Swanville warned of changes to be placed on sewer permit
By LIZ VERLEY, Staff Writer
Swanville’s City Council learned Wednesday, that its sewer permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will have changes, one being the city’s classification will be changed from a Class C to a Class B and the discharge will have to be tested every day.
At the present time the city’s maintenance supervisor Brian Zapzalka has a Class C operator’s license.
Zapzalka would be allowed to operate under his present license if the proper contacts are made. He said he felt the city was being discriminated against as nothing has changed at the sewer plant and its way of operating.
Under the permit, which will be issued after the first of the new year, Zapzalka could continue to monitor the discharge as he presently is doing for one year and then it would have to be done daily.
Zapzalka said this would cost at least an extra $7,000 a year and take up approximately three to four hours a day of his time.
Mayor Sandy Peterson suggested possibly contracting out the monitoring. Zapzalka said there was no one available that had a Class B license and that expense would exceed an additional $20,000 per year.
Zapzalka thought contacting legislators to express concerns and to see what could be done was in order.
Councilman Jim Molitor suggested contacting an attorney who specializes in these matters to see what can be done. Molitor will contact an attorney and report back to the Council on his findings.
