Little Lagoon Preservation Society asks ADEM to delay issuing sewage treatment plant permit Baldwin County Sewer System (BCSS) upgrade will increase volume 65 percent at Fort Morgan Rd. facility

By Fran Thompson The Little Lagoon Preservation Society has asked the AL. Dept. of Environmental Management (ADEM) to hold off issuing a permit to the privately owned Baldwin County Sewer System (BCSS) that would allow a 65 percent increase in the volume of wastewater to be treated at its plant on Fort Morgan Rd. until a Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) study has been completed. The 30 day comment period on the proposal ends Feb. 25, and the local environmental watch group has asked ADEM to etend that period and hold public meetings and/or wait for the results of the current study that will identify nutrient point sources, pathogens, and other harmful chemicals within the Little Lagoon watershed. Considerable documentation of water quality within Little Lagoon spanning more than 14 years clearly indicates that Little Lagoon would benefit from no additional increases in the amount of permitted wastewater treatment at the Fort Morgan BCSS plant, according to LLPS president Dennis Hatfield. Hatfield noted that the MBNEP data indicates a high nutrient zone exists in the area south of the BCSS plant, but it has yet to be determined if the WWTP effluent disposal ponds are a source of nutrients in Little Lagoon. “We would, at a minimum, ask ADEM to hold off on approving the BCSS permit increase until the MBNEP study is completed so that the findings can be shared and made part of decision-making relative to BCSS’ permit request,’’ Hatfield said. The BCSS plant, located about a quarter mile north of Brigadoon subdivision, is currently permitted to process a monthly average of 1.2 million gallons of sewage per day, including wastewater piped in from areas north of the Intracoastal Waterway. BCSS has applied for a permit to process up to two million gallons per day, according to LLPS documents. Processed wastewater from the plant is placed in ponds where the treated water seeps into the subsurface water table and flows towards the Lagoon. “LLPS is most concerned about nutrient loading from the plant to Little Lagoon and its potential to cause harmful algal blooms amongst other things,’’ Hatfield said. “Our Board believes this is a very important matter concerning the current and future health of Little Lagoon.’’ ADEM issued a 30 day notice for public comment on the application on Jan. 26. But the LLPS believes that past safety issues with BCSS warrant at least a public hearing before any permits are granted. “Why has BCSS been allowed to exceed Biological Oxygen Demand in plant processed effluent numerous times and why have steps apparently not been taken to prevent recurrence? In July 2020, the plant exceeded the BOD limit in 1 of 4 required samples,’’ Hatfield said. “In July 2021 it exceeded the BOD limit in 3 of 4 required samples. ADEM only contacted them about the 7/21 violation and the BCSS response was ‘clarifier upsets for unknown reason.’ They also responded with an ‘n/a’ for steps taken to prevent recurrence.’’ Hatfield also questions what percentage of the daily wastewater flow at the Ft. Morgan plant is coming from north of the Intracoastal Waterway and why that wastewater is not being treated at BCSS plants closer to its source. He said his group also wants to know what other steps BCSS is taking to prepare for the rapid growth that is occurring in South Baldwin County. “Are other treatment facilities being planned to accommodate that growth? The Fort Morgan plant has exceeded allowable ADEM limits on several occasions under the current permitted volume of wastewater to be treated at that facility. What modifications to the current facility are going to be made to avoid these past problems?’’ he asked. “If the current facility has chronic problems staying within its permitted standards, why should we believe that the Fort Morgan plant can successfully treat larger volumes of wastewater and stay within acceptable water quality standards?’’