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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/2/1987y Monday, February 2, 1987 The Board of County Commissioners of Indian River County, Florida, met for a Special Call Workshop at the County Commission Chambers, 1840 25th Street, Vero Beach, Florida, on Monday, February 2, 1987, at 9:00 o'clock A.M. Present were Don C. Scurlock, Jr., Chairman; Margaret C. Bowman, Vice Chairman; Richard N. Bird; Carolyn K. Eggert; and Gary C. Wheeler. Also present were Charles P. Baiczun, County Administrator; Charles P. Vitunac, Attorney to the Board of County Commissioners; and Virginia Hargreaves, Deputy Clerk. The Chairman called the meeting to order and announced that it is for the purpose of having a presentation re the Solid Waste Master Plan, per the following notice: PUBLIC NOTICE The Board of County Commissioners of Indian River County will hold a Special Call Workshop on February 2, 1987, at 9:00 a.m. Camp, Dresser & McKee, consulting engineers for the County, will address major issues regarding the Solid Waste Master Plan. The Special Call Workshop will be held in the Board of County Commission Chambers, 1840 25th Street, Vero Beach, -Florida. Dated this 27th day of JanucAry, 1987 BOARD OF COUNTY r"""hA1GS10NERS INDIAN RIVER COUNT Don C. Scurlock, Jr.-, Jan. 29, 30, 31, 1987 Director Pinto advised that ti four books, which they are going t Waste Master Plan Sludge Managerr Management Feasibility Study - anc These books are on file in the Cor Director Pinto noted that they ar take any action this morning; staff will be cuim..yBoor FSB 2 1987 FEB 21997 BOOK . Board for permission for implementation, but some of these things will require fairly immediate action. Director Pinto then introduced Larry Adams, head of the Solid Waste MasterPlan project for Camp, Dresser & McKee. Mr. Adams informed the Board the Camp, Dresser & McKee is a nationally recognized consulting firm, which specializes entirely in the environmental field and has over 1,800 employees nationally. He then -reviewed the impressive credentials and achievements of the staff members working on this study, noting that the former project manager resigned in December and is now head of the Florida DER. Mr. Adams introduced Project Managers Bob Hauser and Dan Strowbridge, who will discuss solid waste management, Donald Munksgaard, who will review the septage and grease management study, and Dan Anderson, rate specialist. Mr. Hauser took the floor and gave an overview of their approach to the solid waste master plan, i.e., evaluation of the existing landfill and analysis of alternatives, including resource recovery feasibility, energy markets, transfer stations, etc., and then asked Dan Strowbridge to discuss development of the plan. Mr. Strowbridge reported that, in addition to lack of disposal capacity, it was found there were inadequate environ- mental controls at the existing Landfill, which was developed without a liner and a leachate collection system. They also found that the solid waste collection transfer green box system was inefficient, and there is a problem with dead animal and infectious waste disposal. They further found inefficient handling of materials at the air curtain incinerator (pit burner) and significant deterioration of that facility. Those were the basic problems which they felt must be addressed. He noted the county is currently generating 260 tons of waste materials a day, and this will increase significantly in the next twenty years. Mr. Strowbridge then addressed problems with the collection and transfer system, citing high unit operating costs, Litter 2 M accumulations at the present facilities, vandalism, and also the lack of a finance mechanism other than just general fund revenues. He advised that they looked at the three following alternatives: 1. Continuation of the existing system - the existing collection system would continue to be managed and.operated as it is now, the existing pit burner operation would be unchanged and the landfill would be expanded to accommodate future waste quantities. This concept has two sub -options: • Move management of the transfer collection system to utilities with other solid waste functions. s Modify (reduce) collection system crew size. 2. The second concept includes landfilling through expansion of the existing site and converting the existing transfer collection station system to a convenience center system featuring site controls, site monitoring and compactors with closed containers. 3. The third alternative includes resource recovery with franchised mandatory door-to-door collection. ry Table 9-1 compares costs between the three alternative systems that were evaluated: FEB Z i,,io Boa 67 i,v!A6 rFEB 2 1987 1986 Existing System2 Annual Tonnage 15,900 Unit ($/ton) Cost $ 24.30 Annual Cost 386,200 Cost/Residence/ Year 14.00 Convenience Center BOOK 6 7 F v)'. 