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Utility workers may be shifted into new jobs

County officials are contemplating the shakeup in response to a state investigation.

By GARRETT THEROLF
Published October 29, 2005

Some Pasco County utility workers may want to prepare to be "IBM-ed."

Referring to the old corporate joke that IBM stands for "I've been moved," County Administrator John Gallagher said the same shakeup that helped the computermaker restore innovation also can be used to correct the utility department's problems.

"Some of the staff have been in their jobs for a very long time," Gallagher told the Times recently. "It might be time to do some moving around."

The prescription is just one likely outcome of the ongoing state Department of Environmental Protection investigation that began in August.

Early reports from the investigation described a department that reacted slowly to the improper discharge of millions of gallons of sewage into waterways and that lacks the equipment needed to keep up with the 500 new utility customers added every day.

As a consequence, it is becoming clear the county will be forced to operate under a DEP consent order, which outlines the terms that will avoid court action. County efforts to avoid fines have failed.

"I know they're coming," Gallagher said.

How far-reaching the consent order will be, and the extent of the fines, are being decided now.

One issue complicating those negotiations is the county's insistence that work on the Wesley Chapel wastewater treatment facility must go on.

The DEP issued an order to stop work on the expansion over the summer because necessary permits had not been obtained, yet work to double the size of the plant continues today under threat of fines up to $10,000 a day.

"We've got growth and development out there that dictates expansion," Bruce Kennedy, assistant county administrator for utilities, said Friday.

Kennedy said DEP was partly to blame for the situation because the department had not moved quickly to approve the permit request submitted in February 2004.

Said DEP spokeswoman Pamala Vazquez: "Sometimes permits take a while, especially when there are outlying circumstances as there are in this case. We need to make sure that all our regulations are being met or we would be irresponsible."

But in other areas, the county is moving to address DEP complaints even before the consent order is issued.

Gallagher's decision to shake up the department already has been set in motion. The idea is to give plant supervisors and middle managers the opportunity to tackle problems with fresh eyes, he said.

To execute the plan, the county has contracted with CH2M Hill, headquartered in Englewood, Colo., to recommend a new organizational structure.

Additionally, the county is moving to increase its storage capacity for re-use water that is intended to water lawns and golf courses.

This week, the county approved the purchase and construction of a 140-acre site that will store 400-million gallons at a projected cost of $21.6-million.

Kennedy said that should help relieve the backup that has forced discharges of sewage.

In its initial letter, DEP cited a series of raw sewage spills within the past year.

The big one occurred this summer from a burst line near Lake Bernadette, allowing 21.2-million gallons of raw sewage to spill into a drainage pond that leads to Indian Creek, and ultimately to the Hillsborough River. County officials acknowledge it took more than a month before they identified the breach in July despite a steady odor.

The DEP also cited other sewage plant spills within the past year totaling 821,333 gallons in Wesley Chapel, 808,000 gallons in Embassy Hills, 522,500 gallons in Shady Hills, 46,200 gallons in Hudson, 21,000 gallons in Deer Park, 15,100 gallons in Land O'Lakes and 10,140 gallons in New Port Richey.

[Last modified October 29, 2005, 01:45:21]