Well, this week of Septic Replacement Program work certainly flew by. Monday we were busy getting notifications to all Alpine Woods residents in the mail as quickly as possible for the City Council Work Session Septic Summit Monday, June 29th, at 6:30 pm (everyone is welcome). Phase I, Phase II, and remaining residents each got their own letter. Tuesday we met with the City Engineer Alan Minish to bring him up to speed on the project. Wednesday was spent on temperature data collection and analysis and Alpine Woods paperwork organization, as well as a new ACAT letter. Thursday we began preparing materials to bring to the Septic Summit and making lots of copies. Today we will continue to promote attendance to the Septic Summit and (hopefully) finish the paperwork and copying. By the end of today or early on Monday we should have a pretty good Agenda put together. It sure makes for a fast week!
King Bee Equipment has been preparing some of their Phase I sites for finish up work and begun piling up topsoil in the City snow lots, but Sheldon Shaw, the site manager and engineer for King Bee Equipment, has said King Bee is still waiting on their Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) approval and a DEC permit before they can begin. This has pushed the preliminary schedule posted on Monday the 22nd back by at least a week. Throw in the 4th of July holiday and most people are probably looking at a week and a half later than their posted schedule at best. We will keep everyone as updated as we can.
Well that’s it from our neck of the woods today. We’re all hoping for more sunshine and good construction weather. Hope to see you all at the Septic Summit!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
An Update and An Apology
Hello Everyone :). The effluent testing of Phase I systems has been completed. The results are in but cannot be released until all the involved homeowners give their permission. We expect to release them publically at the Septic Summit.
The Septic Summit the Council Requested is scheduled for June 29th, 2009 at 6:30pm in the City Council Chambers. Please tell your neighbors, your friends, your families, your family’s families, anyone you can think of where and when the summit will be and bring them all along. The more the merrier, that’s our motto!
For anyone who is curious, the SGS sampling process is a formal Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program as required by the state of Alaska and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). A copy of their Quality Assurance Plan is available upon request. All the samples and sampling methods were laboratory certified and the lab report is in conformance with the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program. For more information about their process, contact SGS labs directly at (907) 562-2343 or visit their website: http://www.us.sgs.com.
King Bee Equipment, the Phase I finishing up and Phase II mound system contractor, met with Lanning Engineering and the City of Valdez on Thursday June 18th to look at sites and propose a schedule. The preliminary schedule document is only for planning and will likely change as soon as they start construction (based on King Bee’s experiences here). King Bee is working on both a construction schedule and a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Both documents are intended to be “living documents” updated weekly or whenever there is a need. The preliminary schedule discussed is as follows:
Proposed Schedule
June 16-21 begin stock piling materials in snow lots
June 22 Begin Phase I
June 23: BK 5 LT 13
June 24: BK 5 LT 13
June 25: BK 5 LT 11 & BK 5 LT 13
June 26: BK 5 LT 2
June 27: BK 1 LT 5, BK 1 LT 2A & USS 5625 LT 3
June 28: USS 3939 LT 1A & USS 3939 LT 4
June 29: BK 9 18 and BK 9 LT 20
June 30: BK 8 LT 21 & BK 9 LT 4
July 1: BK 7 LT 15, BK 8 LT 3 & BK 8 LT 7
July 2: BK 4 LT 6 & BK 4 LT 8
July 3: BK 7 LT 11
July 3rd Finish Phase I work
July 5th Begin Phase II work
July 6-9: BK 9 LT 1
July 9-14: LT 3 Nordic
July 12-16: LT 2 Nordic
July 17-21: BK 7 LT 8
July 21-25: BK 5 LT 17A
July 25-30: BK 5 LT 10
August 1-5: BK 3 LT 9
August 2-7: BK 3 LT 8
King Bee has told us they already have a few small changes to this proposed schedule before construction begins. We will post the revisions as soon as they are sent to us.
