DEC cites borough for Talkeetna sewer plant

TALKEETNA — Officials with the state cited the Mat-Su Borough this spring over missing and unfiled paperwork at the Talkeetna wastewater treatment plant.

Officials with the Department of Environmental Conservation cited the borough after an inspection in May turned up the following inadequacies: that the plant lacked a lagoon maintenance plan; employed a general Quality Assurance Plan without details specific to the facility; did not have sampling chain-of-custody forms; and had failed to file several discharge monitoring reports, according to Michael Solter, an environmental program manager with the department.

Officials with the state and the borough worked together to develop a five-point plan to address the paperwork inadequacies.

Plant operations weren’t affected, nor were fines assessed for the inadequate paperwork, Solter said.

The borough is still working to resolve issues arising from a citation issued in 2014 stemming from high levels of fecal coliform bacteria and dissolved oxygen.