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Now, Ashland has to chill its wastewater The city is about to clear one hurdle in its effort to dump cleaner water into Bear Creek By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND - Cleaner water will go into Bear Creek from the town's wastewater treatment plant by a May 1 state deadline. But the city still has to worry about the water's temperature. A membrane filter system that adds a third stage of treatment to ensure compliance with state Department of Environmental Quality standards is nearly finished. "The membrane is new technology. I believe it's the first or one of the first in Oregon," said Greg Houston, project engineer with Slayden Construction, which built the plant and installed the equipment. A city draft plan on how to chill the effluent will go to DEQ next week. The agency has yet to set final standards for the temperatures required to improve fish habitat. Medford faces a similar problem with its effluent, which is released into the Rogue River. City officials decided in May 2000 to go with the membrane system to reduce phosphorus content in wastewater. They chose the system over a plan to spray the effluent on a hillside east of town. A 1996 agreement with DEQ called for the city to treat water for toxic substances, biochemical and nutrients that promote algae growth. The agency set preliminary temperature standards after the agreement was reached. Canadian firm Zenon of Toronto sold the membrane system to the city. Building construction began in spring of 2001. "It's been a very tough schedule to meet because it was such a short timeframe," said Houston. Tests will make sure the system works correctly. "The city will do the lab work. We will be there to assist them to work the bugs out," said Houston. The membrane filter is the second phase of a three-part project, said Peter Williams of Carollo Engineers, which designed the improvements. The first phase modernized and expanded the existing treatment plant. A third phase to treat sludge is being designed. Computers will control both the membrane system and the treatment plant, said Williams. Building, equipment and engineering costs are within the $7.4 million budget for the membrane treatment plant, said Paula Brown, city public works director. The sludge treatment project is expected to cost $4 million to $4.5 million. It may be put out to bid next month. DEQ must submit a final Bear Creek temperature proposal to the federal Environmental Protection Agency early next year. DEQ's preliminary standards call for a target temperature of 64 degrees at the creek's mouth at the Rogue River May through September and 55 degrees at other times. Ashland's draft plan will be a part of achieving that goal. The plan will list generic solutions that could reduce temperatures. Possibilities include reuse of the treated water for irrigation inside or outside the city, planting shade trees along Bear Creek and its tributaries, cooling storm drain runoff, and chillers at the treatment plant - an expensive proposition. "I'm hoping it never gets to actually putting chillers at the back end of a wastewater plant," said Brown. "What we need to do basin-wide is see how many of the small pieces can add up so that we are not doing huge-dollar items." Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.