Dunkirk looks at ways to comply

Dunkirk has some avenues to explore to resolve a warning from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Dunkirk Board of Works and Public Safety discussed a couple of those options Thursday.

Board members also approved purchasing upgraded equipment for Dunkirk Police Department.

Wastewater department superintendent Larry Wright explained that the city has an agreed order with IDEM to only discharge 700,000 gallons of treated water, but some days that number is more than 1 million. The overage isn’t untreated sewage, but is still more than IDEM would like to see.

“Every time we get a big rain, or accumulation of water, we always go over,” Wright said.

One thing that will help is inspecting and repairing the city’s stormwater lines to check for damage and infiltration. Wright said he knew of several problem areas that needed to be addressed, which should reduce flow to the plant long-term.

An additional option is to switch back to reusing water at the treatment plant. Before its renovation in 2014, the plant reused the water it took in to run its grit pump and refining screen. Now it uses city water, which only adds to the outgoing flow amount.

“If we can knock that down and utilize this water that we once did … I think that would knock down a lot of water usage, and we could get away from it,” Wright said. “We can eliminate that down, well we’re in better shape. That will help us tremendously.”

Currently, the plant uses between 100,000 and 300,000 gallons of city water a day. It’s never had a meter to monitor flow, but the state is now requiring water audits from cities. Reusing water could help keep those numbers down too, Wright pointed out.

Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins said the city could consult with engineering firm Beam, Longest and Neff to see if switching back to recycled water is feasible.

The purchases for the police department come as chief Dane Mumbower works to upgrade some of its equipment. For the building itself, the board approved purchasing new cameras and a recording system. It will improve building security, Mumbower said, as well as provide evidence as needed.

“The biggest thing is audio and visual documentation in our interview room, which we’re required by law to have that,” Mumbower said. “The rest of the building is just basically police security so we can see who’s coming and going, and if there’s problems inside the PD it could become evidentiary material.”

The cameras and DVR will be purchased from Secret Security Systems LLC in Portland for $3,185.

Also approved was the purchase of six Motorola portable radios from TNT Electronics for $2,538. They will replace the department’s decade-old radios, which are not compatible with the upgrades to the radio system that Mumbower is implementing.

In other business, board members Lisa Street, Dan Watson and Robbins:

•Signed a preliminary engineering contract with Choice One Engineering for a pedestrian and bicycle trails project in Dunkirk City Park. The Indiana Department of Transportation project is slated for 2024.

•Hired Tommy Dornberger as a firefighter.

•Heard that the Dunkirk Crime Watch chili cook-off will be from 6 to 8 p.m. March 11 at West Jay Community Center.