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.
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When all this testing was takin place, and people were wondering, "what the heck is going on in my front yard?! There are 5 vehicles out front and theres a group of people talking to each other and tinkering with my brand new advantex septic system, what am I to do. Oh I will call the city and get to the bottom of this! "hello this is so and so at alpine woods subdivision and what the heck is going on here, I got a group of people out here messing with my brand new Advantex septic system, alarms are going off
ReplyDelete(which are rather annoying, and since these systems are "hard wired in" they should just deactivate those alarms so everyone and their grand dad,oh wait forgot to mention tom, bob, billy joe, don't go running around town "hey you hear so and so's septic has failed!" NO ONE NEEDS TO KNOW WHOS SEPTIC HAS FAILD BUT THE LAND OWNER, THE PERSON MONITORING THE SYSTEM ABD THE GUY TOLD TO FIX IT!)
What are you guys going to do?"
City staff member "They are testing your septic, didn't you get the memo?"
The point I am trying to make here is that the communication system among the city and the residents just flat out sucks! A group of monkeys can communicate better than the city! Most of the City staff members just need to be replaced! starting with the manager, Mr. Hozey (A man of very few stuttering words)When asked a question he is ill prepared, doesn't get right to the point and tends to "pass the buck" to someone else. And don't deny it everyone can see it.
Lisa Vonbargen, someone just needs to pop those wheels on her wheel chair so she can stay home!
Question, Why does the city threatin indivual residents but when presented with a group of people they just go ahead and dot the i cross the T and pretend that nothing has happend and go about their business? what are you trying to hide? we already know you have been robbing the residents blind, fee here, penalty there, elevation fee charge, them out the YAY-WHO. What is this that I hear that a resident was charged $300.00 for a "dike" rental???!!!! what is up with that! that was to protect the residents from flooding and to protect the residents from attacking the city with law suits!
When new individuals go and purchase a home with a new advantex system the owner or real estate agent need to release critical information about the new septic. All they gotta say is "brand new septic, garanteed to work 50% of the time!" not so hard to say. better that than moving a family in asap and finding out that the new septic on the land has failed and will always fail, and then OH MY GOSH!!!! LAW SUIT AGAINST THE CITY!!! improper installation of a septic and fraud.
By the way, we are 1.5million dollars into this project and what do you have to show for it? FAILING SEPTICS!!! Oh my, where has the money gone? septic tanks-check, concrete-check, spray foam insulation, labor,and contractor-check, high density foam board insulation-check, davis bacon contractors and workers-check, left over money in back pocket-check, round trip tickets to some place warm and sunny-check check check!
hmmm I wonder if there is some sort of class action law suit forming!!!
Mr. X
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