Inframark says wastewater plant is "still recovering" after illegal-dumping incident; operator staffing increases

Bill Shreve, Inframark’s Virginia area manager, told the Yanceyville Town Council on April 6 that the town’s water treatment plant logged no excursions in March and completed routine maintenance and a DEQ lagoon inspection. On the wastewater side, Shreve said the plant is "still recovering from effects of sewer customer dumping an illegal and untreatable chemical waste into system," and that staff are collecting additional samples to try to keep monthly averages within limits.

Shreve also reported personnel improvements: another operator, Orlando Lopez, passed his C-Surface exam and now the water plant has three licensed operators; Joe Costa, a grade-4 licensed operator, started at the wastewater plant during the month and "will significantly help with the operations of the Plant." Mayor Alvin Foster thanked Shreve for the update.

Why it matters: an unauthorized discharge of an untreatable chemical can threaten wastewater treatment processes and regulatory compliance with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Shreve said the town will not know until the first week of the next month whether NCDEQ monthly violations will occur and emphasized extra sampling and operator attention in the interim.

What’s next: Inframark will provide its inspection report from DEQ when available and staff will continue additional sampling and monitoring; the council did not take formal action at the meeting beyond accepting the operational update.