Chugwater to seek DEQ permit to address EPA violation from 2021

Lisa Phelps
Posted 1/15/25

CHUGWATER – The first water department report to the newly installed Chugwater town council highlighted the urgency of needing to address a long-standing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) …

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Chugwater to seek DEQ permit to address EPA violation from 2021

Posted

CHUGWATER – The first water department report to the newly installed Chugwater town council highlighted the urgency of needing to address a long-standing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violation.
Maintenance supervisor Pete Delgado told the council there is an EPA violation on the books from a 2021 EPA survey. The survey is conducted every three years, and the 2024 survey recently conducted highlighted the town was still out of compliance.
The town’s engineer, Coby Romig of the JEO Consulting Group, gave an estimated cost of $7,000 for the engineering work needed to satisfy the requirements to obtain a permit from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. Delgado said he has already constructed the down draft vent to the specifications needed for water tank no. 2, but the DEQ permit is needed before it can be installed. Delgado added, he’s been working with the EPA to “buy some time to fix it” before the EPA exercises its authority to fine the town $69,733.00 per day for the violation.

The council gave their permission to move forward with obtaining the permit.
Delgado also gave the council a quote of $2,401.10 for replacing a failing 30-year-old bulk water fire hydrant and meter valve. The council approved the quote from Dana Kepner Co.
The council also accepted the full water/wastewater/maintenance report submitted by Delgado, which in part stated the crew fixed the grate in the sidewalk on 5th Street from Clay to Swan Ave, replaced the battery on the sewer truck to get it running then cleaned the wall that had mud on it during the town’s excavation work to locate a line at the old school. The crew also replaced Christmas lights at the library which were not working, attended a two-day virtual mini-conference with Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems, installed internet at town shop, found and marked four manholes which flow south from the WYDOT maintenance building, and found six water meters being billed as 100-gallon reads but should have been billed as 1,000-gallon reads (the issue has also been fixed on the computer billing system).
Delgado sent out paperwork to Napoli Schkolnik Attorneys at Law to see if the town can receive assistance to pay for the expensive but federally-required PFAS testing which is scheduled to begin in 2027. Additionally, the sample reports for nitrates, nitrites, and radionuclide came back with results below the parameters. The reports were forwarded to the EPA before the end of the year.