16 TABLE 9-1 ) SUMMARY OF COLLECTION ALTERNATIVES 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 19,500 24,000 28,200 32,700 37,900 $ 32.80 $ 39.90 $ 48.60 $ 59.10, $ 71.90 639,600 957,600 1,370,500 1,932,500 2,725,000 17.10 20.10 23.40 27.70 33.40 Annual Tonnage 15,900 19,500 24,000 28,200 32,700 37,900 Unit ($/ton) Costl $ 23.40 $ 23.30 $ 24.50 $ 26.80 $ 29.65 $ 33.00 Annual Cost 371,300 454,400 588,000 755,800 969,700 1,251,800 Cost/Residence/Year 13.40 12.20 12.30 12.90 13.90 15.30 Door-To-Door2 Annual Tonnage 32,900 41,500 53,000 65,100 77,400 90,800 Unit ($/ton) Costi $ 55.80 $ 65.20 $ 79.40 $ 96.60 $ 117.50 $ 142.90 Annual Cost 2,330,000 3,432,000 5,340,000 7,982,000 11,543,000 16,470,000 Cost/Residence/Year 78.60 92.00 112.00 136..00 166.00 202.00 1 Solid Waste Disposal (Tipping Fees) are not included. 2 Does not include Vero Beach residences. Note: All figures are rounded. Mr. Strowbridge informed the Board that the convenience center approach would reduce the cost for the resident about $5.00 per year, door-to-door collection is projected at a cost of about $92.00 per residence per year in 1990, and if the existing collection systdm is continued, they cannot improve its efficiency. He reviewed in detail the convenience center approach which would have compactors at the convenience stations and an attendant on hand 12 hours a day. Chairman Scurlock raised a question as to the ability to 4 sort materials at such centers and also as to how large appliances would be handled. Mr. Strowbridge confirmed there wPlI be an ability to sort. Two of the boxes will be open boxes for materials which are destined for the air curtain incinerator, and large appliances either can be put in the boxes or just set aside to be handled on an as -needed basis as determined by the attendant. He noted there is no fee structure directly associated with the conveni- ence structure itself. Mr. Strowbridge then reviewed their transportation analysis and the need to accommodate not only private vehicles, but collection route vehicles from the north county. In regard to the situation in the north county, he advised that their analysis indicated that amortization of the debt for providing the transfer stations would increase costs by 350. It now costs $8.50 to $9.00 a ton to transfer waste directly from the north county, and the installation of a transfer station there would cause those costs to escalate to $12.00 or $12.90 a ton; actually waste volumes are small in that area. Mr. Strowbridge advised that there should be about a 40 mile distance before transfer stations make economic sense. Commissioner Eggert inquired if the consultants included in their projections a rapidly increasing growth for the area, especially as she felt construction waste materials have been a main problem there. Mr. Strowbridge confirmed that they did, but emphasized this relates to a function of distance more than anything else. Commissioner Bowman wished to know if they included Fellsmere in their projections, and Mr. Strowbridge advised that . they even incorporating Fellsmere with Sebastian, they still came out with the same increase. Discussion continued at length about the consultant's findings that there would be no economic advantage to the county in providing a transfer station in the north county, and it was 5 FEB '�J 7 BOOK l� FA,r. FEB 2 1987 BOOK 6.7 f1�;E 170 clarified that while this would be a major expense of the county, any economic advantage derived would be only to the benefit of the private waste collectors in that area. Commissioner Bird asked about the advantage to the private home owner. It was noted that there are drop-off sites available for them, and Utilities Director Pinto explained that if we put in the convenience station, our fees would have to increase to the point where it would not be economical for them. Mr. Strowbridge continued that 140 of the annual tonnage at the landfill is simply woody material that can be consumed in a pit burner. They, therefore, recommended continuing with the use of a pit burner and one of a larger size. Animal disposal involves about 2,200 carcasses a year which creates a major problem at the landfill, and that is why they have recommended the purchase and operation of a pathogenic incinerator at an estimated capital cost of about $27,500 and annual operating costs of $15,000. As to resource recovery, Mr. Strowbridge reviewed tech- nology, air emissions, energy markets, etc., and advised that if the County did pursue resource recovery, they would recommend that the mass -burn technology, which is described as follows, be accepted. 