IDEM cites violations at Anderson sewer plant
Oct. 8—ANDERSON — The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has found the Anderson Wastewater Treatment plant in noncompliance.
For several weeks, area residents have complained about an odor coming from the facility on Gene Gustin Way, to the south of White River.
The city has 30 days to submit a correction plan to IDEM.
In a news release, Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. said the city is installing an emergency odor removal system next week that will mitigate the order while corrective action is taken.
"As many are aware, we are currently experiencing longer term, unpleasant odors coming from the plant," he said. "While our wastewater plant has in the past, occasionally, due to the waste treatment process, released unpleasant odors, this present occurrence is of a much longer and unacceptable duration."
Broderick has named David Eicks, chairman of the Anderson Board of Public Works, to lead the effort to take corrective action and work with Nora Manor, superintendent of the Anderson Water Pollution Control Department.
Broderick said once the odor removal system is in place, the entire plant will be cleaned in stages.
"We will also put back in place an effective biological system that will bring the plant back to its prior effective status," he said.
That process is expected to take up to six weeks to complete and the belief is that the odor removal system will take care of any additional odor.
The report states that Nestle's discharges have caused part of the problem, and the company is taking steps to be in compliance.
"It appears that the odor is the result of an increase of nonpretreated industrial waste, most likely from Nestle," Broderick said. "This is not human waste but the byproduct of food production. Nestle can 'pretreat' their waste before discharging it to our sewer system, which is needed to ensure our system is not overwhelmed."
Nestle is allowed to bypass its pretreatment process in limited circumstances.
IDEM officials conducted an inspection Sept. 30, and the inspection was rated unsatisfactory for compromised condition of the biomass in the secondary treatment system, resulting in a violation.
The inspection found no effect as a result of the discharges from the sewage treatment plant into the White River.
"During the inspection, it was noted that the biomass in the aeration tanks appeared darker than normal, and requiring action by operators to provide extra aeration to prevent septic conditions," the noncompliance letter reads.
The letter mentions that plant operators have been working to optimize treatment since a new biological phosphorus removal system was installed in 2020.
"Preliminary review of records and conversations with operators suggests that occasional high CBOD (Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand) discharges from Nestle, which had not caused significant problems in the past have now been found to cause interference in the treatment systems," the letter states.
Those higher levels from Nestle were found for the period of Aug. 1 until Sept. 15.
The IDEM letter states that Nestle is adding additional treatment and that a compliance plan is in place.
"With this latest problem at the facility also being considered as interference due to the discharge from Nestle, additional enforcement action by the POTW (publicly owned treatment plant) may result," it states.
The IDEM report states that in a June pretreatment audit, it indicated that Nestle bypasses and high strength waste caused treatment plant interference last November and December.
Broderick said Nestle was issued a citation for the discharge last winter.
"Nestle has continued to upgrade their pretreatment process," he said. "They are currently in the process of making substantial upgrade that should be completed in April."
Broderick said Nestle has stopped bypassing the pretreatment, and none takes place until the city's plant is fixed and the new Nestle system is in place.
Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.
