Colfax earns an ‘A-’ on Compliance Maintenance Annual Report
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The Village of Colfax’s wastewater treatment facility has earned a grade of “A-” (grade point average of 3.72) on the Compliance Maintenance Annual Report.
There was one month, May of 2023, when the total suspended solids were high, which resulted in that section receiving a grade of “C,” otherwise everything else was working well, said Rand Bates, director of public works, at the Colfax Village Board’s June 24 meeting.
Bates said he did not know why the total suspended solids were elevated, but the problem corrected itself.
There was only one month when the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the influent flow and loading exceeded 100 percent of the facility’s design and that was in April of 2023, according to the report.
The Colfax wastewater treatment facility has 21 acres of lagoons.
Bates rated the overall maintenance and repairs at the wastewater treatment facility as “excellent” and noted, “We keep grass mowed, weeds controlled, eliminate rodents and exercise valves every year.”
The ending balance for the Colfax wastewater treatment facility as of December 31, 2023, was $27,835.37.
Bates noted on the report that in 2023, the village was still researching the possibility of spray irrigation on neighboring farm fields versus discharging into the Red Cedar River and that the village is working with an engineer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the landowner to determine the feasibility of the project.
The report states that there was 19.5 inches of total precipitation in 2023, compared to annual average precipitation of 34.5 inches.
The Village of Colfax has 7.8 miles of sanitary sewer and operates with one lift station.
The DNR considers grades of “A” and “B” on the CMAR to be in the voluntary range with an optional response.
A grade of “C” is in the “recommendation” range and a response is required.
A grade of “D” or “F” is in the “action” range and a response is required.
The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the CMAR resolution stating to the DNR that the board has reviewed the Colfax wastewater treatment facility’s CMAR for 2024.
Other reviews
The village board is required to review the sewer use ordinance every two years, Bates said.
There have been no changes to the sewer use ordinance, he said.
An increase in sewer rates went into effect at the beginning of the year, and those changes were first billed in April, Bates said.
The village board could review the sewer rates again if desired, but Bates said he thought the increase was sufficient to provide enough revenue for the sewer utility.
Because Colfax’s sewer utility is deregulated, the village board can change the rates at any time without going through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, noted Gary Stene, village trustee.
According to information included in the village board packet, the average residential sanitary sewer customer using 12,000 gallons of water in a quarter went from a quarterly invoice of $199.45 to $200.65, representing an increase of $1.20 per quarter or a 40-cent increase per month.
A large residential customer using 18,000 gallons went from $257.23 to $259.03, representing an increase of $1.80 per quarter or a 60-cent increase per month.
A commercial customer using 70,000 gallons per quarter went from $748.89 to $755.89, representing an increase of $7 per quarter or an increase of $2.33 per month.
A public authority using 50,000 gallons per quarter went from $556.29 to $561.29, representing an increase of $5 per quarter or an increase of $1.67 per month.
An industrial customer using 30,000 gallons per quarter went from $381.41 to $382.91, representing an increase of $1.50 per quarter or an increase of 50 cents per month.
The equipment replacement fund contains $27,835.37.
Nothing has changed in the operations of the wastewater treatment facility, and there are currently no plans to upgrade equipment, Bates said.
The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the review of the sewer use ordinance, the sewer rates and the equipment replacement fund.