Finally, a concern was voiced at the June 15th City Council Meeting about the tone of some of the things written in this blog. The City of Valdez apologizes whole heartedly to anyone who took offense to anything written in the blog. It is intended to function as a communication tool and to give homeowners and Valdez residents insight into the daily and weekly processes that come from implementing a program as large and, paradoxically, as deeply personal as this one is. Sometimes we light heartedly poke fun at things to break the tension and show our side to some of the issues, but our intent in these paragraphs has always been to make people smile. We have never intended to insult anyone or cause offense. Please accept our apology and give us another chance. In the future we will try harder to keep communication at a maximum and side comment to a minimum.
And as always, we invite all Savvy Septic readers to add comments to whatever we post here. A symposium should be many voices, not just one or two. You can post your thoughts and ideas by scrolling to the bottom of each blog and clicking on the number of comments listed in italics. You can also navigate on the right-hand side bar to just above the picture of the AdvanTex tanks on a truck, where the Blog Archive lists each blog posted by month. Click on the blog you want to comment on and if you scroll down to the bottom, there is a text box you can write your comments in and post them. We look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, Savvy Septic readers, keep the Septic Sentiment flowing!
PS. Please take an moment to read through all the documents posted to the City of Valdez website concerning Phase I, Phase II, City Council agenda statements, Oversight Group meeting notes, Lesson’s Learned, etc. This documentation provides a much more solid base of information to which the Savvy Septic Blog details compliment.
The Septic Summit the Council Requested is scheduled for June 29th, 2009 at 6:30pm in the City Council Chambers. Please tell your neighbors, your friends, your families, your family’s families, anyone you can think of where and when the summit will be and bring them all along. The more the merrier, that’s our motto!
For anyone who is curious, the SGS sampling process is a formal Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program as required by the state of Alaska and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). A copy of their Quality Assurance Plan is available upon request. All the samples and sampling methods were laboratory certified and the lab report is in conformance with the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program. For more information about their process, contact SGS labs directly at (907) 562-2343 or visit their website: http://www.us.sgs.com.
King Bee Equipment, the Phase I finishing up and Phase II mound system contractor, met with Lanning Engineering and the City of Valdez on Thursday June 18th to look at sites and propose a schedule. The preliminary schedule document is only for planning and will likely change as soon as they start construction (based on King Bee’s experiences here). King Bee is working on both a construction schedule and a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Both documents are intended to be “living documents” updated weekly or whenever there is a need. The preliminary schedule discussed is as follows:
Proposed Schedule
June 16-21 begin stock piling materials in snow lots
June 22 Begin Phase I
June 23: BK 5 LT 13
June 24: BK 5 LT 13
June 25: BK 5 LT 11 & BK 5 LT 13
June 26: BK 5 LT 2
June 27: BK 1 LT 5, BK 1 LT 2A & USS 5625 LT 3
June 28: USS 3939 LT 1A & USS 3939 LT 4
June 29: BK 9 18 and BK 9 LT 20
June 30: BK 8 LT 21 & BK 9 LT 4
July 1: BK 7 LT 15, BK 8 LT 3 & BK 8 LT 7
July 2: BK 4 LT 6 & BK 4 LT 8
July 3: BK 7 LT 11
July 3rd Finish Phase I work
July 5th Begin Phase II work
July 6-9: BK 9 LT 1
July 9-14: LT 3 Nordic
July 12-16: LT 2 Nordic
July 17-21: BK 7 LT 8
July 21-25: BK 5 LT 17A
July 25-30: BK 5 LT 10
August 1-5: BK 3 LT 9
August 2-7: BK 3 LT 8
King Bee has told us they already have a few small changes to this proposed schedule before construction begins. We will post the revisions as soon as they are sent to us.
Finally, a concern was voiced at the June 15th City Council Meeting about the tone of some of the things written in this blog. The City of Valdez apologizes whole heartedly to anyone who took offense to anything written in the blog. It is intended to function as a communication tool and to give homeowners and Valdez residents insight into the daily and weekly processes that come from implementing a program as large and, paradoxically, as deeply personal as this one is. Sometimes we light heartedly poke fun at things to break the tension and show our side to some of the issues, but our intent in these paragraphs has always been to make people smile. We have never intended to insult anyone or cause offense. Please accept our apology and give us another chance. In the future we will try harder to keep communication at a maximum and side comment to a minimum.
