On the morning of July 4, the Florence wastewater
treatment plant discharged an "unknown quantity of
treated wastewater which exceeded some permit limits,"
according to Ken Lanfear, public words director.

Problems began after the end of the shift on July 3 and
sometime before 7 a.m. on July 4, Lanfear said in a mem to
City Manager Ted Soltis.

The electrical feed to the treatment plants's clarifier cut out,
which allowed partially treated solids to flow into the weirs,
Lanfear said.

"As soon as the problem was discovered, the ultraviolet
disinfection was increased to compensate for lower
quality in the effluent," Lanfear said.

The electrical feed that runs the clarifier is also being used
for construction, which Lanfear said may have been the reason
the electrical current cut out.

Lanfear said that "not much" of the partially treated solid waste
discharged, and that the plant usually only has flows during
the night.

The public works director said that the appropriate sites along
the river were posted with warnings, not because the Department
Environmental Quality required it, but because of a lawsuit
settlement with Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition.

"The DEQ required no action," Lanfear said.

The Siuslaw News Wednesday July 12, 2000 Hardcopy

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), July 12, 2000