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Highlands Today

Thunderbird Hill Sewer Plant Solution Sought

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: October 29, 2007

SEBRING –– Wallace and Lillian Pechtel wish they could open their home's windows to catch the cool winter breezes.

But, living in the Thunderbird Hills South mobile home park, that's something they rarely can enjoy.

"We very seldom open our windows in the winter months, because of the smell," Lillian said. Referring to the problem plagued Thunderbird Hills Wastewater Treatment Plant, she added, "We definitely have an odor problem and it needs to be fixed."

Odors from the treatment plant are not constant, Lillian said, but when it does stink "it's as if we were living next to a pig farm, that's what the odor is like."

Highlands County officials are preparing to submit an application for a state grant to solve problems at the treatment plant, which has been operating since 2001 without a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Before seeking the state funds, the county commissioners have to decide what approach they want to pursue, said Carl Cool, the county administrator.

Discussion on this issue will come next month, at either the Nov. 13 or Nov. 20 county commissioners meetings, said Highlands County Engineer Ramon Gavarrete. By that time, the odor problems at the treatment plant will begin hitting their peak.

"It's an ongoing problem in the winter months, when all of the residents are here," Lillian Pechtel said.

One thing is sure. Solving this problem won't be inexpensive.

"The deficiencies at that plant are such that there would need to be more major changes than what we prescribed in the final order," said Elijah Fleishauer, a spokesman for the DEP's southwest district.

The "final order" he referred to was a consent agreement approved Aug. 24 by Tenth Judicial Circuit Judge Olin Shinholser. It was signed by a DEP lawyer and David S. Plank, owner of Landmark Utilities Inc., which does business as Thunderbird Hills Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The consent order requires Plank to take eight steps to improve operations at the plant, with deadlines variously set at 30, 45 or 60 days.

Even if all of the orders are complied with, though, problems at the plant won't be completely resolved, Fleishauer said.

"What the court order did," he explained, "was require things to happen there to make it workable now for the short term, where we could reduce the amount of odors going off site and could address some issues.

"But," he added, "it was not a long-term solution."

Plank's DEP operating permit expired in 2001, and his application to renew it was rejected. His permit renewal plans "did not meet requirements, and there were outstanding enforcement actions at that point," Fleishauer said.

Cool said he and Gavarrete will present four options to the commissioners. Only one involves no expenditure of public funds, which ultimately would probably be covered by the plants' 400-plus customers through higher utility bills or a special assessment, Cool said.

Plank has reportedly been trying to sell the plant to someone who would bring it into DEP compliance, Cool said.

In a meeting with Plank last Monday, Gavarrete said, "I asked if there are proposed sales, and he believes that there is still one company that is interested."

Barring sale of the plant, Cool said, commissioners could pursue three options. The county could:

u Acquire title to the plant, close it, and have the sewage piped to the city of Sebring's sewage treatment plant;

u Purchase another, nearby treatment plant, which services Lakeshore Mall, improve and expand it and have wastewater from the Thunderbird Hills plant treated there; or

u Buy the Thunderbird Hills plant, close it, and treat the sewage at a new, county owned and operated treatment plant.

Each option, Cool said, has advantages and disadvantages, which he will outline to commissioners.

State grant funding is seen as a way to keep costs to the Thunderbird Hills plant's customers as low as possible for necessary improvements, Cool said. State grants could only be awarded for a government owned sewage facility, he said, and "couldn't be used on a private facility."

Cool said he "doesn't have a strong feeling one way or another" on the chances for a state grant, "because we haven't had experience in getting this type of grant."

For sure, Cool said, the problems at this treatment plant need to be addressed.

"What we've got is an important situation out there," he said. "We want to have people safe and sound, and treating sewage safely is an important part of that."

Martin Flux, who with wife, Carol, has owned the Thunderbird Hills South mobile home park for six years, said odor problems have decreased since the Aug. 24 court consent order.

"He (Plank) has been making a big effort to put it right, things have definitely improved," Flux said. But, he added, "there is still a problem. It has not gone away."

Plank did not return a phone call Friday from Highlands Today.

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