WQ0004115_2000 Annual Report_20010227

Champion Hills Property Owners Association
Year 2000 Wastewater System Annual Report
The Champion Hills Wastewater System is authorized by the North Carolina
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality (NCDENR-
DWQ) and operates under Permit No. WQ0004115 dated November 30, 1999. This Permit
defines the conditions and parameters under which the Champion Hills Property Owners
Association (POA) must operate the system and exposes the POA to substantial fines if it
does not comply. The current Permit expires October 31, 2004, and is subject to change at
the request of the State.
In 1999, the State of North Carolina passed new legislation requiring all entities that
own or operate wastewater treatment and collection systems to provide annual reports to its
customers describing the�systems and summarizing their performance over the past twelve
month period. This report for calendar year 2000 has been prepared, and is being made
available to property owners of Champion Hills in compliance with this requirement.
Desci iation of Systems:
-The Champion Hills' Wastewater System is made up of a Collection System, a
Treatment System and a Disposal System. The Collection and Treatment Systems are owned
and operated by the Champion Hills POA. The Disposal System is owned and operated by
the Champion Hills Club under a formal Agreement with the POA:
The Collection System consists of approximately 62,500 linear feet of eight inch
diameter PVC sewer lines, 450 to 475 manholes, 8 lift stations and miscellaneous items such
as generators, force mains, spare parts, etc. As its name implies, the collection system
collects the wastewater from the community and transports it to the treatment plant for
processing.
The Treatment plant is the "heart" of the POA's Wastewater System and is located on
a 2.86-acre plot adjacent to the 16t` fairway. Plant operation is subcontracted to a state -
licensed operator, James and James Environmental Management. Under the terms of the
permit, the operator must,visit the plant daily (excluding weekends and holidays) and
properly manage and document daily operations, including all .testing, reporting and other
permit requirements.
The Treatment Plant has a current throughput capacity of 70,000 gallons of
wastewater per day, expandable to 140,000. Wastewater (influent) enters the plant at the
Equalization basin through a 4" line from the influent lift station. It is then parceled into one
of two 35,000 gpd process trains, each consisting of an Aeration tank followed by a Clarifier.
From the Clarifier, it flows into a Tertiary Filter with a design capacity of 140,000 gpd,
followed by a chlorine drip feed and a Chlorine Contact basin. The treated water (effluent)
then flows by gravity to a lift station where it is pumped into a 700,000 gallon holding lagoon
for eventual use in irrigating the golf course.
The Disposal System is essentially the Golf Course Irrigation System: As required by
our permit, effluent is pumped from the holding lagoon by the Club's state trained and

licensed operators and. applied'to the golf course through "selected" sprinklers. This water
irrigates the grass and is then filtered again by the. soil before it enters the ground water
system. Unfortunately, this procedure is problematic during winter months when the ground
or sprinkler system is frozen or covered with snow, or when the golf course is already
saturated. Consequently, we have asked the State for permission to _discharge effluent into
nearby streams during winter months which is currently being considered. This effluent, of
course, is "treated wastewater" and is in the same condition that most larger municipalities
and cities release directly to creeks and rivers on a year round basis.
2000 Performance — Problems, Deficiencies, Accomplishments, Syills &
Permit Violations
1. Problems / Deficiencies / Accomplishments: During the year, we encountered
and addressed several. problems that needed attention and addressed'other issues
that may help us perform better in the future:
A. Over the past several years, we have been experiencing some "Inflow &
Infiltration" (I&I) to our collection system during periods of heavy or
extended rain. Although the quantity of I&I was not unusual for a system
of our size, it did represent a significant portion of our treatment plant's
capacity and occasionally upset the treatment process.
During the past year, we made a concerted effort to find and correct these_
sources of I&I. This included visually inspecting 100% of the collection
system and smoke testing about 50% of it. As a result of these
inspections, we arranged for raising, realigning and/or sealing
approximately 75 manhole frames, repairing about 25 damaged clean -out
risers, installing a quantity of manhole dishes and making other
miscellaneous repairs. We also found and repaired a sizable leak in one of
,the seams of a lift station well and discovered and replaced a 12-foot
section of sewer main that had been cut some time ago by another utility
contractor.
These repairs have made a significant reduction in I&I and flow through
thetreatment plant However, finding and correcting I&I will always
remain a priority as it uses valuable plant capacity and, consequently, is a
factor in determining if or when plant expansion is required
B. In our 1999 report, we advised that our PVC effluent pond liner had
deteriorated and needed to be replaced. During year 2000, we determined
that.medium or high -density polyethylene was probably the best material;
but had difficulty finding an experienced contractor. We have now found
a contractor and the work will be completed in early 2001.
C. In the past, we have had problems with contractors digging into and
damaging our. sewer lines without not notifying us. The damaged line
would often go unnoticed until the sewer backed up or we noticed an

