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DNR environmentalist speaks at Sheldon meeting
Nevada Daily Mail
A special meeting of the Sheldon board of alderman Thursday evening featured a guest speaker from Missouri Department of Natural Resources, environmental specialist Gwenda Bassett, who spoke to the board about DNR's Community Service Program.
Bassett said the goal of the program was "to get people organized and informed," about grant programs, and other services available to them.
Alderman Robert Moran said, "It is my belief that dealing with state, county, and all these things, that if you know the people working in these departments, we know them as individuals, we're much more apt to ask questions and get good answers. That interpersonal relationship will be really important at being successful I believe. This tickles me that you're here and this can lead us into it."
Sheldon is one of 30 small municipalities invited to participate in the pilot program by DNR across the southwest Missouri region. Sheldon was picked due to the impending ammonia limits for wastewater treatment plants. In describing how DNR picked candidate communities, Bassett said, "these communities floated to the top." All of the communities have a population of less than 5,000 residents.
Bassett defined the program as, "a planning assistance program," with the goal of providing these small municipalities a one-to-one interface with DNR and connecting them with resources they can use.
The program was created in part by the tightening of regulations for wastewater systems. Sheldon is facing its first limits on ammonia release in connection with its wastewater system in 2019. Currently, Sheldon only has to monitor those levels.
Representatives from the Community Services Program can also provide assistance and information in other areas such as dilapidated buildings, littering, etc.
The program consists of three phases. First is an assessment meeting, followed by a resource visit, and lastly a recommendation report.
Bassett briefly explained a change in practice to issuing permits on a per-watershed basis, which allows more flexibility to local areas.
Alderman Gene Leininger asked, "You say ammonia is in the water, is this coming from some of the different methods of fertilizing farms?
Bassett said, "That's more of a non point source. Through wastewater, ammonia is in what we produce [urine] and goes to the lagoon. Lagoons are not every efficient at treating ammonia. It treats other pollutants pretty well like POD, TSS, and other things. Ammonia is not one it is great with." She explained that hog farms, and other agricultural operations using lagoons have their own permitting process. "Ammonia is very toxic to aquatic life. We have seen the allowable limit of ammonia that can be discharged steadily decreasing, so right now we have adopted the 2008 water quality standard for ammonia which is currently in your permit. In 2013, Environmental Protection Agency adopted an even tighter ammonia standard, which the state of Missouri hasn't adopted yet. We've been trying to work with cities and trying to get out ahead of that first -- so you will not be out of compliance."
City maintenance supervisor Joe Bzruchowski asked Bassett, "Will this extend the time before we have to upgrade?"
Bassett said, "you would have to ask for the permit to be modified -- could ask for modification with renewal application in January." Bassett noted that the change would have to be justified by a change in affordability or some other reasoning -- change in population, economic status."
City clerk Becky Morgan noted that the lagoon had last been cleaned out in the 1970s. Basset said that the deeper the water was in the lagoon, the better it would handle ammonia.
With Bassett's presentation concluded and questions answered, the board adjourned its special meeting and entered the regular monthly meeting.