Monterey Mayor Pleased With New Wastewater Treatment Plant

Monterey, VA – The new Monterey waste water treatment plant was the topic for discussion at the Town Council meeting last Thursday. The plant has been up and running for over a month now and is performing very well reports Mayor Janice Warner.

“We now have a certificate to operate” says Warner. “There are some things that have to be finished at our end. We still don’t know some of the testing.”

“We have to decide whether it’s going to be better for us to the testing in house, or to send it away.”

The Mayor is waiting to hear from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality about the details of the testing procedures. Recent storms dropped two inches of rain on Monterey and the plant was able to handle the extra water without exceeding the limits, which is a very good indicator that the system is working as planned. Mayor Warner says at a recent meeting,the project engineer and other officials were very complimentary about the project.

“We’re pleased, we’re down to the very final things that have to be done” says Warner. “It’s probably going to be another two weeks.”

Some water drainage issues on the plant grounds will have to be addressed, grass seed put down and fencing done to complete the site work. The flow meter study will continue into November to see if the locations where excess water is entering the system can be detected. Some progress has been made already, but the engineering firm will have to analyze the data and do a final report before repairs can be planned.

“We haven’t any significant changes” says Warner. “We haven’t seen anything that really draws our attention to a specific area with the exception of the school and the trailer park.”

Warner says notices will go out with the next billing asking residents to report any leakages immediately so the town can address the problem. The town is applying for a grant from the Virginia Department of Health for $46,000 to study the proposed extension of the town water system out the Airport Road and to identify ways to keep water pressure up in that area of town.

The next meeting of the Monterey Town Council will be Thursday, September 2 at 5 PM in the Highland Public Library. The earlier time is due to the County Fair that week.