County approves town’s SUP for wastewater treatment plant

By Sandy James
Review Staff Writer
Published: April 3, 2008

The Town of Orange is back on track after plans to upgrade its aging wastewater treatment plant were nearly derailed.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved the town’s special use permit (SUP) for its 3 million gallon per day (mgd) wastewater treatment plant upgrade and expansion, at last week’s regular meeting.
In a 3 to 2 vote, the supervisors ended the tension that was building since the vote was put off at the March 11 meeting.
District 2 Supervisor Zack Burkett and District 4 Supervisor Teri Pace voted against the SUP. Pace and Burkett were concerned with the 3mgd capacity and favored the prospect of building a 2mgd plant.
Mark Johnson said the board seemed to be quibbling over the size of the plant when the town needed the 2 ½-acres no matter what size plant is built. The 2 ½-acre addition to the existing 5-acre site is needed for a buffer required by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Teel Goodwin said the town council was elected just like the board of supervisors to make decisions to benefit the citizens. Goodwin said he would rather supervise than get into the “micromanagement” of the town.
“I don’t know if what the town is doing is right or not, but they have come to the conclusion that this is the direction they want to go,” said Johnson.
The town entered into a consent order with the DEQ in December 2005, to construct a new plant, because the old plant was unable to remove the required amount of substances from the discharge water.
Members of the Orange County Planning Commission voted 8-2 to approve the special use permit at their February meeting. District 4 representatives Tom Bundy and Terry Apperson voted against the recommendation.
Town planner Michael Collins presented the town’s request at the March 11 supervisors’ meeting and the board decided to delay the vote until the March 25 meeting.
The town held a special meeting March 24, to discuss the possibility of the SUP being denied. After a closed session to discuss legal matters, the council members emerged with concerns over the possible outcome of the board’s decision.
Town manager Cole Hendrix said the time delay and changes in grants and loans would be a great loss to the town if the board denied the SUP or made it conditional on a 2mgd plant.
Hendrix reiterated the need for the SUP at last Tuesday’s BOS meeting, and town council members were relieved when the vote went their way.
The town plans to expand and rehabilitate the existing 2 million gallon per day plant to handle 3 million gallons per day and meet requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Act. Regardless of the plant’s capacity, construction must be completed by 2010 to meet state requirements.