Document znJR85Knr32ya9bvEKbVEeqB

Region 6 - Enforcement & Compliance Assurance Division INSPECTION REPORT Inspection Date(s): Media Program: Regulatory Program(s) 01/18/2022 Water CWA Company Name: Facility Name: Facility Physical Location: (city, state, zip code) Mailing address: (city, state, zip code) County/Parish: Facility Phone Number Facility Contact: Village of Angel Fire Angel Fire WWTF 67 Services Road Angel Fire, New Mexico Post Office Box 610 Angel Fire, New Mexico 87710 Taos 575-377-2305 Amos Torres atorres@angelfireNM.gov FRS Number: Identification/Permit Number: Media Identifier Number: NAICS: SIC: 110012304443 NM0030503 NA 221320 4952 Personnel participating in inspection: Amos Torres Village of Angel Fire Arwin Vasquez Village of Angel Fire Chris Chavez Village of Angel Fire David Esparza EPA-R6/ECDWM EPA Lead Inspector Signature/Date David Esparza Public Utilities Manager Public Utilities Manager Public Utility Foreman Wastewater Operator Environmental Engineer Date Supervisor Signature/Date Roberto Bernier Date 6ENFORM-020-R8.2 (02/12/2020) 1 Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 Section I - INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF THE INSPECTION United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 inspector David Esparza, PE, arrived at the Village of Angel Fire (Angel Fire) Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) at approximately 2:00 PM on January 18, 2022, for an unannounced inspection. I presented my credentials to Mr. Amos Torres, Public Utilities Manager and informed him that this was an EPA inspection to determine the facility's compliance under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, in accordance with the CWA. The generation of this report is based on information supplied by Angel Fire representatives, observations made by the EPA inspector, NMED and records and reports maintained by the permittee (Angel Fire), and the EPA. Before leaving the facility on January 18, 2022, an exit briefing was held with Mr. Torres, to explain areas of concern noted at the time of the inspection. It should be noted the WWTF also maintains a discharge permit (DP-56) issued by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Groundwater Quality Bureau (GWQB) for any discharges that are done to designated land application sites. FACILITY DESCRIPTION The WWTF is classified as a minor discharger with a design capacity of 0.5 MGD. The current average daily flow is approximately 0.1 MGD, however high seasonal flows can reach up to .45 MGD. The facility is located at 67 Services Road (also described as located approximately 1.5 miles south of the intersection of US Highway 64 (US-64) and New Mexico Highway 434 (NM-434), Angel Fire, Colfax County, New Mexico (depicted in Aerial Image #1 below). The WWTF facility serves a population of approximately 1,100 residents. The WWTF is operated by staff within the Public Works Department and consists of 4 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, during the hours of 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM daily. On-call staff is available on an as needed basis. The WWTF commenced operation in 1999 and treats domestic wastewater using a sequence batch reactor (SBR) biological treatment. Wastewater is pumped by lift stations in the Village to the main lift station south of the SBR plant (Identified in Table 1 below). This lift station is equipped with four (4) submersible pumps that pump the influent through a 14-inch force main up to the facility where it can be diverted to either of the two (2) reactor basins, where the flow is decanted. Currently, only one (1) basin is being used for influent wastewater treatment, while the other is being used for treatment and storage of sludge. 2 Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 Aerial Image #1: Overall view of the Village of Angel Fire's Wastewater Treatment Facility. Aerial from Google Earth maps. Table 1: Village of Angel Fire Lift Stations Lift Station Address 1 Main Intersection of Darrell Benjamin and Camino Grande 2 AF-1 Camino Grande Intersection of Camino Grande and Hwy-434 3 AF-2 Fria 2 Intersection of Hwy-434 and Fria Road 4 Cabin Share Intersection/entrance of Cabin Share Apartments and Via Del Rey 5 Valley Road Cul-de-sac across from Community Center 6 PID-1 San Andres Drive Intersection of Via Del Rey and San Andres Drive 7 PID-2 Woodlands Place Woodlands Drive near intersection of Champions Terrace 8 PID-2 San Juan San Juan Drive near intersection of San Andres Drive The UV system an Aqua Ray 40 HO vertical lamp system (manufactured by Degremont Technologies) consists of five (5) banks of lights situated over a concrete channel. According to a December 2020, HDR Preliminary Engineering Report (PER), "the existing UV disinfection needs replacement due to age". The disinfected effluent is stored in a pond prior to being discharged to the La Cieneguilla 3 Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 Creek. The WWTF's discharge permit (DP-56) allows the discharge of treated effluent through land application. Waste activated sludge (WAS) from the SBR basin is first stored in the unused reactor basin before it goes into the aerobic digester. The digester is situated on the south side of the reactor basin. Sludge pumped from the digester is dewatered by a belt press within the dewatering building. Dewatered sludge is transferred to a roll-off container and transported approximately 50-miles to the Northeastern New Mexico Regional Landfill in Wagon Mound, New Mexico. Septage and domestic (typically greywater) wastewater is screened after a wet well before entering the headworks. According to WWTF records approximately 1,300 gallons of septage on average is received on a weekly basis. The Village is in the process of updating their existing written policies and procedures to address any potential sanitary sewer overflow events (SSOs), and standard operating procedures (SOPs) pertaining facility operations and maintenance (O&M). Furthermore, an updated Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) program