift stations and one effluent pump station. One station will located within the Spring Valley PUD property and will meet the needs of the Chenoa, Lake Springs Ranch PUD and surrounding properties. Another lift station will be located on the Los Amigos Ranch PUD property, on a bench sitting below the main development, just above Highway 82. The effluent pump will pump water from the waste water treatment facility to the surface discharge point in Spring Valley. The proposed upgrades will allow the Spring Valley Sanitation District to serve the expanded service area approved recently. The system will be designed to treat effluent 1 • • from the existing properties of Los Amigos Ranch, CMC, Auburn Ridge apartments, Hayden Rader and the Pinon Pines apartments. The expanded service area will add the following properties: (1) Spring Valley Ranch PUD; (2) Lake Springs Ranch PUD; (3) 850 acres of land east of Lake Springs Ranch PUD; and (4) approximately 2400 acres located north of Los Amigos Ranch PUD. II. Issues and Concerns A. Legal Process: To upgrade a sewage treatment facility, an applicant is required to submit an Application for Site Approval for Waste Water Treatment Facilities to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The site application is required to be reviewed by the County Board of Health and the County Commissioners. These entities are given three recommendation options; approval, disapproval and no comment. The recommendation is to address the following questions: "Are the proposed facilities consistent with the comprehensive plan and any other plans for the area, including the 201 Facility Plan or 208 Water Quality Management Plan, as they affect water quality?" The recommendations made by local governments are considered by the CDPHE in their approval or denial of the site application. If the CDPHE recommends denial of the proposed site application, it can be appealed to the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. B. Garfield County Comprehensive Plan: The SVSD wastewater treatment facility is located in an area shown as "Existing Subdivision" on the Garfield County Comprehensive Plan of 1995 - Study Area I, Proposed Land Use Districts Map. The following are some relevant Comprehensive Plan goals, objectives and policies. Water and Sewer Services Goal: To ensure the provision of legal, adequate, dependable, cost effective and environmentally sound sewer and water service for new developments. Objective 7.5: Garfield County will strongly discourage the unnecessary proliferation of private water and sewer systems. Policy 7.1: All development proposals in rural areas without existing central water and/or sewer systems will be required to show legal, adequate, dependable and environmentally sound water and sewage disposal facilities can be provided before project approval. 2 Policy 7.2: Where logical, legal and economic extension of service lines from an existing water and/or sewage system can occur, the will require development adjacent to or within a reasonable distance to enter into the appropriate agreement to receive service. The burden of proof regarding logical, legal and economic constraints will be on the developer. Policy 7.4: Where I.S.D.S. is not feasible, Garfield will require a sewage disposal system approved by the State of Colorado. Comment: The proposed upgrade of the sewage treatment facilities was acknowledged by the County recently, when the amended service plan was approved. As a part of that approval, the previous goal, policies and objectives were identified as a part of the basis for the approval. The proposed site application is consistent with the Garfield County Comprehensive Plan. C. 208 Water Quality Management Plan: In 1985, the Water Quality Management Plan for Region 11 was prepared by the Colorado Department of Health, Water Quality Control Management Division for the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado. The Plan recommended the development of a central sewage disposal facility capable of meeting the development needs of the Spring Valley area. The proposed sewage treatment plant meets that intent. D. Development Approvals: The site application notes a number of different proposals, that may or may not be served by the proposed sewage treatment plant. The approval of the site application does not in any way guarantee approval of a development density. E. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: CDPHE does not review site applications until all of the local entities have made their recommendations. The CDPHE has in the past required consolidation of facilities such as the this application with the Ranch at Roaring Fork. The consolidation issue has changed informally at this time to only show that efforts have been made to consider consolidation. III. CONCLUSION Given the recent approval of the amended service plan for the Spring Valley Sanitation District and consistency with the Garfield County Comprehensive Plan and 208 Water Quality Management Plan, staff recommends that the Board and the Board of Health both recommend approval of the proposed site application to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.