166.3.1 MASS BURN SYSTEMS The combustion of unprocessed solid waste, combined with heat recovery, is currently the most widely practiced energy recovery technique in the world. In a plant designed for mass burning, unprepared refuse (as received from the collection vehicles with little or no sorting) is charged directly into a combustion furnace and the heat generated by the combustion process is recovered by waterwall radiation boilers in the form of steam. The steam may be sold directly to a customer or converted to saleable electricity by a turbine generator. In the energy market evaluation, Mr. Strowbridge reported that the energy products considered were steam and electricity. Unfortunately, there are no major steam users in the county, and 6 he advised that after evaluating the possible users of electricity, they talked with the Vero Beach Power Company and Florida Power Light about resource recovery. The Vero Beach Power Company is interested if the county does decide to go into this, but does not want it to be harmful to the City's rate payers. Mr. Strowbridge next discussed the market for recycled materials, i.e., aluminum cans, newspaper, etc., and stated that they encourage such activity but do not make it a major recommen- dation. He believed a voluntary recycling program would only affect the landfill capacity from 1 to 3% since under such programs you are lucky if you get 10% of the people to partici- pate on a continuing basis. Mr. Strowbridge continued to discuss costs and advised that their projections indicate there would be a significant increase in fees if we went with resource recovery. They, therefore, do not recommend pursuing resource recovery at this time, but would recommend there be a periodic reevaluation of the resource recovery option. The last issue was site selection, and Mr. Strowbridge explained the steps used to identify appropriate sites. He advised that they came up with three general areas, two in the south county on either side of the Expressway and a linear strip of land to the north on the east of 1-95. After taking into consideration all the various factors, advantages, disadvantages, etc., the site that came out on top was the existing landfill. The capacity is there, and with the purchase of an additional adjoining 40 acres, they identify the existing landfill and surrounding area as the optimum location. In addition, they found that resource recovery could be easily located in close proximity. Mr. Strowbridge then turned the discussion back over to Bob Hauser to review the actual improvements they are proposing. FEB 2 1987 7 BOOK 67 F.� r 111 BOOK 67 rA,I'F 17 Mr. Hauser reviewed the following plan showing the site of the existing landfill. Mr. Hauser noted that the existing segment where the county is operating currently will.probably run out of capacity by summer or fall of this year. That cell was opened in 1977 and at that time conformed with the environmental regulations, which now have changed significantly and require liner systems for positive control of leachate. They evaluated the site in terms of its being expanded and see no problem with it being able to comply with the new regulations; however, because the existing segment has no liner, there is the potential of contamination, and it is important that it be capped and sealed properly. Mr. Hauser next discussed drainage, noting that all.of the site drainage is directed into the area proposed for expansion, and drainage management for the entire site is a major concern. There is a 40 acre parcel in the area, which is not owned by the county, and it is recommended this be purchased as it will pro- vide flexibility to deal with drainage and possibly be used as a borrow area or as a buffer. An additional problem at the site is that some old septage lagoons have been abandoned and allowed to 8 dry out and also there is an existing septage area which is unlined. Although the monitoring wells have not indicated any environmental problems re contamination of ground water so far, they have recommended that the dried out septage lagoons be excavated and that material put back into the landfill space. As to taking care of septage over the short term, Mr. Hauser advised that they recommend going into segment II and lining an area to use for septage until further facilities can be built. This would fit in with the overall plan. Mr. Hauser emphasized that the landfill site is a good site and very developable. Mr. Hauser then reviewed their recommendation for a larger pit burner because too much brush is going into the landfill. As to having an air curtain incinerator in the north county, they prefer a site where the county can exercise the most control and recommend that the one at the present landfill be utilized to its maximum. They do feel locating one in the north county can be looked at, but would recommend it be done under county control. Chairman Scurlock inquired about the potential of deep