is also being completed with respect to existing and/or new FOG contributors. Currently, there is no Industrial User (IU) contributing to the WWTF. Section II - OBSERVATIONS I observed the following and/or the following information was provided or stated on January 18, 2022. Overall maintenance and operation of the WWTF appeared to be satisfactory. All equipment looked to be running properly and effectively. The WWTF is scheduled to upgrade the exiting headworks building and install new isolation valves. Additional upgrades or improvement include, new mixers are planned for installation within the existing SBR basins, replacement of the existing UV disinfection system and construction of a new influent equalization (EQ) basin adjacent to the SBR basins. The WWTF does have a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in place, but the 2020 HDR PER noted communication problems, and the electrical components don't meet current National Electric Code requirements. Additionally, in a Technical Memo (TM) completed by Dennis Engineering (DE) in 2016, the SCADA system has problems communicating betweenthe WWTF and the Main lift station located at the headworks. It was also stated the electrical controls for the SBR's, and headworks are outdated,and WWTF staff has difficulty with manufacturer service and obtaining replacement parts. 4 Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 At the time of the inspection, I was informed that a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) had occurred in February 2020 and was duly reported. It was suggested that due to the recent inclement weather (18-inches of snow) the unpaved dirt access roadway to the outfall would be unpassable until it refreeze Section III - AREAS OF CONCERN A review of the Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) database for the period from August 23, 2018, to January 18, 2022, indicates the following: 1. NPDES permit excursion- Suspended Solids (percent removal)- April 2019, May 2019, and March 2020 2. Non-receipt of Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR)- April 2019 3. NPDES permit excursion - Escherichia coli (E coli)- June 2021 Additional Area of Concern 4. One (1) sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) event occurred from a crack approximately 6-feet in length on the force main in the vicinity of the Main LS resulting in an approximate 7K-gallon discharge. EPA Region 6 inspector David Esparza conducted a closing conference at Village of Angel Fire's WWTF Main Lift Station approximately at 3:30 PM on January 18, 2022, for the inspection. Additionally, AOCs 14 were determined after the conclusion of the inspection and were not included in the closing conference. Section IV - FOLLOW UP The following information was received by EPA on January 28, 2022, after exiting the Facility on January 18, 2022: A copy of the current protocol related to Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) policy/ordinance and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). A summary of the quantity and locations of any lift station(s). A summary of your sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) protocol or Best Management Practices (BMP), inclusive of a spreadsheet type document delineating any/all SSO events specifically with respect to the previous 2-year period. 5 Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 A copy of the current/updated Site Map/Plan, delineating proposed rehabilitated/upgraded building footprints and treatment schemes. A summary of the approximate quantity of septage volumes daily Section V - LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Photo Log - 6 photos taken 1/18/2022 Appendix 2 - A Review of the Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) Database for the period from August 23, 2018, to January 18, 2022 6 Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 Appendix 1 Photograph Log UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Photo No. 1 Location: Angel Fire Wastewater Treatment Plant City: Angel Fire County/Parish: Colfax State: New Mexico View of the Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system situated over the concrete channels. (DSCN2087) Photographed by D. Esparza UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Photo No. 2 Location: Angel Fire Wastewater Treatment Plant City: Angel Fire County/Parish: Colfax State: New Mexico Another view of the UV disinfection system. (DSCN2089). Photographed by D. Esparza UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Photo No. 3 Location: Angel Fire Wastewater Treatment Plant City: Angel Fire County/Parish: Colfax State: New Mexico View of the location of the proposed new influent equalization (EQ) basin adjacent to the SBR basins. This location is approximately on the northside of the SBR basins. (DSCN2090).Photographed by D. Esparza UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Photo No. 4 Location: Angel Fire Wastewater Treatment Plant City: Angel Fire County/Parish: Colfax State: New Mexico View of the approximate northside SBE basin. (DSCN 2091). Photographed by D. Esparza UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Photo No. 5 Location: Angel Fire Wastewater Treatment Plant City: Angel Fire County/Parish: Colfax State: New Mexico View of the approximate southside SBR currently used for treatment and storage of sludge. (DSCN 2093). Photographed by D. Esparza UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Photograph Log Photo No. 6 Location: Angel Fire Wastewater Treatment Plant City: Angel Fire County/Parish: Colfax State: New Mexico View of the headwork at the Main Lift Station. Note: The WWTF is scheduled to upgrade the exiting headworks building and install new isolation valves. (DSCN 2096). Photographed by D. Esparza Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire WWTF Permit No. NM0030503 Inspection Date 01/18/2022 Appendix 2 A Review of the Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) Database for the period from August 23, 2018, to January 18, 2022