STATE OF FLORIDA - Public Service Commission

ORDER NO. PSC-12-0102-FOF-WS
DOCKET NO. 100330-WS
PAGE 16
System
V i e Water WWTP
Peace River m
sunny Hills m
(a) Viage Water WWTP
county Current Staius
Polk DEP Consent Order
HaTdee DEP Consent Order
Highlands DEP Consent Order
AUF witness Luitweiler testilied that the previous owner of the Village Water wastewater
system constructed the ponds below the ground water table. A combination of DEP regulations,
policies, and actions has created an inkactable situation for this small, predominantly industrial
wastewater system. AUF continues to pursue two solutions: (1) leasing laud and constrncting a
spray field and associated piping, and (2) entering into an agreement with the City of Lakeland
and building infiastruc ture to convey hated effluent through an effluent disposal pipeline to an
electric generating statiox~ Pursuant to the consent order, AUF has executed a long-term lease
with a nearby property owner for land for a spray field for effluent disposal, and has completed
the soil evaluation and the prelimiwry design of the spray fields. The findings of the soil
evaluation prompted AUF to negotiate with DEP an extension of the deadlines in the consent
order to give AUF time to take one last look at an alternative involving use of the effluent
disposal system operated by the City of Lakeland. Discussions with the City of Lakeland are
contin-, however, without at least partial funding fivm the WMD, witness Luitweiler believes
that this alternative is not likely to be economically viable. The WMD has advised that fundkg
is not likely to be available. Both solutions are prohibitively expensive for this system with 48
industrial customers. The WWTP has operated for 30 months with only one exceedance of a
permit limit reported on monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs). AUF has continued a
dialog with DEP about the impact (or lack there00 of the status quo, regulatory obstacles to
potential alte-matives, and the potential impact on rates (which is substantial). Witness
Luitweiler tedied that just the capital cost of the spray field solution alone is approximately
$354,915, and just the capital cost of the Lakeland interconnect solution alone is approximak1y
$527,555.
Staff-sponsored DEP wilness Greenwell testilied that the Village W e wastewater
faciity was significantly out of compliance. and that the Utility has been unable to address the
long-term disposal solution for the ponds and the inadequate maintenance. of the ponds. Wilness
Greenwell pointed out that a consent order was executed on August 21,2007, for operating the
facility without a permit and failure to maintain the ponds, including proper access control. The
consent order has been amended multiple times and remains open. Witness Greenwell further
stated that while AUF still remains out of compliance with the pond issue, the consent order
gives them a certain amount of relief and AUF is attempting to find a comtive action to address
the pond disposal issue.
@) Peace River m
AUF witness Luitweiler and M-sponsored witness Greenwell testified with respect to
the DEP commt order h m June 2010 for the Peace River water system that required AUF to