1/18/1984 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Mendez, president of LAM Engineering, Inc., Coconut Grove, informed the Board that he is a registered engineer in the State of Florida and qualified as an expert witness on water and wastewater. He gave his qualifications in detail. Mr. Mendez then went to charts that were displayed showing the location of the present plant, and described it as consisting of one 100,000 gpd and one 60,000 gpd stabilization plant which work together with the treated effluents combined and pumped into a 330,000 gallon reservoir from which it is further treated by means of spray irrigation utilizing 40 acres of a 70 acre golf course. Mr. Mendez stressed that the problem of utilizing the existing site is aggravated by the fact that the DER revised Chapter 17-6 in 1982. The major changes since the plant was originally permitted were that effluent could not contain over 5 milligrams per liter of suspended solids, and, as a result, a minimum of 3 days storage would be required unless alternative methods of effluent disposal were available. In order to comply with the new regulations, it would require a plant to be 97.5% efficient. The 100,000 gpd plant requires refurbishing, and the 60,000 gpd plant would require a major overhaul or replacement. Mr. Mendez stated that taking into consideration the poor condition of the existing equipment; the fact that additional treatment would be required even without considering future customers; and that this could better be accomplished elsewhere; also that the existing site would not pass the County requirements on setbacks, landscaping, on site drainage retention, etc.; the fact that no addi- tional land was immediately available in the immediate area; and finally, the fact that the site did not belong to Hutchinson Utilities in the first place, his firm, after evaluating several alternatives, recommended that,the present site be abandoned and a site on the northeast corner 60 JAN 18 194 BOOK 57 5 PACE 805