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Shady Cove plunges into waste upgrade By MEG LANDERS SHADY COVE - The city is considering a $2.5 million to $2.8 million upgrade of its wastewater treatment plant. "We need some rehabilitation and expansion," said Mayor Tom Anderson. The modified plant, as proposed by Carollo Engineers of Portland, is the final phase in a project begun in 1995 to overhaul Shady Cove's aging sewer system. The system, built in 1980, serves 1,300 equivalent dwelling units in a town that has no residential septic systems. The project, which may total $4 million, is being funded through grants and loans. Anderson said the loans will be paid back through usage fees, which are currently $29 per month. He anticipates raising fees by $2.50 per month over a four-year period. City Council will vote on the plant upgrade at its next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6. "The facility needs some upgrade," said Jonathan Gasik, senior environmental engineer with the Department of Environmental Quality's Medford Office. Shady Cove's system has occasionally violated discharge requirements, said Gasik. A system is allowed three violations in a three-year period. Further violations could mean $3,000 to $6,000 fines. Gasik reviewed and approved the city's plan and says it will solve the problem. So far, a pump station, a pressure line and a sewer line have been replaced at a cost of $920,000. Repair of two more pump stations will begin in the next couple of weeks, the cost of which will be covered by a $355,000 grant. The treatment plant improvements, if approved by the council, could begin at the end of 2002, according to George Bostic, Shady Cove's public works director. "We're into late 2003, 2004 before it's done," said Bostic. Anderson said the upgrade is necessary. "It's going to bring (the system) up to DEQ standards, repair the deficiencies, and provide some capacity for growth," he said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.