Broken Arrow Municipal Authority
Meeting of: 08-06-2019
Title:
title
Presentation of the findings of an evaluation of the Green Country Sewer District located at 20108 East 33rd Place South, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74014 and consideration, discussion and possible direction regarding the possible acquisition of the Green Country Sewer District
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Background:
In January 2019, the Broken Arrow Municipal Authority (BAMA) authorized staff to begin gathering information on Green Country Sewer Company (GCSC) in order to conduct an evaluation into the possibility of acquisition. Since GCSC serves a large number of Broken Arrow residents, BAMA is a logical choice to potentially acquire the district. Therefore, upon a request from GCSC to consider acquisition, the Authority chose to perform its due diligence and gather information on the system. Over the last several months, information was collected about the wastewater treatment plant, the collection system, and the finances of GCSC. This report serves as the presentation of the results discovered during the evaluation.
Some key features of GCSC system is as follows:
• GCSC is a privately owned sewer company with approximately 3,000 customers.
• It was formed in 1971 by Mr. Jack Spradling, P.E. along with a couple of partners.
• It was originally meant to serve New Tulsa.
• As this area developed, GCSC expanded to meet the growing demand.
• Later, as the City of Broken Arrow grew, many of the subdivisions were annexed into the City.
As mentioned above, the plant was not initially designed for the number of customers it now serves. Therefore, in order to meet the growing demand, many significant upgrades have been made. In 2002, the plant switched from an aerated lagoon system to a mechanical plant. This increased the overall capacity and allowed for further future growth. Prior to about 2015, GCSC had difficulty meeting the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) requirements. These issues include sanitary sewer overflows (SSO), discharge permit violations, odor problems, as well as other violations.
In an effort to address these issues and become compliant with ODEQ, GCSC hired a national engineering consulting firm to conduct a full evaluation of the plant and the collection system components. The evaluation included proposed upgrades that would alleviate many of the plant’s issues. Over the last several years, GCSC has made the suggested upgrades required by ODEQ, as well as some optional upgrades. These upgrades have greatly improved the functionality of the plant and improved the efficiency of the influent collection system.
Based upon the evidence uncovered during this “due diligence” evaluation, staff recommends that the Authority continue the potential acquisition process and begin investigations into costs to acquire the system.
Cost: To be determined
Funding Source: None
Requested By: Kenneth D. Schwab, P.E., CFM, Assistant City Manager - Operations
Approved By: City Manager’s Office
Attachments: Green Country Evaluation Report
Recommendation:
recommend
As the Authority directs.
end