Sewer and Water Utilities

1 SPECIAL SEWER AND WATER UTILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 2 TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025 3 VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE 4 (APPROVED VERSION) 5 6 The May 13, 2025 meeting of the Sewer and Water Utilities Committee was called to order by Committee 7 Chairperson Denise Bhirdo at 7:45 A.M. 8 9 Present: Chairperson Denise Bhirdo and members Kurt Harff and Nate Bell 10 11 Staff Members: Village Administrator Julie Schmelzer, Utilities Director Megan Barnes and Utilities Clerk 12 Kara Kroll 13 14 Others: Laurel Harff 15 16 Approval of the Agenda: 17 A motion was made by Harff, seconded by Bhirdo that the Agenda for the May 13, 2025 meeting of the 18 Sewer and Water Utilities Committee be approved as presented. Motion carried – all ayes. 19 20 Approval of the minutes: 21 A motion was made by Bhirdo, seconded by Harff that the minutes for the February 11, 2025 Sewer and 22 Water Utilities Committee be approved as amended per Bhirdo’ s request. Motion carried – all ayes. 23 24 Public Comments and Correspondence 25 26 No correspondence was received for this meeting. 27 28 Discussion Items: 29 a) Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Report 30 A copy of the Sewer and Water Utility operations report prepared by Barnes was included in the meeting 31 packet for the members to review. Barnes gave an update and said the mud valves on ditch 3 have been 32 replaced. Maintenance was done at the main lift station. Hydrant painting on all Sister Bay and Liberty 33 Grove hydrants was completed. Great Lakes is currently in the area televising the sanitary lines. The PRV 34 refurbishments have been completed. The sports complex sewer main extension has been finished, but 35 testing and televising of the lines still needs to be performed. 36 Bhirdo asked Barnes if she had received footage of the blockage that was caused by a grease trap being 37 emptied into the sanitary sewer. Barnes said that she hadn’t received the information yet, but requested 38 the information be sent as soon as possible. 39 Bell had questions about the new ArcGIS. Barnes explained the prior GIS was through Ruekert and Meilke 40 and the Asset Alley program they had was being discontinued. Barnes received quotes on ArcGIS from 41 Ruekert and Mielke and Stantec. Ruekert and Mielke’s quote for the transfer was around $19,000.00 and 42 Stantec’s cost was around $9,000.00, so Barnes had Stantec complete the transfer. The new GIS allows 43 more layers to be added, so it is a more comprehensive system. The Counties zoning layer has already 44 been added and information on the Villages utilities, parks and streets is being added. The Village has its 45 own organizational license for the ArcGIS. This allows the Village to add layers from outside companies. 46 47  Minutes for the May 13, 2025 meeting of the Utilities – SWUC Committee – Approved Version 1 b) WWTP Facilities Study Update/PFAs Discussion 2 Barnes included the project kick-off meeting outline in the meeting packet. Barnes made a comment 3 about how surprised she is by the Wisconsin DOA projections comparing the 2019 numbers and current 4 projections. The numbers show how quickly the area is growing. Barnes also discussed the current DNR 5 guidance of PFAs needing to be less than 20 ug/kg to land apply biosolids. The EPA risk assessment is 1 6 ug/kg. The Sister Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently at 40 ug/kg, so the Village can’t land apply 7 per the new restrictions. Barnes said this is a big concern and the waste from the treatment plant is going 8 to have to get to a class A solid. Once you get your waste to a class A solid, then it can be land applied. 9 Barnes said a large contributor to PFAs is septage waste. Barnes is waiting for the results of the April 10 sample, because the plant doesn’t except septage waste in the winter. The first sample was taken in 11 November and included septage waste. 12 13 c) Sludge Hauling/SBU Update 14 A letter from Jeff Hoffman from the Sturgeon Bay Utilities was included in the meeting packet. Barnes said 15 the upgrade project at the Sturgeon Bay Utilities has been delayed, due to a pump needing to be ordered. 16 Barnes is operating under the assumption that the Utilities will need to find a place for their sludge to be 17 delivered into the start of 2026. Barnes is hoping to resume delivery to Sturgeon Bay Utilities in 2026 after 18 they complete their upgrade project, but Sturgeon Bay Utilities isn’t increasing their capacity. They are 19 just changing their pumps. Barnes would like to get a signed agreement with Sturgeon Bay Utilities once 20 they reopen, that states they will accept our sludge. Barnes is very concerned because NEW Water has 21 made it very clear that they don’t want our sludge, and our agreement is not indefinite. The current rate 22 being charged by NEW Water is $0.06 per gallon and is lower than expected. The rate depends on the 23 concentration level and each load is tested, so it is possible that the rates could change. Barnes assumes 24 the rates will increase once septage is accepted at the plant again. Barnes has reached out to other 25 communities to see if they would allow Sister Bay Utilities to bring sludge to their facilities. 26 Bhirdo asked if there are other options available. Barnes said yes, she is looking into other options, such 27 as a dryer system, solar options and reed beds. Bell questioned the smell with a dryer system and Barnes 28 said dryers have air ventilation and air scrubbers, so the exhaust smell isn’t bad. It has more of a 29 milorganite smell. 30 31 d) Discuss Hauler Request to Accept Out of Area Holding Tank Waste 32 Barnes was contacted by a hauler that asked if the Sister Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant would be 33 willing to open and accept holding tank waste from out of the area. After discussion with the committee, 34 Barnes decided that she will not except holding tank waste from out of the area. 35 36 Discussion regarding matters to be placed on a future agenda or referred to a Committee, Official, or 37 Employee. 38 39 • None at this time 40 41 Executive Session 42 a) Consider a motion to convene into Executive Session pursuant to Wis. Stats., §19.85(1)(g) 43 Conferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written 44 advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is 45 or is likely to become involved; Request to Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to open 46 docket filed by Town of Liberty Grove and Town of Liberty Grove Sanitary District #1. 47  Minutes for the May 13, 2025 meeting of the Utilities – SWUC Committee – Approved Version 1 A motion by Bhirdo, seconded by Harff to convene into Executive Session pursuant to Wis. Stats., 2 §19.85(1)(g) Conferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written 3 advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to 4 become involved; Request to Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to open docket filed by Town of 5 Liberty Grove and Town of Liberty Grove Sanitary District #1. 6 7 A roll call was taken on that motion, and the Committee voted in the following fashion: 8 9 Bhirdo-Aye; Harff-Aye; Bell-Nay 10 11 Motion carried. 12 13 b) Consider a motion to reconvene into Open Session. 14 15 At 8:17am a motion by Bhirdo, seconded by Bell that the Sewer and Water Utilities Committee reconvene 16 into Open Session. 17 18 Another roll call was taken, and the Committee voted in the following fashion: 19 20 Bhirdo-Aye; Bell-Aye; Harff- Aye 21 22 c) Motion for Action, if required. 23 24 No formal action was required. 25 26 Adjournment 27 At 8:17 A.M. a motion was made by Harff, seconded by Bell to adjourn the May 13, 2025 meeting of the 28 Sewer and Water Utilities Committee. Motion carried – all ayes. 29 30 The next meeting of the Sewer and Water Utilities Committee will be conducted at 7:45 A.M. on Tuesday, 31 June 10, 2025 via Video Conference. 32 33 34 Respectfully submitted, 35 36 Kara Kroll 37 Utilities Clerk