EPA monitoring Dolores company

EPA monitoring Dolores company
Mountain Sun discharges exceed wastewater limit

Nov. 23, 2000

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked Mountain Sun Organic & Natural Juices, a Dolores juice company, to stop processing apples for apple juice. The agency wants time to review plans to mitigate organic waste from Mountain Sun that is flowing into the Dolores wastewater treatment plant.

"They (Mountain Sun) have agreed to not process the apples for another period of time to allow us to review this information," stated Darcy O’Connor, an EPA enforcement officer who met with representatives from the town of Dolores and Mountain Sun in Denver on Monday. O’Connor said the EPA plans to make a recommendation next week.

This fall, the Dolores wastewater plant recorded high levels of biochemical oxygen demand coming in from the Mountain Sun plant effluence. O’Connor said that the BOD levels relate to how much oxygen the bacteria in the sewage system need to break down organic material before the effluence is released.

On Aug. 28, the town issued a permit to Mountain Sun that allowed the company to emit waste with up to 375 pounds of BOD’s per day into the wastewater-treatment plant.

Rhonda Lancaster, the Dolores town clerk, said the company was first in non-compliance on Sept. 28, and the town notified the plant on Oct. 25.

The town’s own discharge permit from the Colorado State Health Department allows it to treat 840 pounds of BOD per day, 80 percent of the plant’s limit.

"We felt a responsibility to make sure we were in compliance," said Lancaster. The town regularly sends discharge monitoring reports to the EPA, who contacted Mountain Sun.

"Mountain Sun is working toward a solution here, and we’re prepared to solve the problem," said Bill Russell, owner of Mountain Sun. "We need that plant. Historically that plant has handled our discharge; there is no reason why it can’t this year, and that’s what the engineer says."

Russell said the company hired a Fort Collins engineering firm, "considered to be the best wastewater engineering firm in the state," to study the Dolores wastewater treatment plant and Mountain Sun’s production facility.

These studies indicate that the wastewater treatment plant has the capacity to handle Mountain Sun’s wastewater.

"It has handled us for 25 years. And we’re actually producing less this year than we were last year," explained Russell.

Lancaster said, however, that the town was not aware of these studies until two weeks ago, and in order for Dolores to increase its BOD limits a new permit would have to be issued by the State Health Department.

Even without a new permit, Lancaster said there are ways for Mountain Sun to come back into compliance.

For instance, the company can discharge waste more slowly, or put in a pretreatment filter at its facility.

The town could apply for grants to update its sewage system and build a pretreatment facility to accommodate higher BOD levels.

The Colorado Economic Development Council has approached the town with preliminary information about grants.

However, Russell said, "The town has indicated to us that they are not willing to spend any money on anything."

Lancaster replied that this is not necessarily true. "The town realizes that the employment is important," she admitted.

"The town realizes that Mountain Sun is an important part of the community, but that does not mean they can obligate other citizens’ money to get an enterprise back into compliance."

Ken Charles, regional manager for the Department of Local Affairs in Durango, said that the grant would most likely require matching funds from the town.

"It has to do with a number of jobs retained in this case," said Charles. "If nothing is done there could be a loss of jobs," he explained.

A spokesman for the department said that they will wait until the EPA report is released before offering any further assistance.

Mountain Sun is the largest manufacturer in Dolores, and many of its employees are from the town.

While the EPA makes a decision, the company will still be able to process fruit for other juices such as cranberry, blueberry, and peach, but it has had to lay off production workers until it resumes apple-processing.

This could cripple Mountain Sun’s business. If the company is not allowed to resume production it could shut down and move to Arizona, said Russell.

"There’s fruit going bad right now — we have estimated 150 semi-loads of fruit to process that’s just waiting," explained Russell.

"We’re going to have to do what we’re going to do. Some of this stuff can go into hundred of thousands of dollars."

Mountain Sun has currently laid off all of the production staff until the company is allowed to resume apple-pressing.