And as always, we invite all Savvy Septic readers to add comments to whatever we post here. A symposium should be many voices, not just one or two. You can post your thoughts and ideas by scrolling to the bottom of each blog and clicking on the number of comments listed in italics. You can also navigate on the right-hand side bar to just above the picture of the AdvanTex tanks on a truck, where the Blog Archive lists each blog posted by month. Click on the blog you want to comment on and if you scroll down to the bottom, there is a text box you can write your comments in and post them. We look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, Savvy Septic readers, keep the Septic Sentiment flowing!
PS. Please take an moment to read through all the documents posted to the City of Valdez website concerning Phase I, Phase II, City Council agenda statements, Oversight Group meeting notes, Lesson’s Learned, etc. This documentation provides a much more solid base of information to which the Savvy Septic Blog details compliment.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Effluent Testing & Maintenance Reports
Hello Savvy Septic Fans! This last week has been jam packed with happenings. Last Friday three spray– foamed AdvanTex systems arrived and were unloaded at the Bailer. We just got word that five more tanks are coming today. It’s always quite a sight to see them all lined up along the road out there.
The paperwork with King Bee equipment hasn’t cleared up as fast as either of us wanted but it appears things are finally ready and they expect to be here this Thursday or Friday gearing up for Phase I finishing touches and Phase II mound systems. The contract with Rockwell construction is still on hold until the City Council makes its decision about the AdvanTex effluent quality.
Two residents appeared before City Council June 1st with concerns about the AdvanTex systems. In order to ensure they were in possession of all the facts to respond to each individual concern the City Council decided to organize a “Septic Summit” along with the results of the effluent testing. The Septic Summit will be a meeting involving all interested parties, including the AdvanTex Manufacturer Orenco, Anchorage Tank’s AdvanTex coordinator, the Quanics system designer and installer, the local AdvanTex maintenance man, and hopefully also the DEC. It is our hope that with a mountain of positive evidence presented to back them up, the City Council and any other concerned residents will feel comfortable moving forward with AdvanTex systems. If any Savvy Septic fans out there would like to attend I will get the time and location to you as soon as it is available. The City will also send out mail notifications to all the Alpine Area residents.
The AdvanTex effluent tests were conducted last Wednesday, June 3rd. Dave Toomey, a former SGS labs employee who now works for the City of Valdez, was asked by SGS to collect the samples because he had all the proper training and was still in good relations with his former company. In order to reduce impact to the systems and their owners, Dave and the Valdez AdvanTex Service Provider, Mike Congel, went as one group to each septic system. Mike Congel has to be present to open up the systems anyway and he had scheduled his spring check-ups for the same time. The two were joined by Allen Crume, a member of the Oversight Group following to ensure proper effluent collection methods. Tom Varney and the Anchorage AdvanTex Service Provider were also on hand to train Mike Congel with his first round of spring check-ups and verify that the AdvanTex systems were in good shape and working well. It is our understanding that a few other people trickled in and out of the effluent testing sites too. Together they were quite a gang and unfortunately there was a miscommunication between the City, Anchorage Tank and Dave over who was calling all the residents. In some cases when the train of five cars showed up at their house some people were very surprised and had no idea what was going on. The City takes the private property out at Alpine Woods very seriously and we sincerely apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced by the lack of our communication. Anchorage Tank has also printed an official apology to homeowners in the beginning of their 1 year maintenance report. We expect notification to residents will come much more swiftly the next time there is a need.
Effluent tests generally take 7-10 days for results. SGS, the independent laboratory hired to collect and analyze samples, is testing for fecal coli form, Dissolved Oxygen and TSS. We will get those results to you as soon as possible.
Anchorage Tank’s spring check-up on the AdvanTex systems was very encouraging. They took their own tests and samples to analyze how well the systems were working. On site they measured turbidity, pH and Dissolved Oxygen. Everyone’s system was within the acceptable ranges. Anchorage tank checked all the system components and did not find any significant breaks or damage. All in all they were very satisfied with the over-wintering of the systems. To see a copy of this report click here or visit the City website Septic Replacement Program, Phase I.
