FARMINGTON — The sewage reaching the town's treatment plant on Sept. 8 came in low on oxygen, unusually cloudy and heavy with solids, the plant's lab analyst found. Afterward, its phosphorus readings were "astronomically high."
"A toxic load is suspected," Superintendent Mark Batorski's September report says.
Batorski told the Water Pollution Control Authority, the town's sewer board, on Oct. 14 that the plant met all its monthly requirements in September, with one possible exception: the toxic load may have pushed it over its phosphorus limit.
The minutes do not say what the load was, where it came from or whether the plant did go over.
Phosphorus had been going well. Before the plant added a fermentation tank, the town spent $75,000 to $80,000 a year on phosphorus chemicals. In April, Batorski told the authority, "There's years that we haven't even run chemical on phosphorus."
Nitrogen stayed well under its limit in September, at 98.5 pounds against a permit of 178.
The authority also changed chairmen on Oct. 14. Kevin Ray, the vice chairman, was elected chairman on a motion by James Foote, who had held the job. The board elected Jigesh Shah vice chairman and Phil Cordeiro secretary.
On Sept. 11, a large tree branch fell across power lines in a storm and cut power to the South Road pump station. A portable generator was towed out to restore pumping while Eversource fixed the outage. On Sept. 21, the Maple Ridge pump station got a new pump, replacing the original, which was about 30 years old.
This coverage is supported by Farmington Storage, 155 Scott Swamp Road, the only storage facility in Connecticut with Museum air. 860.777.4001 📦
Jack Beckett has reported on Farmington's pump stations long enough to remember the list from April: a two-by-four, a piece of curb, a pair of jeans and a matchbox car. In September the UConn station gave up only rags. He is on his third coffee. ☕
The Farmington Mercury covers Farmington from the records up: the zoning meeting that ran until 10 p.m., the police log, the board of education vote that decides what your kids learn next year, and the sewer authority's monthly report. Our motto is "Always last to breaking news," and we stand behind it. Find us at farmingtonmercury.com and tell a neighbor. 📰