unusual amount of dirt in a down -stream line or lift station. In January,
we signed a contract with U-LOCO to notify us, along with other utilities,
before any digging takes place. This gives us48 hours to locate and mark
our lines, as well as an opportunity to monitor the work if we have a line
at risk.
D. In May, we installed a 25 kw standby generator and transfer switch at lift
station No. 6, behind the 15`h green. This lift station has limited access
and is located near a stream. Although the lift station has -telemetry to
notify Security of a high sewage level, we were concerned that a power
failure might cause the station to overflow before we could arrive with
our portable generator and/or pump truck.
E. During 1999, the Champion Hills POA developed, implemented and
distributed a Sewer Ordinance for the community. The ordinance was.
changed slightly in 2000. Any property owner who did not receive a copy
of the original ordinance or who would like an updated version, should
contact Jessica at the Club Administration office.
F. In June, we contracted with a company called GenElect for semi-annual
inspections and maintenance of the four generators involved in our
wastewater system effort. This should insure they will be operational
should the need.arise.
G. We continue to have the Champion Hills Security Force drive by each
visible lift station on a daily basis and formally record the status of the
alarms. At those lift stations not visible from the main roads, we have
installed telemetry to automatically notify the Security office of any
problems. Should problems occur at any of these stations, Security has
procedures to follow for immediately notifying responsible parties.
2. Sewage Spills: The NCDENR-DWQ requires that we notify them immediately of
sewage spills of any size which reach surface waters (i.e. streams, drainage
ditches, etc.) or spills of 1,000 gallons or greater regardless of whether they are
contained. We are pleased to advise that we had no reportable spills in year 2000.
However, we did have two non -reportable spills as follows:
A. On August 8, the No. 6 lift station over flowed spilling an estimated 500
gallons of sewage. The sewage did not reach surface waters. The spill was
caused by a combination of ground water seeping through a seam in the
lift station and a metal can jamming the primary pump. For some reason
the new telemetry at this station did not activate. Subsequently, we sealed
the lift station seams, repaired the pump and had the supplier service the
telemetry.
B. On September 12, a contractor grading the expansion to the clubhouse
parking lot, cut through the sewer main leading from the Club Cottage
neighborhood to the No. 5 lift station. An estimated 600 to 700 gallons
of sewage spilled on to the ground but was immediately recaptured about

12 feet away in the downs-tream portion of the broken sewer main.
Within a couple of hours Carolina Sewer and Drain provided a
temporary connection and returned the following day to re -locate the
line.
3.Permit Violations: During the year we had the following permit violations:
Date
Type of Violation
Sample reading
Max Allowed
08/09/00
Ammonia Nitrogen
9.0 mg/1
6.0 mg/1
08/16/00
Turbidity
48.5 NTU
10.0 NTU
08/22/00
Turbidity
11.1 NTU
10.0 NTU
10/01/00
Turbidity
23.2 NTU
10.0 NTU
10/02/00
Turbidity
24.3 NTU
10.0 NTU
10/03/00
Turbidity
32.0 NTU
10.0 NTU
10/15/00
Turbidity
11.1 NTU
10.0 NTU
10/26/00
Turbidity
10.3 NTU
10.0 NTU
(Note: In all cases, the Monthly Average was compliant)
Notification and Certification:
All Champion Hills' Property Owners and / or Club Members will be
Notified in the March 2000 issue of the Champion Hills' monthly
Publication" Echoes" that this report will be available through the Champion
Hills Club Administration Office by either stopping in or calling
[phone] to receive one by mail.
I certify that this report is complete and accurate to the best of my
knowledge. Any questions pertaining to it should be directed to me at
the address or telephone number listed below.
Lee J Weber, Chairman
Champion Hills WWS Committee
4 Barnes Court
Hendersonville, NC 28739
[phone]
Issue Date: February 27, 2001