Nyack Water Board Meeting

September 19,2024 A regular meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners was held on the above date at 9 North Broadway, Nyack, NY. The meeting was called to order by Chairman McDowell at 4:30 PM. The following were present: William McDowell Chairman Michelle Bullock Commissioner John Phillips Commissioner Pearl Gray Commissioner Latoya Aguillard Assistant Secretary Thomas Lynch Superintendent Jim O’Sullivan O’Sullivan Tree Care Absent: Commissioner Elizabeth Turk, Secretary Barbara Kunar, H2m Chris Wright Upon motion by Chairman McDowell, second by Commissioner Phillips, and carried (Vote 4-0), the Board acknowledge the unobtainable July 18, 2024 Minutes. The Cash Flow Statements for August 2024 was not presented to the Board for review. The Statement of Revenue and Expenses for August 2024 was not presented to the Board for review. The Board reviewed the Projects Update submitted by H2M architects + engineers and presented by Superintendent Thomas Lynch: A) Watermain Projects: a. Phase B: H2M issued Phase B Re-Bid on July 24, 2024 and Bids were received at Village Hall on August 7, 2024. The low bidder was J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc. (JFC) Subsequently a Recommendation and Award Letter were supplied to the Village and JFC. H2M supplied the Village with a conformed contract for review and are just awaiting Insurances and Performance Bonds. Pending Pre-Con in next two weeks. b. Phase C: Drafting plans for submission to Health Department.  c. Phase A: GCE received their final payment in December 2023. H2M will continue to work on developing as-built drawings. 1. H2M has to redo as-builts done by GCE but they are deficient, and we think this is the most effective way to do it. 2. H2M is in the process of satisfying all requirements of EFC to close out the WIAA Grant. B) Operations Related: a. Operations assistance with Steve Wondrack have been Advancing i. Observations at 6th Avenue PS indicate that PS has been operating manually for some period. Corrective action taken included replacing failed booster pumps operation timer and replaced failed north pump motor control breaker. ii. Additionally, the chlorine insertion tube was replaced as it was found plugged. b. There are a number of items related to capital maintenance that need to be prioritized and budgets and funding addressed. Summarized here and in detail below: i. Flight Scrapers. One has been repaired, Second needs repair $15k 1. Superintendent Lynch has updated quotes and seeks approval from Board to proceed with ordering and schedule in house replacement. ii. Chlorine Booster Equipment So. Highland PS $50k iii. Flow Testing at Plant $5k iv. Calibration equipment for Plant Chem Dosing $17k 1. Note: Calibration equipment has been ordered and is schedule for Installation in Mid-October. Superintendent Lynch is looking into replacement Potassium Permanganate HDPE tanks in order to replace legacy tanks at the end of life. New tanks will be provided and equipped with flooded suction for the pumps. c. Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Exceedance: i. WSP (Water Service Professional) were on site at the WTP for filter media analysis on March 8th. WSP has provided a finalized report documenting their findings and future recommendations. ii. H2M has been tracking a potential “short circuiting” the sludge lagoon to the river. This means that the amount of sludge in the lagoon is significant enough that backwash water effluent from the plant to the lagoon is unable to adequately settle out. Essentially the backwash effluent runs through a channel(s) in the lagoon and the supernatant is directly discharged to the Hackensack River with minimal settling. This would lead to elevated levels of Total Organic Compounds (TOC) and turbidity which are then pulled into the plants raw water inlet. This would lead to elevated levels of TTHM production within the plant. This potential was first discovered in Mid-August when TTHM samples were taken from active hydrants in the distribution and the results were found to be quite high. This also correlated to a high TTHM result obtained from the Clearwell sample dated August 27, 2024. Additional sampling will be taken as it relates to TOC and turbidity following removal of sludge from the lagoon. iii. Assessing Plant Operations and Chemical Usage: 1. Data challenges are being worked through with Supt Lynch. Supt Lynch has shared with H2M real time daily operations of Plant operations via Google Docs. iv. H2M working on other analysis/reports as outlined in the primary action items. 