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Circuit Rider Ready to Assist Small Treatment Facilities With Water Quality Problems

Release Date: 6/9/1997
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) officially introduced the Technical Assistance Circuit Rider program, a new cooperative watershed protection effort to address point source water quality problems in the Lake Ponchartrain Basin. Funded by LPBF, the circuit rider will assist operators of small wastewater treatment plants on-site, identifying operational and maintenance problems, developing corrective plans, and training operators to maximize the use of their existing treatment facilities.

EPA, LPBF, and LDEQ officials introduced the circuit rider, Tom Walton, at the LPBF Board meeting on June 10 at the Kenner City Hall Council Chambers in Kenner, Louisiana. Sam Coleman, Director of EPA's Region 6 Compliance Assurance and Enforcement Division, stated, "The circuit rider concept makes excellent sense. These on-site visits have the potential to accomplish a great deal in a short time. For example, a visit to identify ways to improve a facility's operations can also be an opportunity to educate operators on reporting requirements."

LPBF Executive Director Carlton Dufrechou stated, "Our circuit rider has provided advice to almost 60 wastewater treatment facilities already. The advice is helping improve treatment operations and reducing pollution."

"By helping small wastewater treatment facilities achieve compliance with regulations, we can alleviate water pollution from improperly treated sewage as well as the need for LDEQ to take enforcement action against the facilities," noted Louis R. Johnson, administrator of LDEQ's Water Quality Management Division. "It's a win-win situation."

EPA and LDEQ jointly developed the circuit rider concept based on a 1996 study of problems of small treatment facilities which typically are located in very small communities with limited resources. Results of this study indicated that such facilities can make significant improvements in water quality with on-site assistance from a highly qualified person with expertise and experience in wastewater operation and design. In January 1997, a contract to perform the work was awarded to the Louisiana Rural Water Association (LRWA.) Since then, the circuit rider has worked with EPA, LPBF, and LDEQ to further develop the program and create a process for evaluating results. LPBF and LRWA have also collaborated to establish a system for incorporating information and results of the on-site assistance into LPBF's geographic information system.

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin is a 4700 square mile watershed in southeastern Louisiana with Lake Pontchartrain covering almost 630 square miles in the center of the Basin. More than one-third of the state's population resides in parishes surrounding the brackish lake with its unique ecosystem of lakes and wetlands. Rapid urbanization and industrialization throughout the Basin have contributed to a variety of environmental stressors including pollution from human sewage and farm animals, urban and agricultural runoff and industrial sources.

The Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and preserving Lake Pontchartrain. Interested communities and treatment facility operators can contact the Circuit Rider at the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation offices, (504) 836-2205.