well injection and whether there is excess capacity in the existing deep well. Mr. Hauser noted that would be a potential for leachate disposal. There are a number of alternatives that could be pursued, and they need to investigate this a little further. The alternatives include collecting the leachate and circulating it back on the landfill, which has been done quite successfully. Mr. Hauser then reviewed Table 2-8 summarizing the costs associated with the solid waste system capital improvements program and Figure 10-1 outlining an 18 month program, which tables are as follows: 9 BOOK. b iJ 1 r "E 1-73 TABLE 2-8 SOLID WASTE SYSTEM CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM FISCAL YEAR ITEM 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 TOTAL Engineering Studies $140,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - 5 140,000 Chipper for Trees and Logs - 77,000 - - - - 77,000 Construction of Landfill Segment II - 2,363,000 - - - - 2,363,000 Landfill Segment I Closure Costs - 1,680,000 - - - - 1,680,000 Land Purchase - 263,000 - - - - 263,000 Pathogenic Incinerator - 29,000 - - - - 29,000 Transfer System Modifications - 319,000 - - - - 319,000 Purchase of Refuse Department Equipment - 184.000 - - - - 184,000 Total Capital Improvements $140.000 $4.915,000 $ $5,055,000 TASK IDENTIFY PERMIT REQUIREMENTS INITIATE PRELIMINARY DESIGN FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS PROJECT COST ANALYSIS PREPARE FINAL DESIGN LET SID FOR WTERMEDIATE EXPANSION' CONSTRUCT 'INTERMEDIATE EXPANSION' OBTAIN PERMITS ACOUIRE ADDITIONAL PROPERTY OBTAIN CONSTRUCTION BIDS SITE CONSTRUCTION I YEAR lose 1987 I 1988 MONTH NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN loolnn River County Urottory Lao011U Impl4tnent\tloll ache4ule 10 PIGURB 10-1 Mr. Hauser emphasized that time is running out and the landfill will run out of space before the next segment is designed. They are proposing to work with the DER to give the county an interim program - possibly preparation.of a small expansion area - while they permit and get the design done on the entire expansion area. He then summarized their overall recommendations, as follows: 1) Continue to utilize existing Landfill a� Close existing cell b) Expand site C) Purchase additional land d) Purchase new pit burner e) Pathogenic incinerator Z) Develop Convenience Collection Center a) Convert existing transfer stations b) Reorganize Refuse Department 3) Reevaluate Resource Recovery periodically Chairman Scurlock expressed concern about disposing of plastic items that last forever, and Mr. Hauser discussed the possibility of mandatory separation as well as mandatory collection and felt something can be built into the convenience centers for separation. Chairman Scurlock asked if they have identified what percentage of residents have a present -collection service, and also wished to know if we are making a place for any kind of item to be deposited at the landfill, appliances, etc. Mr. Hauser estimated that about 380 of the population uses the green collection boxes, and Utilities Director Pinto advised that the convenience centers will provide for the disposal of anything other than hazardous waste. Mr. Hauser continued to discuss resource recovery. He noted that with the state of technology we have now, resource recovery cannot take care of everything, and the county will continue to have a large landfill requirement. He stressed that the existing 1 1 , �=t, `1 FEB 1987 euo� �� .1 s FEB 2 b% BOOP( landfill site is a very valuable resource, and felt the key is to have an overall master plan of how the site will look 50 years from now. Commissioners Eggert and Bowman both spoke of receiving complaints as to not enough screening of the landfill from 1-95. Donald Munksgaard next came before the Board to review Sludge Management and the Septage and Grease Management Feasibility Study. He noted their job was to evaluate and determine the impact of sludge production in the county and identify and evaluate alternatives. The problem obviously is only going to increase. He then discussed the alternatives for disposal of sludge, and advised that the recommended plan would involve thickening of the sludge at a subregional facility through anaerobic digestion and then use of a belt filter press to reduce the liquid volume after which the sludge cake would be disposed of at the landfill. He advised the north subregional facility to which they refer is the Gifford treatment plant. Mr. Munksgaard then reviewed the Septage and Grease Manage- ment Feasibility Study, noting that presently there are six private haulers with mixed loads of septage and grease, and these are disposed of at the landfill in a pit. Nitrates are a leading factor in pollution of ground water, and although nothing has shown up in the landfill monitoring