The West Virginia 104 Outreach Program is a joint operation between the WVETC and the West Virginia Department of Education to help small wastewater treatment plants achieve permit compliance.
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Onsite Assistance Program is authorized under Section 104(g)(1) of the Clean Water Act. It was implemented in 1982 to address the problem of noncompliance at small wastewater treatment plants through onsite operator assistance and other operations and maintenance (O & M) assistance.
In West Virginia, the program is known as the 104 Program. It is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Education and is operated and administered by the West Virginia Environmental Training Center (ETC).
Compliance problems in small communities
The need for individualized technical assistance varies greatly. Many plants require high levels of operator skills that small municipal operators don't always have. Staff turnover rates can be high. Plant budgets and salaries may be low. Process control equipment may not be available. These ingredients can lead to noncompliance and can place the plant on a priority list for operator outreach assistance.
How the West Virginia 104 Program works
West Virginia employs a simple yet effective procedure to deliver operator outreach assistance to needy municipal treatment plants.
- The ETC identifies plants to receive assistance and identifies their needs. Referrals often come from the Health Department and the Department of Environmental Protection.
- The ETC identifies an onsite trainer that can address local needs and avises the plant/municipal staff. About 10 trainers are scattered state wide.
- The onsite trainer contacts and works directly with the plant/municipality to develop a Training Plan and then provides the necessary training.
Outreach instructors are both troubleshooters and trainers. All are certified treatment plant operators. Their mission is to help eliminate treatment process control problems which are causing violations. They are not enforcement agents for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
What an Onsite Trainer does
- Meets with plant personnel and municipal officials to discuss problems and establish ground rules.
- Diagnoses the specific cause(s) of noncompliance, such as improper process control, inadequate sludge disposal, or design errors.
- Develops a Training Plan.
- Provides over-the-shoulder operator training and technical assistance as required.
- Provides free study manuals and loans out lab equipment.
- Follows up with visits to the plant for 6-18 months to see that agreed to activities are being continued.
- Completes a Closeout Report which documents the assistance effort.
How much does operator outreach assistance cost?
The community pays nothing for onsite assistance. The community will be expected, however, to make the necessary improvements to achieve compliance. This may require an expenditure by the municipality if, for example, equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. The total average cost to provide onsite assistance varies widely because an individual assistance effort may take six weeks to two years or longer, depending on the complexity of the problem. Compared to the cost of formal enforcement action, onsite assistance is a real bargain! There is no obligation to accept this assistance.
Additional benefits of onsite assistance
Besides helping a small community achieve compliance, the operator outreach program helps in other ways.
- Identifies any need to repair or build new facilities to meet existing or future permit limits.
- Recommends ways to improve preventative maintenance of equipment and structures.
- Often reduces energy and chemical costs through more efficient operating techniques.
Most importantly, the operator outreach program gets the plant operating staff and the local elected officials working together on the problems at the treatment plant. By the end of the schedule, no only does the operator understand the plant better, but local officials better understand wastewater treatment responsibilities and needs of the plant and its staff.
West Virginia 104 success stories
During the past few years, the West Virginia 104 Project has served over 100 small wastewater plants across the state. Many have even received State and Regional EPA Awards for their outstanding improvements. A few examples of these success stories follow:
- An antiquated treatment plant in the Northern Panhandle was cited by DEP for numerous effluent violations. For about $200 a new baffle was installed in the clarifier which dramatically reduced the solids level in the effluent.
- The DEP listed nearly 60 permit violations at a Sequence Batch Reactor (SBR) plant near Parkersburg. An onsite trainer helped the operator develop and implement detailed process control testing and record keeping. Solids management practices were initiated and the facility has had no additional violations.
- An oxidation ditch along the Ohio River was glutted with excess solids causing discharge violations. Process control tests were implemented, sampling and lab procedures were improved and sludge disposal practices improved. The plant received an EPA O & M Award as a Most Improved Plant and the operator was later recognized as an "Operator of the Year."
For more information please contact:
WV Environmental Training Center
Cedar Lakes Conference Center
Ripley , WV 25271
Phone: (304) 372-7878
Fax: (304) 372-7887
Email: rweigand@wvetc.org
