By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
It will be many years before Mona
has a sewer system, but the process needs to
begin.
Project planning and design are
not the only steps necessary to receive a loan or grant,
although Mona cannot apply for a grant until they have a
plan.
As with any financial matters,
there are certain requirements that any city must meet
before receiving funding.
"We can't apply for a grant until
we have a plan," said Gordon Anderson, council
member.
Anderson was assigned to
investigate the possibility of developing a city sewer
system.
All financial assistance from the
WQPAP is authorized by the Water Quality Board (the
Board).
The Board is comprised of the
Director of the DEQ and ten other members appointed by the
governor with the advice and consent of the
Senate.
"There are different options for
a sewer system," said Anderson.
There are several types and the
degree of treatment depends on the type of
system.
Anderson said that the person at
the state that he talked to about the project said it would
be wise to have an engineer.
"An engineer would look at the
best plan for Mona," said Cory Squire, council
member.
Bryce Lynn, mayor, said that
Bruce Hall, retired county health officer, would be a good
person to consult.
The authorization for a grant
from DEQ occurs in two steps; an introduction and a final
authorization.
Individual projects will be
introduced to the Board when a project is presented for a
Hardship Advance funding request or; if an advance is not
needed, when the scope of the project can be
defined.
The DWQ staff will prepare a
Feasibility Report which describes the project and makes a
staff recommendation.
The Feasibility Report is
prepared with city assistance and is reviewed with the city
to make sure all the facts are straight before it is sent
out in packets to the Board two weeks before the
meeting.
The project engineer on the DWQ
staff who has been assigned to the project will introduce
the community representatives and present the report at the
meeting.
Following the presentation the
city will be given the opportunity to add comments and make
a presentation also.
The Board will ask questions and
request additional information. Usually a Hardship Advance
is authorized for funding at this time; however, final
project funding will take place at a later
meeting.
The final authorization procedure
is much like the introductory process. The DWQ staff will
prepare a Feasibility Report which the city will review and
approve.
This report will answer questions
from the Board and perhaps complete some of the details
which were not available at the introductory
meeting.
"Even with a grant, it would
still be a major expense for the city," said Anderson. "It
is good to get on the list."
In areas connected to municipal
sewer systems, wastes flow into underground pipes and,
eventually, drain into a wastewater treatment plant. That
may be an actual plant or it may be lagoons.
Mona households currently rely on
an individual septic tank.
A septic tank in combination with
a drainfield serves an individual home. In a septic system,
solid materials settle out in the tank and are gradually
broken down by bacteria.
The liquid sewage flows out into
the drainfield where it is broken down by soil
bacteria.
"The list comes up fairly
quickly," said Anderson.
However, the city has much to do
even before the grant application.
One big question will be where to
put the sewer plant or lagoons. Usually, a low place is the
best area because the system relies, somewhat, on
gravity.
The council will continue to
consider the problem of whether the time has come for a
sewer system an, if so, the best way to plan for it.
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