wells so far, they would recommend this practice be stopped as soon as possible. Mr. Munksgaard advised that they are recommending a co -treatment system with the sludge and summarized from their report as follows: Currently, there are estimated to be approximately 48,000 persons served by roughly 12,200 septic tanks within the County. Although substantial development is projected within the County during the next 15 years, the vast majority of growth will be served by sanitary sewers. In addition, existing septic tanks will be replaced by installation of new sewers. Actual septage production within the County is thus projected to decrease from the current. levels of 2.87 million gallons annually to 2.04 million gallons by the Year 2000. The number of active grease traps, however, is projected to increase in conjunction with development of the County. Annual grease production is projected to grow from 0.7 million gallons in 1985 to 1.3 million gallons in Year 2000." - 1- Various sites, both existing and future potential sites, were identified for a septage and grease waste management facility. Each site was evaluated in terms of several criteria and then ranked. The Gifford/North Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant site,was found to be the single most favorable location for the facility. For the receiving, treatment, and disposal of septage and grease wastes, several alternative units and processes were discussed and evaluated. The evaluation included both economic considerations and factors other than costs. The recommended alternative is that the existing Gifford Wastewater Treatment Plant be modified to be used as a receiving facility for mixed loads of septage and grease. A grease concentrator would be installed for removal of the grease component, and the grease would be trucked to the County's sanitary landfill for disposal. The septage would be stabilized and dewatered in the recommended solids treatment facilities of the North Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Solid residuals would be hauled to the County's sanitary landfill for disposal. Disposal of treated septage and grease wastes is recommended to be within the lined portion of the County's future landfill cell. Disposal of treated septage will he in conjunction with the recommended disposal plan for treated wastewater sludge. Grease will be disposed of in holes excavated in the working face and covered by an adequate layer of waste before compaction." " 7.2.2 DESCRIPTION OF RECOMMENDED FACILITIES Rased on the evaluations conducted within this report, it is recommended that Indian River County take the necessary steps to implement Septage and Grease Waste Management Alternative 1. This recommended alternative consists of the following process units: o A receiving facility located at the Gifford/North Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant -site. This alternative was selected based on the ability to modify the existing Gifford wastewater treatment facility. If such modifications are determined structurally "unsound", a new receiving facility could be constructed without changing the present worth ranking of the recommended alternative. o Grease concentration at the central receiving facility located at the existing Gifford Wastewater Treatment Plant. o Anaerobic digestion at the North Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant to he built on the existing Gifford site. It is the recommendation of this report to blend the septage wastes into the ' 13 FEB 2 1987 Boor 6 7 F yF 17 FEED 2 M87 BOOK 67 r.'�vr. � I/� of solids train of the North Subregional facility. The benefit of this technology is two -fold. First, by adding the waste into the solids train of the wastewater facility, the associated 900 load would not be exerted on the liquid treatment portion, thus maintaining liquid plant capacity. Second, capital and operating costs would be reduced due to economies of scale. o Belt filter press dewatering at the North Subregional facility along with its associated polymer conditioning. o Disposal of sludge cake at the County landfill facility. o Odor control equipment is also recommended to be provided. A "wet I scrubber" type system, Is recommended. " l_ Daniel Anderson came before the Board to make the presenta- tion on the rate study and the finances involved. Mr. Anderson informed the Board that the recommended method of cost recovery is a combination of a user charge system levied upon properties generating septage and/or grease wastes and an impact fee levied upon new septic tanks and grease traps. The Solid waste System Rate Study recommends: `t,that the Sanitary Landfill j Enterprise Fund be expanded and modified to be the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund. The expanded enterprise fund is intended to