HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7092 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7092
�fl44o�T�p 10.0,5k T I'R", To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 25, 1986
Subject: SLUDGE-ONLY LANDFILL
1073
In 1978 the City of Fort Worth began a study of how to best collect, treat and dispose
of wastewater for the next 20 years. A consulting firm, Camp, Dresser and McKee, was
hired to perform the study and develop a facility plan. An Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) was required as part of the planning process which included an extensive public
participation program.
The facility plan and EIS contained three alternatives for consideration. In June, 1982,
the City Council was asked to identify an optimal alternative. The Council recommended
a perferred alternative in July, 1982, which included expansion of the existing Village
Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant with landfill disposal of sludge, plus investigation
of future beneficial reuse of sludge. Approval was received from the City Council in
November, 1982, to proceed with a plan for sludge disposal which included a sludge-only
landfill on property directly north of the treatment plant.
Final approval of the facility plan and EIS by the Texas Department of Water Resources
and the Environmental Protection Agency was received on July 5, 1984. The regulatory
agencies agreed that the alternative selected by the City Council was the most
cost-effective and environmentally acceptable plan.
Since the proposed sludge-only landfill site was in the Trinity River floodplain, Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Corps of Engineers approvals were required.
A hydraulic analysis was performed that indicated a landfill could be constructed at the
proposed site if certain hydraulic modifications were included with the project-. An approval
for the landfill was applied for and obtained from FEMA along with Corps of Engineers
Section 404 and Section 10 permits.
A consulting firm, Brown and Caldwell, Inc. and Freese and Nichols, Inc., a Joint Venture
(BCFN), was selected by the City Council on June 21, 1983, to design sludge management
facilities and a sludge-only landfill. A detailed design report for the sludge-only landfill,
called a Site Development Plan, has recently been completed by BCFN and submitted
to the Water Department.
In order to obtain approval to construct and operate a landfill, an additional permit must
be obtained from the Texas Department of Health (TDH). The permit application includes
submission of a Site Development Plan and a commitment by the City of Fort Worth to
properly operate and maintain the landfill, and to provide for proper closure in the future.
Since the Corps of Engineers Section 404 permit for the initial construction of the landfill
site is only valid for 5 years and this project is not eligible for federal construction grant
funding Enja a permit from TDH is obtained, it is recommended that a landfill permit
be obtained from TDH as soon as possible. Approval of the resolution on the sludge-only
landfill on today's Council agenda is a necessary part of the permit application process.
J J/
Douglas Harman
City Manager
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LISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS