What's It Take to Get a Straight Answer in This Town!?
Citizen Noftall again asks a straightforward question and gets false and confusing answers.
Good morning Manager Harden,
At the 03-17-201 Council meeting the Mayor was asked directly if the current expenditure of approximately $2 million dollars on the filter system for the reclaimed lakes would meet State requirements to allow reclaimed lake water processed through that filter to be pumped into the surrounding wetlands in quantities beyond the currently permitted 1 million gallons per day.
That question was answered in the affirmative by several individuals, AND I believe it was answered incorrectly either through Confusion, Ignorance or Deceit.
For that affirmative answer to be correct — a remote stand alone $ 2 million filter would need to be able to reduce the 4 key treatment plant parameters of CBOD, TSS, Nitrogen & Phosphorous to levels that cannot even be achieved in the City’s $ 100 million sewer plant complete with enhanced biological and chemical capabilities.
Relative to those 4 key parameters:
On a good day and with maximum effort the reclaimed sewer plant produces water quality of 5, 2, 8, 1 ppm .
On a very good day the living waters that are the reclaimed lakes have a water quality of 8, 15, 9,1 ppm
The State mandated water quality to dump into the wetlands is 5, 5, 3, 1 ppm
IF this filter system works and that is a big IF, the only thing it will accomplish is provide the possibility that by reducing the total suspended solids in that filtered lake water to low enough concentrations that that it can be pumped through reclaimed water sprinkler systems throughout the City, AND THAT there will be sufficient reclaimed water demand to keep the 2 reclaimed lakes low enough that they can stockpile all of the City’s unused effluent in periods of low demand until it is subsequently used. If this plan does not work for any reason, THEN ONCE those reclaimed lakes fill up again the City is right back to pumping its effluent into the Halifax River.
So Manager Harden unless you and experts can credibly explain how a filter whose capability is designed to only reduce TSS, is now going to magically reduce CBOD and Nitrogen in the reclaimed lakes to the State levels required to spill reclaimed lake water into the surrounding wetlands, THEN the people were misled in the answer they were given at the 03-17-2015 meeting, AND GIVEN the level of talent possessed by those individuals who answered that question incorrectly it is difficult to believe they were not misled other than in deliberate fashion.
In less polite terms the People were lied to, AND they were lied to in your name, AND IF that is the case they need to be dismissed.
That deceit may be a surprise to you, but it is no surprise to those of us who have watched the Mayor perpetrate a $ 50 million augmented reclaimed water fraud on taxpayers through the exact kind of misdirection and deceit he orchestrated at the last council meeting from those who spoke in your name.
Our long serving Mayor and his friends have thrived on projects that can only be advanced in an misdirected and confused environment, that lacks accountability and transparency. Not un-expectantly these sorts of projects frequently have had little benefit for the taxpayers who have been footing the bill.
Port Orange rate payers deserve nothing less than *a comprehensive analysis of the costs that have already gone into this augment reclaimed water system, * the additional future costs that are anticipated, * the historic performance of this system, * the targeted performance level sought, * and a financial pro-forma as to how this $100 million boondoggle is ever meant to make fiscal sense.
I would call on you yet again to produce this analysis.
Ted Noftall
for responsible government – 2016
See for yourself what the answers were………………………
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTOHnvF0oyg?rel=0
I just played the YouTube video and heard 2 engineers tell you that the filter would remove total suspended solids. That’s what it does. I don’t think I heard anyone state that it filtered anything else out. What video would I find someone saying that the filter will remove CBOD and nitrogen? I clearly heard the manager ask the city engineer what it would remove. He answered total suspended solids and deferred to the other engineer. The other engineer never stated what it would filter out. He just stated the regulations and that if it didn’t meet criteria it would be pumped through the filter and monitored. Not sure where the CBOD and nitrogen answers came from. Are you hearing voices that we can’t on that video? Amazing!
