BREMEN, Ala. – Vista Lago has submitted a revised wastewater permit application proposing underground drip fields instead of surface discharge.
ADEM’s public records database lists an Oct. 5 permit modification application for Maverick Construction LLC under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit AL0084516. Vista Lago lead developer Nathan Stoops said the application is under review.
According to the developer, the proposed system would retain the development’s extended aeration wastewater treatment plant and its 60,000-gallon-per-day design capacity.
Wastewater would be treated before being distributed underground through approximately four acres of engineered drip fields within undeveloped space on the property.
“Every gallon still goes through the same treatment plant first,” Stoops said. “The only thing that changes is where the treated water goes once it leaves the plant.”
In an Oct. 5 cover letter on page 1 of the 125-page filing, Landmark Engineering Group engineer Michael Shamsie wrote that the treatment plant’s location had been revised to accommodate soil disposal of the treated effluent.
The letter places the four acres of drip fields directly west of the development’s main entrance, in an area designated as open space. Treatment plant drawings on pages 113-114 identify a 60,000-gallon-per-day system.
The filing is an application for a modification. The public permit listing reviewed by The Tribune did not show an approval of the proposed change.
ADEM issued the existing permit to Maverick Construction on May 27. It became effective June 1 and expires May 31, 2031.
The permit identifies Ryan Creek (Smith Lake) as the receiving water and authorizes treated domestic wastewater from the planned treatment plant. ADEM described it in its response to public comments as the first NPDES permit to directly discharge into Lewis Smith Lake.
The permit authorizes treated wastewater. It does not authorize routine discharge of untreated sewage. The 60,000-gallon-per-day figure represents the plant’s design capacity.
The Smith Lake Environmental Preservation Committee previously called for an alternative to direct discharge and requested a public meeting concerning the plan, according to The Tribune’s Aug. 20 coverage.
Stoops announced Aug. 17 that the development team was exploring alternative wastewater-discharge options. That announcement did not identify a selected alternative.
The Oct. 5 application identifies underground disposal through drip fields as the proposed alternative.
The original permitting process included consideration of land application and onsite or subsurface disposal. The applicant selected extended aeration treatment and listed land as unavailable in its discussion of land application.
The new filing identifies four acres for drip fields. It does not explain how that acreage became available or how the earlier assessment changed.
ADEM previously identified four existing wastewater facilities within the Smith Lake drainage area. The agency said none discharged directly into the lake. Addison uses land application, while the other facilities use creek or tributary discharges.
The proposed revision would change Vista Lago’s wastewater disposal method from surface discharge to underground drip fields. ADEM has not approved the proposed modification.
Background: www.cullmantribune.com/tag/vista-lago
