St. Martinville – The City of St. Martinville had its best Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Environmental Audit Report in several years, the City Council was told at Monday’s regular meeting.
Wastewater treatment facilities are required to conduct annual self-audits to assess compliance, prevent permit violations and evaluate infrastructure condition.
Pamela Granger of McBade Engineers & Consultants, said that points are assessed for issues, up to a total of 560. Lower scores are better on the scale.
“The lowest score you’ve had since 2-17 was in 2021, you had a total of 15 points, only 15 points,” she said.
The city had a total of 31 points on the audit report this year, 21 of which were because of the age of the wastewater treatment system, she said.
“The last time you had a major upgrade was in 2021, so … you really only have 10 points that you have control over unless you do a major overhaul of a plant that you just did in 2011,” Granger said. “We are working on changing your controls and on lifting your levees around your treatment plant as part of your LWI project, so within the next couple of years you’ll be able to say, hey, we just did a new renovation. That will bring those points down that you currently have as 21.”
Up to 80 points can be assessed for influent wa ter (raw, untreated waste- water flowing into a treat ment plant) and up to 100 points for effluent (treated wastewater flowing out of the system and intended for discharge into rivers, lakes or other bodies of water).
The city’s system had no points assessed for in- fluent or effluent water.
The only other points assessed were for an over- flow of the system from a heavy rain, and for the collection system from a heavy rain.
The score was 80 last year and 68 the year before.
“What it shows is all the sewer rehabilitation repairs that you have done under your water sector grant and all the pump station work that you’re doing, you’re seeing the fruits of it because you’re not doing all the bypasses,” she said. “You’re not having all of the backups and issues. It’s reflected in your points and how your system is doing.”
Audit
She added that the 31 score is the best among the communities her company helped assess this year.
The council passed a resolution affirming the report to send to the state.
Dilapidated property
The council also passed a resolution to have city Planning & Zoning Coordinator Otis Chatman to get bids to clear a condemned property at 418 N. Martin Luther King Dr. after a couple of years of the owner saying the property would be cleared. The motion included that the property constitutes a public hazard.
In other business
The council deferred action on reviewing contracts for lifeguards at the city pool due to increased costs for training and certification.
Mayor Jason Willis told the council that the city’s contract for providing electric service with Louisiana Energy & Power Authority (LEPA) reached the 2 1/2year mark, so the city was required to see if alternative providers could give the city a better deal on electric power. The city contacted SLEMCO, which sent a letter stating that the company could not provide better rates than the city’s rates with LEPA.
When the city signed its five-year deal with LEPA, CLECO had refused to submit a bid after its 10-year contract with the city was done, Willis said. The city had also contacted SLEMCO and other companies at the time, but LEPA had the best rates then and continues to provide the lowest rates, he said.
The city’s sidewalk project also has finally begun, Willis said, starting with soft-cutting the sidewalks along Main Street beginning at Dernier Street and headed north.
The mayor also highlighted several events coming up on the city calendar, including: • Tourism Day is scheduled April 23;
• Catholic Community Day Mass is set Sunday at 10 a.m. at Magnolia Park with Notre Dame and St. Martin de Tours communities holding a Mass, the Sheriff’s Department providing a meal and Bingo following with donated prizes;
• Cycle Zydeco will be Saturday with 600 cyclists expected to visit Magnolia Park this year scheduled at the same time as the Popup Fest; music, games and food are going to be available;
• St. Martinville Junior High is holding a Cleanest City poster slogan contest with the top three finishers reading their slogans at the next city council meeting, in conjunction with the city’s annual Trash Bash and Love the Boot that is scheduled for April 25 from 8 a.m. to noon;
• an Art Walk is scheduled April 25 with Grammy Award winner Chubby Carrier performing from 11 a.m. to noon in front of City Hall.
