On April 15, 2009, EPA and ODEQ conducted an inspection of a wastewater sewage lagoon system at the Lehman Hot Springs Resort near Ukiah, Oregon. The non-discharging sewage lagoon system consisted of 2 lagoons contained by earthen berms. The sewage lagoons are designed to have a 6-foot working depth with 2 feet of designed free board. At the time of the inspection, EPA and ODEQ documented the following conditions:
• The lagoons were above the 2-foot freeboard maximum capability limit;
• The lagoons were overflowing due to excess volume;
• Several sewage effluent seeps due to faulty, leaking liners were clearly visible at the toes of the berms; and
• The structural integrity of the lagoons was questionable, as evidenced by the lower elevation of the southeastern corner of the lower lagoon compared to the other portions of the lagoon berm and by the water seeps at the toes of the berms.
Based on these observations, EPA believed that a release of pollutants or contaminants was occurring and expressed to the PRP that a mitigative effort to reduce the hazard was necessary. The purpose of the mitigation effort was to reduce or eliminate the release of pollutants or contaminants until a more permanent solution could be designed and implemented. Initial mitigative efforts centered around immediately increasing the lagoons’ freeboard.
Beginning the next day, the PRP conducted the following operations:
• Inflow and infiltration (I/I)of clean groundwater into the lagoons was eliminated from the pipeline and utility trench that transmits the sewage from the resort to the lagoons. The I/I was eliminated by plugging the pipeline and installing a sealed liner into the existing pipeline.
• Wastewater was pumped from the lagoons into portable storage tanks and then transported to the municipal treatment facility in Ukiah, Oregon. From April 16 to June 16, a total 527,000 gallons of waste water was removed from the lagoons.
• On July 30, 2009, the PRP received approval to perform land application of wastewater from the lagoons as a short-term wastewater management plan. Land application of wastewater began in August and as of September 10, 2009, the 2 feet of freeboard in both lagoons was achieved. Land application is ongoing as of the date of this report.
Currently, ODEQ is continuing to lead the effort to bring about a permanent solution to wastewater treatment at the facility through the enforcement of orders issued to the PRP.
