NOISE PROBLEM GETS CORRECTED
AT VICTORIA WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Jack Griffin of TKDA, the city's engineering firm, attended both the August 9^th and August 23^rd council meetings in Victoria.  Main issue at hand centered on who was responsible and who pays for correction of the noise problem at the Victoria's new Water Treatment Plant. 
The correction work was completed the week of July 9^th and included the installation of a roof mounted sound absorption wall around the aerator dis-charge, as well as the installation of a dis-charge silencer.
"I'm wearing two hats tonight," said Mr. Griffin on August 9^th.  "I'm with TKDA and I was also the project manager and city engineer from 2001-2005."
He continued, "I'm surprised that the improvement is more significant than an-ticipated ... TKDA takes responsibility for the issue.  Invoices are being sent directly to TKDA.  About $17,000 in engineering fees are not being invoiced.  We'll be eat-ing those costs, so to speak."
"Should it [the noise issue] have been prevented?" he asked.  "I don't have a de-finitive answer to that.  I've had aerators embedded in plants in residential neigh-borhoods without complaints.  I don't re-member the question of noise coming up in our meetings with staff, experts, and council.  I've asked other designers of water treatment plants with aeration equipment.  Gary Warner said there have been no complaints.  I'm not saying another designer wouldn't have seen it."
Councilmember Kim Roden asked Jack Griffin to also attend the August 23^rd council meeting, to which neighbors to the water plant would be invited.
"I guess I'll accept your explanation for tonight," said Councilmember Roden.  "I really don't think we're engineers up here.  I wouldn't know enough to ask the question about noise from water treatment plants.  Help me understand why you raised that issue."
"It has not been known to be a noise issue," said the engineer.  "I've asked if TKDA is missing something.  I've talked to expert suppliers and they're not seeing it nor flagging it as an issue ... I'm trying to be as honest as I can.  It wasn't on my radar screen and I've done other water treatment plants, so I've asked others."
Said Councilmember Roden, "Some neighbors equated the noise with a jet on a runway."
Said Councilmember Tim Amundsen, "That's how things happen sometimes, like with the 35W bridge collapse.  I think a lot of it has to do with how the land lays.  The people in Minneapolis neighborhoods know what jet noise is.  Anything else we do, we learn from this.  You [TKDA] bore the brunt of this and I appreciate it."  Tim asked for a special mailing to the residents who were affected by the noise.
Jack Griffin said that, in retrospect, "We still wouldn't do the chemical system [versus aerator system] because it's cost prohibitive."
No complaints were voiced.  Residents are pleased.  Said Councilmem-ber Amundsen, "It's good to hear the noise issue was resolved.  There's a lot to be said for a company that steps forward like this.  We didn't even have to ask to enter into a discussion."

HAS VICTORIA WATER BEEN IMPROVED?
FACTS SAY IT IS SO!
Resident Peter Bren expressed his views about water quality and how the treatment plant doesn't seem to have affected the water coming into his home.
"What created the need for the water treatment plant?" he asked.  "How has my water changed before and after?  How is it performing?  There is no difference in my opinion."
City Engineer Cara Geheren reported on testing results that reveal the amount of iron and manganese has decreased.
Said Engineer Jack Griffin, TKDA, "Iron and manganese are not health issues.  They're esthetic issues.  I think the issue was being pressed by your Pub-lic Works Department.  It created a nui-sance with your meters, and the city was in need of additional wells.  You were in a position to decide if you were going to treat or not treat your water.  That dictates where the wells would be placed.  Your neighbor had decided not to treat, but then grew very large and decided to treat and it was extremely expensive for them."
Said Councilmember Tim Amund-sen about improved water quality in Vic-toria, "It was readily noticeable in homes, in taste, in toilets.  There was improve-ment immediately."
Said Bruce Osborn, Public Works Supervisor for Victoria, "We went from flushing water for two to three weeks on one system to now where we flush the entire system easily in two weeks.  We went from receiving one to five com-plaints per week to zero complaints."
Mayor Mary Thun asked the engin-eers to put together something like a "bar chart" for Mr. Bren that visually shows how iron and manganese have decreased. 

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