1. H2M began Jar Testing on Tuesday August 13, 2024. Jar testing continues and is expected to be performed over a period of 8 weeks. Preliminary results are indicative of an over dosage of coagulant at the plant. Coagulant dosing is to be reduced conservatively (2 PPM) beginning on Monday September 23, 2024, and continue over the next several weeks until the Calibration equipment has been installed. Plant personnel will monitor and record turbidity readings on an hourly basis. 2. H2M has begun drafting a follow up memorandum to Rockland County DOH to provide an update on status of action items listed in our December 2023 memorandum to NYSDOH, RCDOH and EPA. d. H2M/Plant Actions: i. Chlorine Addition: H2M has been working with Supt Lynch to reduce pre- filter chlorination dosage while increasing secondary chlorination dosage (plant Clearwell) to maintain distribution system residual. Over a period of 6-8 weeks, pre-filter chlorination has been reduced by approximately 1.0 part per million (ppm). This has resulted in an approximate 30% reduction in TTHM production in the Plant Clearwell. Secondary chlorination dosage has been increased to maintain safe distribution system residual between 1.5-1.7 ppm. 1. It should be noted that H2M is tracking a high TTHM result obtained from the Clearwell during the August 27, 2024, sample. H2M is evaluating any process changes at the plant including a reduction in gravity filter backwash rates. The backwash rates have been returned to a higher rate and the Clearwell is to be sampled again during the week of September 23rd.  ii. HACH Chlorine / Turbidity Equipment: HACH Technicians have calibrated all of the equipment currently installed within the plant. HACH is to send a senior technician to evaluate the existing CL17 Chlorine Analyzer and Turbidity Meter for proper operation. Replacement quotes have been provided to Supt Lynch should replacement equipment be required. iii. Sedimentation Basin - Flight Scrappers: 1. Sedimentation Basin No. 1 - Coppola Services, Inc. were on site at the Plant on July 16th to repair flight scrapper. This included reinstalling the head shaft, properly align sprocket and install new drive chain. Replacement track slides will need to be fabricated and installed. In addition, a few replacements flights will need to be procured and installed. 2. Sedimentation Basin No. 2 – Coppola Services, Inc. inspected the existing flight scrapper and found that 24 out of 30 flights were broken and need to be replaced. In addition, replacement track slides, drive chain and track repairs will need to be made. Currently Sedimentation Basin No. 2 flight scrapper is out of service until repairs can be completed. Superintendent Lynch has updated quotes and seeks approval from Board to proceed with ordering and schedule in house replacement. e. H2M is to begin working on designing chlorine addition at the South Highland Pump Station to aid in low Chlorine residual in the College Pressure Zone. This requires approval from RCDOHH2M has been communicating with several vendors to size and source equipment to provide a small outdoor enclosure designed to house all the chlorine injection equipment. H2M currently has in hand a proposal for a chlorine injection system that is proposed to be installed on the roof of the So. Highland Pump Station. i. Note: Chlorine Tablet Dosing addition at the Low Service Reservoir has been revised to take place Monday thru Friday. This includes the addition of three (3) chlorine tablets per hatch daily. The premise behind the rationale is to equalize the chlorine profile within the LSR and remove the peaks and valleys by only dosing two times a week. The RCDOH has given the Water Department emergency authority to supplementally dose chlorine on an interim (temporary) basis during the warm months. RCDOH is looking for the Department/H2M to provide a permanent solution to supplemental chlorine injection. This is listed above as a Chlorine Booster Station to be added to the So. Highland Pump Station. The Board would need to authorize H2M to proceed and to purchase the necessary equipment to install. C) Plant Operational Assessments: a. Continue to lend support on technical issues and reporting. b. new operations