I watched the YouTube video and let me tell you what I saw. I heard the manager ask the city engineer what the filter removed. He stated total suspended solids and deferred to the other engineer beyond that. The bald guy spoke about permit requirements and pumping it in the filter and monitoring the quality. So who lied? I never heard either one of them say anything about removal of anything beyond total suspended solids. Are you hearing funny voices on the film clip that the rest of us can’t hear? Please listen to it again and help me out here. Your narrative is no way even close to the dialogue in the video clip. Play back the video and please tell me who says CBOD or nitrogen.
Thanks
Looks like Ted was right again. Old PegLeg and CueBall were lying their fool heads off and Harden has called them on it. Stay tuned folks this ain’t over yet
—–Original Message—–
From: Harden, David [mailto:dharden@port-orange.org]
Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2015 5:53 PM
To: Ted Noftall
Cc: Bob Ford; don@amlsfl.com; Drew Bastian; Green, Allen; Scott Stiltner; Neff, Andrew
Subject: RE: Confusion, Ignorance or Deceit – Which is it Mr Manager ???
You are correct that water must meet the 5-5-3-1 standard before it can be discharged from the lakes into the wetlands. I recognized at the time that Mr. Griffith was not answering the question which you had asked, but did not see fit to press the issue at that point in the meeting. Mr. Neff will provide you a full explanation in the near future.
Ted–
Didn’t you hear Mayor Green when he said he would like you to stop picking on Quentin L Hampton since they have such an excellent reputation?
Just because ten years into the Reclaim Lakes project it’s still a confusing, ridiculously expensive, mess is no reason to be critical. Just because Dunlawton Ave still floods after millions were spent on the Dunlawton Drainage Project is no reason to be critical. Just because the first design for the Cambridge Canal bank armoring collapsed is no reason to be critical. Just because a $400,000 leaf rake that would take over 100 years to pay for itself seemed like a good idea……………….
Your problem is that you expect these projects to actually work as designed rather than to just make work for the designers. The engineers make more money as the projects cost more so it’s a great system for them.
Now you’re saying that the disk filter that we just agreed to spend mega-bucks on at the Reclaim Lakes will still not allow us to pump to the wetlands. You’re not alone in your thinking. The environmental engineers at Hazen and Sawyer said the same thing at the February 18, 2014 Special City Council Meeting when they recommended we NOT proceed with the filtration project (see part of their presentation below). Seems the City paid for advice that it is now ignoring and all the while the Quentin L Hampton money-grinding machine keeps on rolling.
Ted is a dumba$$. Always looking for lies and problems even if there are any? I will be glad when this guy stops wasting taxpayer time and money with his pointless witch hunts.
Ted, go find a life or run for office. Stop acting like the 6th councilmember.
Ted has become the biggest waste of taxpayer dollars in Port Orange. Any resident, staff member or elected person giving him a second thought for any reason whatsoever is contributing to his waste of taxpayer dollars. Council needs to stop giving this guy any credibility or attention other than what is absolutely required by law.
What money exactly is Ted wasting ? From what i can see he is pointing out the money others are wasting through the lack of accountability that encourages incompetent performance. Sounds like you are one of those insiders that Ted keeps shining the light on. I am waiting on Harden Green and their incompetent engineers to shoot Ted down on his latest allegation. What’s taking them so long I wonder ?
Hey Skeptical I’m Curious — Does it hurt to be so stupid that you do not even recognize when you are being lied to to the tune of the millions being paid to Mayor Green Jeans cronies. But maybe you do not pay taxes. Maybe you still live with your Mommie. You and your little cowardly friends need to ask your Mommies to sew a set into your pants and see if that makes a difference. Right or wrong at least Ted has the courage to speak his mind openly and honestly without behind pseudonyms, and if he is wrong on this one then old Peg Leg and Quientin Hampton should be able to shoot down his allegation.
Ted isn’t the one wasting taxpayer’s money. That would be our lousy repeat vendors of record who cannot get anything right. Ably aided and abetted by certain upper management city staff…I thought engineering was a science. In Port Orange it’s a moving target. Give me a break.