AdvanTex installations:
Rockwell engineering successfully installed 16 AdvanTex treatment systems. They are all currently up and running and reporting to Anchorage Tank. They finished their last installation in mid-November and have packed their equipment back up to Fairbanks. Just like last year, due to the lateness of the season, the final grading and hydroseeding will be finished this spring, along with whatever remaining punch list items the homeowner or the site engineer has to make for them.
Mound installations:
King Bee finished their mound installations a little earlier than Rockwell. They were out of Valdez very early in November. Their 8 mound installations went smoothly and those systems are also up and running. King Bee will also be returning in the spring for final grading and hydro-seeding. They have completed most of their punch list items.
Effluent Testing:
As requested by some Alpine Woods Area community members, the City conducted another round of effluent testing and included well testing. We hired an independent third party, Origin Technical Services, to collect the samples and send them to a lab of their own choosing. They collected samples on November 10th and 11th. Origin did all the collecting. The homeowners were notified of an approximate time of sampling but the AdvanTex maintenance man, Mike Congel, was kept in the dark about which site we were headed to next. He opened and closed the AdvanTex systems for Origin. The City accompanied Origin to facilitate contact with homeowners and Allen Crume, a member of ACAT, accompanied the sampling gang as well. Some of you may have wondered what we were doing out there in the middle of a snowstorm. At the end of the day on Wednesday we had weathered more than 8 inches of big, heavy snowflakes. Origin got an A-plus for dedication. Their technician took the samples over Thompson Pass the night of the 11th to make sure they got to Anchorage in time. There was at least 4 inches of snow of the road! All adventuring aside however, the sampling ran smoothly. When all was said and done, all 17 of the originally installed AdvanTex systems were sampled as well as 3 of the newly installed systems. Only 3 had been operating for more than a month by the time we started collecting. We also sampled 3 newly installed mound systems for comparison sake. Some of these systems had not even been installed for a month though, and the contractor said they had the cleanest looking effluent he had ever seen for a regular septic tank. We also got a chance to sample 16 associated wells onsite and have had an additional two homeowner samples brought in. One well was contaminated with a bacterium that is not associated with septic systems. The homeowners were notified immediately and they have since disinfected their well.
Origin has sent the City the preliminary effluent testing results but we are still waiting on a summary of what exactly they mean and if any of the systems are out of compliance. We will be sending them to the homeowners and posting them on the web as soon as we have the final document.
Septic Summit #2:
Well, actually it is an official City Council Special meeting, which means there will be an agenda and specific topics to cover. We are trying for December 15th but the City Council does not want to have the meeting without all parties involved in attendance, if not in person at least by conference call. We will do another, more bright and eye catching blog when that date and agenda is secure. Keep a lookout.
Sampling in the Snow- Picture courtesy of Allen Crume
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