resource continues to meet with Supt Lynch to review objectives relative to developing Standard Operating Procedures, etc. c. College Tank / Zone: i. Equipment installed for chlorination measurement, feed, and tank level measurement at College Tank Pump Station. ii. Neal Systems has completed all work at the So. Highland Pump Stations. All communications and automatic controls have been corrected and are working as originally intended. D) Sludge Lagoon i. Superintendent Lynch has begun a pilot program for removing sludge from the lagoon and maintenance to remove the plant growth from the lagoon. ii. Jim O’Sullivan & Superintendent Lynch Presented to the water board a slide show of the progress made on sludge removal. A proposal was made to repurpose the sludge being taken out of the lagoon into mulch. This process is called (BUD) Beneficial Use Determination which can take up to 4 months approval from Department of Environmental Conservation. E) Plant Upgrade for PFAS Removal: a. H2M submitted revised plans, specifications, and report to NYSDOH in February and is waiting for comments and/or approval. H2M received comments from NYSDOH on July 9th and resubmitted responses to NYSDOH on September 16, 2024. F) Lead Service Line Inventory: a. Inventory is due to the State on October 16, 2024. Superintendent Lynch to advise on additional support required G) Master Planning Efforts: a. Asset Management i. Draft Plan submitted for Superintendent Lynch and Board for comment/review. H2M to prepare a final copy of the report upon agreement with the Water Department. We would request either approval or authorization to finalize in order to advance with Capital Improvement planning  ii. Following finalization H2M will work with Supt Lynch on Capital Improvement and maintenance plans related to identified prioritized topics 2- Joint Funding Agreement- Chairman McDowell Motion to sign USGS FY 25 Annual Agreement Second by Commissioner Bullock, Chairman McDowell Signed Agreement. Latoya Aguillard will email signed copy. 3-Correspondence – Superintendent Lynch Read letter written by Linda Schultz (103 Gedney St Nyack, NY) -Commending Meter reader Thomas Howell on his exceptional service. Superintendent Agenda Original Plant Intake-Maintenance Mechanic Frank Dellolio, has built a stone wall to reestablish the water plant property lines. While doing so, Frank revealed the original water plant intake. The original intake is upstream from our current intake. Superintendent Lynch made suggestions to the engineers to see if the original intake could be put back into service. Out of Service Hydrants- Chairman McDowell and Superintendent Lynch received a letter from Feerick Nugent MacCartney Law firm (Attached)- representing Nyack Joint Fire District- Superintendent Lynch was not made aware of out of service hydrants until letter was received. In his discovery Superintendent Lynch discovered that they were 4 hydrants out of service- 1- NO Midland & High Avenue-Repaired on 9/18/2024 2- Main Street & No Mill Street-Scheduled for repair on 09/20/2024-Crew is unable to repair A Contractor will be called out on 09/24/2024 to repair hydrant. 3-Piermont & Cedarhill Avenue- Schedule for repair on 09/24/2024. 4-Fifth & Jefferson Street- Pending Schedule. SPEDES Permit- Superintendent Lynch discovered that the SPEDES (State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System)Permit has been expired since 2020. Chairman McDowell, Commissioner Bullock, Approve Superintendent Lynch to reapply for permit. LSLI Blue Conduit Proposal – A I Approach to Lead service Line inventories / Replacement Programs-Subject to February 2025 approval by New York State Department of Health. This cost will be 50K. At 5:36 PM, upon motion by Commissioner Phillips, second by Commissioner Bullock, and carried, the Board moved into executive session to discuss personnel issues. At 6:04 PM upon motion be Commissioner Phillips, second by Commissioner Bullock, and carried the Board moved out of executive session. Upon motion by Chairman McDowell, second by Commissioner Bullock, and carried, the Board approved Gilbert Francois Letter of resignation. Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 17, 2024. There being no further business, upon motion by Commissioner Bullock, second by Commissioner Phillips, and carried, the meeting was adjourned at 6:06 PM. Respectfully submitted, Latoya Aguillard Assistant Secretary