The City had a meeting with the Oversight Group last Thursday to go over the effluent testing process and work on revising Option 2 (the homeowners who opt to pay for the installation up front themselves and get reimbursed once the approval to operate has been issued by the DEC). The Oversight Group, as always, offered a lot of excellent insight into the process. The City is currently writing up a “Guide to Option 2” that will be available on the website and at the Community Development Office as soon as it approved by City Council.
That’s all the updates we have for now. We hope the Septic Summit will be informative and helpful to everyone and are eager to present as much information as possible to the public and to the City Council. Please check back often. Like the weather in Valdez, you never really know what will happen next.
The paperwork with King Bee equipment hasn’t cleared up as fast as either of us wanted but it appears things are finally ready and they expect to be here this Thursday or Friday gearing up for Phase I finishing touches and Phase II mound systems. The contract with Rockwell construction is still on hold until the City Council makes its decision about the AdvanTex effluent quality.
Two residents appeared before City Council June 1st with concerns about the AdvanTex systems. In order to ensure they were in possession of all the facts to respond to each individual concern the City Council decided to organize a “Septic Summit” along with the results of the effluent testing. The Septic Summit will be a meeting involving all interested parties, including the AdvanTex Manufacturer Orenco, Anchorage Tank’s AdvanTex coordinator, the Quanics system designer and installer, the local AdvanTex maintenance man, and hopefully also the DEC. It is our hope that with a mountain of positive evidence presented to back them up, the City Council and any other concerned residents will feel comfortable moving forward with AdvanTex systems. If any Savvy Septic fans out there would like to attend I will get the time and location to you as soon as it is available. The City will also send out mail notifications to all the Alpine Area residents.
The AdvanTex effluent tests were conducted last Wednesday, June 3rd. Dave Toomey, a former SGS labs employee who now works for the City of Valdez, was asked by SGS to collect the samples because he had all the proper training and was still in good relations with his former company. In order to reduce impact to the systems and their owners, Dave and the Valdez AdvanTex Service Provider, Mike Congel, went as one group to each septic system. Mike Congel has to be present to open up the systems anyway and he had scheduled his spring check-ups for the same time. The two were joined by Allen Crume, a member of the Oversight Group following to ensure proper effluent collection methods. Tom Varney and the Anchorage AdvanTex Service Provider were also on hand to train Mike Congel with his first round of spring check-ups and verify that the AdvanTex systems were in good shape and working well. It is our understanding that a few other people trickled in and out of the effluent testing sites too. Together they were quite a gang and unfortunately there was a miscommunication between the City, Anchorage Tank and Dave over who was calling all the residents. In some cases when the train of five cars showed up at their house some people were very surprised and had no idea what was going on. The City takes the private property out at Alpine Woods very seriously and we sincerely apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced by the lack of our communication. Anchorage Tank has also printed an official apology to homeowners in the beginning of their 1 year maintenance report. We expect notification to residents will come much more swiftly the next time there is a need.
Effluent tests generally take 7-10 days for results. SGS, the independent laboratory hired to collect and analyze samples, is testing for fecal coli form, Dissolved Oxygen and TSS. We will get those results to you as soon as possible.
Anchorage Tank’s spring check-up on the AdvanTex systems was very encouraging. They took their own tests and samples to analyze how well the systems were working. On site they measured turbidity, pH and Dissolved Oxygen. Everyone’s system was within the acceptable ranges. Anchorage tank checked all the system components and did not find any significant breaks or damage. All in all they were very satisfied with the over-wintering of the systems. To see a copy of this report click here or visit the City website Septic Replacement Program, Phase I.
The City had a meeting with the Oversight Group last Thursday to go over the effluent testing process and work on revising Option 2 (the homeowners who opt to pay for the installation up front themselves and get reimbursed once the approval to operate has been issued by the DEC). The Oversight Group, as always, offered a lot of excellent insight into the process. The City is currently writing up a “Guide to Option 2” that will be available on the website and at the Community Development Office as soon as it approved by City Council.
That’s all the updates we have for now. We hope the Septic Summit will be informative and helpful to everyone and are eager to present as much information as possible to the public and to the City Council. Please check back often. Like the weather in Valdez, you never really know what will happen next.
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