2A | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
On The Record
Follow-up to illegal dumping into sewer system
Follow-up to illegal
dumping into sewer system
During the last week in
May, the Florence Waste-
water Treatment Plant
(WWTP) experienced an
upset when an unknown
chemical was introduced
into the waste stream.
Through a lot of hard work
by wastewater treatment
staff, along with outreach
to other communities, the
City of Florence Public
Works Department deter-
mined that the unknown
chemical created false posi-
tive results in its enterococ-
cus bacteria tests.
This was also confirmed
by Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality
(DEQ).
Technicians from DEQ
processed a split sample
from the treated sewer ef-
fluent. A split sample is one
in which the same water
sample if divided into two
samples and DEQ conducts
water quality testing on one
of the samples in their lab-
oratory and the other sam-
ple is analyzed at the Flor-
ence WWTP laboratory.
The test results conducted
by DEQ and the Florence
WWTP lab were the same,
with the same observa-
tions. The contaminate
that entered the wastewater
treatment plant was indeed
interfering with the entero-
coccus bacteria tests, which
produced false positives.
Outside of the entero-
coccus bacteria false posi-
tives, the wastewater treat-
ment plant did meet all of
its permit requirements for
discharges to the Siuslaw
River.
Additionally, all of the
river samples (upstream
from the WWTP, down-
stream of the WWTP, and
in the area of our discharge
point into the river) were
representative of back-
ground bacteria levels of
the river. At no time was
the community at risk from
enterococcus bacteria ex-
posure.
It was out of an abun-
dance of caution that the
City of Florence posted sig-
nage at location upstream
and downstream of the
WWTP to advise commu-
nity members of a possible
contamination issue.
Once we were able to
confirm that the sample
results were actually false
positives, City staff re-
moved the signs. This took
place Thursday afternoon,
May 27.
Public Works Director
Mike Miller stated, “We
have taken this incident
and will be implementing
new actions to ensure a
quicker response to these
types of episodes and im-
prove lab methodologies.
Our Standard Operating
Procedures for enterococ-
cus bacteria testing will be
Florence City Council
to hold meeting June 7
– On Monday June 7,
2021 at 5:30 p.m. the Flor-
ence City Council will hold
its regularly scheduled
meeting via videoconfer-
ence. Due to COVID-19
restrictions, citizens will
not be able to attend City
meetings in person. In-
terested citizens may lis-
ten and view the meeting
through the ‘GoToWebi-
nar’ platform. For access to
a link to the meeting, visit
the City of Florence website
at https://www.ci.florence.
or.us/council/city-coun-
cil-meeting-202. Meetings
are also shown live on Ca-
ble Channel 191 and online
at www.ci.florence.or.us/
citymanager/public-meet-
ings-live. Those without
access to the internet or
Charter Cable may listen to
the meeting live via phone
conference line. To do so,
contact City Recorder Kelli
Weese at 541-997-3437.
The
Florence
City
Council meeting agen-
da and meeting materials
are published now. Peo-
ple subscribe to the City
Council meeting email
distribution list at www.ci.
florence.or.us/newsletter/
subscriptions.
WEATHER DATA
D ATE
May 25
May 26
May 27
May 28
May 29
May 30
May 30
H IGH
L OW
56
59
57
61
64
63
70
48
44
48
48
39
45
44
R AIN
0.55
0.00
0.30
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Rainfall Week: 0.85”
Month: 2.46” Year: 30.33”
Greentrees Village
Community Wide Yard Sale
Fri.-Sat. 6/11-6/12
9am-3pm
1600/1601 Rhododendron Drive
Gates Open to Public
Large inside & Outside Sale
Fri.-Sun. 6/4-6/6
9am-3pm
4843 Darlings Loop
Toys, Tools for Boating, Hauling,
Logging, Welding & Woodwork-
ing. Clothes, Knickknacks, New
twin mattress/box spring, plants,
fl owers & lots of new and used.
No Early Birds Please!
Courtesy of Roger Cunningham
FEATURED PROPERTY OF THE WEEK
modified to include using bicides or pesticides down Public Works at 541-997- Department at 541-997-
dilutions, which will aid the sewer to call Florence 4106 or Florence Police 3515.”
in dealing with any possi-
ble interferences causing
false positives. In addition,
we will have sample bot-
tles on hand at the waste-
water treatment plant for
collecting volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and
semi-volatile compounds
(SVOCs) in order to help
determine the contaminate
that may enter the waste-
water stream in the future.”
Miller continued “I am
proud of our wastewater
treatment plant operators
and their diligent and pro-
fessional work in main-
taining a healthy treatment
process to the community’s
wastewater system. Again,
we believe that the chemi-
cal agent that created issue
with our testing was an
accidental release, howev-
er we encourage any com-
munity member that has
witnessed someone dump-
ing chemicals, paints, her-
BIRTH
CHAMBERS—Timber
Elijah Chambers, a boy
weighing 7 lbs. 14.8 oz.
and measuring 21.25 inch-
es, was born May 7, 2021,
to Brooklyn L. Morris
and Jordan B. Chambers
at Peace Harbor Medical
Center.
To our valued readers:
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and what we can do to support our local businesses!
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Publisher
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541-902-3524
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4621 JOSHUA LANE
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COAST REAL ESTATE
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