Sewer System Commissioner Responds To Overflow

FARMINGTON -- A commissioner with Washington County Property Owners Improvement District No. 5 last week responded to inspection reports and an emergency cease-and-desist order issued by Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for an overflow of untreated wastewater from the district's aeration pond located on private property within the Golf Club of Valley View and Valley View Estates subdivision.

"The bottom line is that they're making a mountain out of a mole hill," said Joe Stewart, commission chairman.

Stewart pointed out that sewer systems, such as Fayetteville's, will have countless small overflows from manholes and broken pipes and employees will treat and clean up the overflows.

He said the overflow from the Improvement District's retention or aeration pond is the same.

"It was a small overflow that was treated, cleaned and done correctly," Stewart said.

By the time ADEQ issued its emergency order, the Improvement District was already working to clean up the area, Stewart said.

Inspections by ADEQ field inspectors on March 16 and 17 showed "an unpermitted discharge of untreated wastewater" as a result of an overflow from the system's aeration pond. The inspection also noted the facility's waste disposal system was not working. Overflows were noted on subsequent inspections for 11 days in March and the emergency order, signed by ADEQ Director Becky Keogh, was issued April 1.

ADEQ's emergency order required the Improvement District to provide evidence within five days that the overflow had been stopped and the area remediated.

The inspections say that untreated wastewater was going on the golf course and on a golf cart path.

Stewart took issue with the wording in the emergency order that described the overflow as

General News on 04/15/2015