encompass: (1) the landfill; (2) the five convenience centers; (3) the septage and grease receiving facility; (4) thickened wastewater sludge receiving facility; and, (5) the solids treatment facility at the Gifford North Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant along with the conveyance system of trucks used to haul treated solids residuals and grease wastes to the landfill for disposal. The fee structure must reflect the costs incurred on behalf of the septage and grease wastes from the appropriate Solid Waste Enterprise Fund components.' Charts setting out the recommended cost recovery and calculation of the surcharge are as follows: 14 r TABLE ES -1 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED COST RECOVERY FOR SEPTAGE AND GREASE WASTE MANAGEMENT Annual 1 Capital Cost Customer Class User Charge Surcharge Septic Tanks $ 6.80/septic tank $ 52.26/septic tank Grease Traps 67.60/grease trap 250.00/grease trap (1) For recovery of operation and maintenance expenses. (2) For recovery of capital costs to provide environmentally acceptable facilities for treatment and disposal of septage and grease wastes. Applied to existing and future septic tanks and grease traps as a one-time surcharge. TABLE 7-2 CALCULATION OF THE SURCHARGE FOR SEPTAGE AND GREASE FACILITIES Receiving Facility Grease Concentration Anaerobic Digestion Polymer Conditioning Belt Filter Press Dewatering Dewatered Sludge Hauling Odor Control Subtotal Allowance for Related Services, Contingencies, and Inflation @ 30% . Total Project Costs Ultimate Number of Facilities Designed for Surcharge 1OT -4' Construction P-+ $150,000 70% $105,000 30% $ 45,000 65,000 0 O 100 65,000 250,000 100 250,000 0 0 10,000 100 10,000 0 0 50,000 100 50,000 0 0 30,000 50 15,000 50 15,000 175,000 100 175,000 0 0 $730,000 $605,000 $125,000 219,000 . 181,500 37,500 $949,000 $'786,500 $162,500 15,050 septic tanks 650 grease traps $52.2.6/septic tank $250.00/grease trap FEB 2 197 15 BOOK FEB 2 1987 BOOK r. Board members expressed great concern about the impact on residents with existing septic tanks, and various alternatives, were discussed at length, i.e., charging at time of first pump out, an MSTU type of charge, possibly setting this up as a utility, etc. Discussion continued re the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of recovery of the cost of the septage and grease dumping. Mr. Anderson advised that they do not recommend continuation of the tipping fee as it has been demonstrated that this only encourages illegal activity. Utilities Director Pinto felt it must be kept in mind that to rid us of the problem we have now, we must make a major expenditure, and it is all a matter of financing of the project; there can be different methodologies for setting up the rate. He emphasized that what we have to explore is what is the most attractive way to attract bonding for this project, and a vital factor in this is having a secure revenue stream. Chairman Scurlock agreed the problem is how to pay for all this and believed we will have to have a bond issue as we are talking about five million to be generated before the first of next year. He was concerned about how fast we can accomplish all this to have a mechanism to sell bonds, and Mr. Anderson agreed it is imperative to get moving on this very quickly. The steps they recommend the county proceed with are: 1) Immediately retain a financial advisor to pursue additional financing. 2) Hold workshops, public hearings, etc., and adopt the study recommendations. 3) Issue a request for proposals to perform field work to do the cataloging and to establish the entire accounting system. 4. Begin preparation of interlocal agreements between the county and municipalities. Chairman Scurlock inquired if Utilities is suggesting we contract with someone to do all the cataloging that will be required, and Director Pinto noted that he is suggesting that we 16 continue on with Camp, Dresser & McKee to help implement this plan and bring it to reality. Chairman Scurlock inquired if Camp, Dresser & McKee has sufficient capability to do the cataloging, etc., and meet the deadlines to get this done and issue bonds, and he was assured they did. Chairman Scurlock did not believe we have any choice but to move ahead and take care of the future or it will take care of US. He asked if any Commissioner was opposed to the general approach we are taking, and there were no objections. Utilities Director Pinto expressed his excitement about the plan which he believed is equitable as a whole. He believed that if we implement this, it will be a model that others will want to follow. There being no further business to come before the meeting, on Motion duly made, seconded and carried, the meeting adjourned at 12:15 o'clock P.M. ATTEST: Clerk NIV911w)W11r, 1.Chairman 17 BOOK 67 F,VIJE