Town of Ridgefield, Connecticut - WPCA March 14, 2006 Minutes

The minutes from the February meeting were discussed and one correction was noted. The minutes should reflect that Mr. Zawacki recused himself from the vote on the issue of determining the charges for Sunset Lane. Motion to approve the minutes with corrections by Ms. Siebert, seconded by Mr. Hill.

Mr. Zawacki and Mr. Caldwell abstaining.

New Business

Mr. O’Brien presented an update on the sale of Aquarion Water Company. The sale will most likely complete towards the end of the calendar year due to the many regulatory reviews required. Len DeJong is departing Aquarion to return to the water utility industry and the departure had been in the works for some time and is not related to the sale. Mr. O’Brien will assume responsibilities for the region and will remain our principal contact going forward. There should be little change in operating relationships.
Mr. O’Brien reviewed the transition of the Aquarion Operating Services from Aquarion as a result of the sale. The effort to make the unit an employee owned firm is progressing and there appear to be no major issues at this point.
The ongoing Bennett’s Farm sewer issue was discussed. It was pointed out that P&Z as well as other Town authorities now view the Rt. 7 alternative as preferable to a line to Danbury. M&E had been asked to update the rough estimate given in 1998 for expanding RT. 7 and concluded that $6 million was a reasonable number. The big unknown that would affect cost and feasibility is the requirements of the State. No further work on this matter will be undertaken by the WPCA at this time.
Mr. Pearson reported that Kovacs has been slow to restart the Copps Hill project and that M&E would be pressuring them to get back on track. There does not appear to be a schedule concern at this point.
M&E discussed the agreement to prepare the communication with the DEP regarding capacity. Mr. Caldwell indicated that there had not been time to properly review the document but the Authority was in agreement that the DEP needed to be informed of our activities regarding the resolution of the current capacity issues.

Aquarion Report

Mr. Pereira reviewed the operating results for the month of February. The plants continue to need increased maintenance due to the age of the equipment. In general, things are running well.
Mr. O’Brien discussed the results of additional testing to locate the source of excess levels of Zinc. The results indicate a few sources seem to be contributing most of the Zinc. He was asked to coordinate with the WPCA Administrator to set up meetings with the appropriate personnel to try to further determine the source of the Zinc.
It was decided that it would be appropriate to inform the DEP of our proactive efforts to identify the Zinc sources. Mr. Pearson, M&E, was asked to add the Zinc effort to our communication to the DEP on the capacity issue.