FRANKLIN — A question concerning poor wastewater quality last month and the continuing effectiveness of the Franklin sewage plant prompted a review of the facility’s past problems and its current improved performance.

Councilman Dale Rogers, District A, brought September sewer plant test results to the council meeting, showing what appeared to be excessive limits of materials such as ammonia and particulate, particularly when measured during rainshowers.

Environmental consultant Dainae Prejean addressed the matter by pointing out that despite receiving the data from her office, the councilman did not receive the full month’s report, and several days worth of data were missing.

Franklin Sewage Department environmental consultant Dainae Prejean, standing, shows Franklin Mayor Raymond Harris Jr. and the Franklin City Council examples of water from various sources outside the city. INNESS ASHER / THE DAILY IBERIAN Advertisement

“I’ve got your packet, the stuff you sent me,” Rogers said.

Prejean said after the month’s information was requested and sent, she learned some data had arrived late and had been omitted and she offered the full month’s report to the council during the meeting.

Addressing the question concerning the appearance of last month’s wastewater exceeding legal environmental limits, Prejean said she would provide the council with any amount of data they requested, for both previous months and looking forward. She also stressed the sewage plant’s failure to meet wastewater guidelines in the past was not due to an aging or inadequate facility.

“The sewer plant was in tremendous, dire need of training, equipment and maintenance,” Prejean said. “We were failing every parameter, including the quarterly sampling and the biomonitoring.”

Prejean said the changes made since she began include a performance review for the last three years, training and licensing of plant employees as required by state law and labwork and proper documentation technique instruction. Programs she implemented since beginning in July 2008 have improved the plant and the quality of wastewater released so it has not exceeded legal limits, she said.

“In the 15 months since I implemented this program, the plant has met all of its limits,” Prejean said. “I failed, in 15 months, three times, where you were failing eight times every month.”

The plant can continue to operate and perform well, Prejean said. Water quality failures in recent years were due to a lack of proper training among employees, equipment and lab work.

The estimated life span of a sewage treatment plant is between 30 to 40 years, and only being 19 or 20 years old, Prejean said the Franklin facility still has years of use left.

“Your plant is running fine,” she said.

Reid Miller, a civil engineer with the city since 1995, had studied the sewage plant in 2005, prior to Prejean’s hiring. Miller supported an analysis of the wastewater quality data before the council made any plans concerning a new sewage facility.

“When we put together our studies based on the current information we had, obviously the plant was not operating at an efficient level at the time,” Miller said. “So when we looked at the different options, the most cost effective at the time was the wetlands.”

The biggest issue facing the council now, he said, is the operation of the plant, versus how that will affect the city over a longer period of time. Mayor Raymond Harris Jr. thanked both Prejean and Miller, commenting on how he calls on both for information concerning sewage.

“I know more about sewage than I ever wanted to know about sewage,” Harris said. “I trust that the council will be gathering information, and we’re going to exercise some sound judgement and make a few choices in the next few weeks.”

The council agreed to look at data through December and bring the issue up again during that month’s regular meeting.