NEW EPA WASTE-WATER RULE LIKELY WILL COST CITY

New federal environmental regulations likely will cost the city of Cape Girardeau more than $500,000 over the next two years.

The Environmental Protection Agency, through the Missouri Division of Natural Resources, has required that the city come up with a way to reduce the bacteria, pathogens, in the sludge produced by waste-water treatment.

The City Council this week approved a contract with Sverdrup Corp. to study three alternative methods of pathogen reduction. The study alone will cost the city about $60,000.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said earlier this week the actual pathogen-reduction work, along with some other sewer rehabilitation associated with the project, will cost $500,000 to $600,000.

He said the study is required for the city to qualify for a loan from the Missouri Revolving Loan Fund program to finance the system upgrades.

But Mayor Gene Rhodes said it's high time that the federal government provide the money for such mandates. He suggested this week that the council send a letter to the appropriate agency stating the city's objections to the environmental mandate.

"As the DNR mandates these things they ought to send the money along with it," he said. "I'm getting tired of people setting up these mandatory things, but then expecting the city to come up with the money."

Rhodes was unable to get a council consensus on sending the letter. Some council members were unsure which agency would be the appropriate one to receive such a letter; others said they feared a letter would only serve to anger the agency with little useful effect.

Councilman David Limbaugh said he was "against bureaucratic tyranny" but he wanted more time to think about what should be included in a letter, and whether such action is needed.

Councilman David Barklage, who also is a member of the Missouri Municipal League, said the league is aware of cities' irritation over continual federal and state mandates that require compliance but don't provide funding. He warned that rash actions could "burn some bridges."

"One of (the league's) top priorities is stopping these mandates without funding," he said. "I just don't want it to come back on the city."

Barklage suggested Fischer consult with the league and determine what action would be most appropriate and effective.

Councilman Hugh White said he thought lawmakers who approved the legislation should ultimately take responsibility and be the brunt of any city reaction. He said if a letter were to be sent it should be directed to "the politicians who enacted the legislation that is requiring these things."

City Engineer J. Kensey Russell said Thursday the city hopes to have the design work for the project completed by October, which is when revolving loan funding for fiscal year 1993 will be made available.

"Then, depending on loan funding, construction would get under way," he said. "All of this ties into our sludge-management program that we have approved and been operating the last several years.

"It's just an upgrade and a refinement of that sludge program. Basically, now the city will have to comply with the new EPA regulations.

"Those things are sometimes tough for the layman or even for some of us engineers to understand. But the EPA's the agency that's done the risk assessments and determined what the guidelines should be."

Sverdrup will study and recommend the best of three alternatives to reduce pathogens in the waste-water treatment sludge: lime stabilization, and two types of composting with yard waste.

Russell said there essentially are two ways to kill pathogens, either through lime or heat through composting or incineration.

Also included in the scope of the study will be a project to rehabilitate the major pipeline into the treatment plant and a segment of trunk sewer line between Henderson and South West End Boulevard.

Proposals were received from four firms interested in performing the work. From these proposals, the city selected Sverdrup Corporation with which to negotiate a price and contract for services.