The Bradford Sanitary Authority performed well above the national average in its Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP).

It was reported to the board at Tuesday’s meeting that the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to the authority with the program results. The local authority received a 90.7 percent, while the national average for all IPPs is about 85 percent.

“This reflects well on the authority’s efforts, staff and engineering support,” said Executive Director Rick Brocius after the meeting. “The authority goes to great lengths to assist industrial discharges in maintaining compliance with program requirements. A well-managed program is also a draw for new industries who may be seeking to locate on our system.”

In other news, the authority is using feedback from property owners who have stormwater runoff problems to help in efforts to make improvements in the stormwater system.

Crews are continuing to complete GPS mapping and condition assessments throughout the system.

To help several properties that were experiencing chronic back-up issues, a field crew staff cleaned and video inspected 310 feet of storm line in the area of Williams and Mill streets.

Since taking over the city’s stormwater maintenance, the authority has been working with residents and property owners to take care of other stormwater related problems.

The authority reported on Tuesday that staff have been giving guidance for several future property development projects, and the authority has been listening to concerns from property owners who have come forward with photos and notes about stormwater runoff problems.

“The authority welcomes this feedback and records the details on each location in its GIS asset management program to properly plan and prioritize the work needed to address such concerns,” Brocius told The Era.

Authority crews are planning work on city manholes, to begin this spring. They are now compiling a list of manhole covers that need to be adjusted so the elevation matches the changes in the street grade. The work will be coordinated with street repairs to be done by the city’s Department of Public Works.

Regarding Phase Three of the wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation, plant staff are still working with the authority’s engineer to gather input on design needs.

“The authority plans to have the project ready for bid in a few weeks,” said Brocius.

They are reviewing upgrades including the new chlorine disinfection facilities, equipment building, reed bed construction and new sludge digestor facilities, as well as various architectural improvements covering heating systems, lighting, windows, roofing, process piping and electrical.

The staff is learning about new flow meter technology, as five new meters will be installed as part of the Phase Three upgrades. The meters will give plant employees real-time feedback on increases in flow and provide data on the progress of ongoing inflow and infiltration (I&I) repairs.