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Resolution No. 98-11 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MOSCOW, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF IDAHO, STATING ITS COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND REQUESTING THAT THE US. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ON MOSCOW'S DRAFT NPDES PERMIT. WHEREAS, the City of Moscow and the Palouse Region are beautiful, healthy, and safe places in which to live; and WHEREAS, it is of primary importance to City Council and citizens of the Palouse Region to preserve and protect its people, wildlife, habitat and resources; and WHEREAS, the City is firmly committed to the implementation and use of environmentally sound practices related to Paradise Creek and other watersheds within its jurisdiction; and WHEREAS, the City has recently completed a wastewater treatment facility headworks upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant by installing two large grinders and a building enclosure, chlorination/dechlorination facility and sludge dewatering facility all of which cost the City approximately 2. 5 million dollars. WHEREAS, the City wishes to begin an additional thirteen (13) million dollar basic plant upgrade of the sewage treatment plant, which upgrade is being funded by the City; and WHEREAS, the basic plant upgrade will include a new biological process and will enhance ammonia removal, reduce suspended solids, reduce biological oxygen demands (BODs) and reduce phosphorous by approximately eighty percent (80%) of current levels; and WHEREAS, hundreds of hours have been donated by volunteer members of the community, the Basin Advisory Group (BAG), and Watershed Advisory Group (WAG), in an effort to fashion an environmentally sound but common sense-based Total Maximum Daily Load Limit (TMDL) for the City; and WHEREAS, it is the firm belief of the City Council that the draft National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit received from the EPA to discharge the wastewater treatment plant effluent into Paradise Creek contains phosphorous and temperature limits which are unreasonable and very expensive and will result in probable land application of effluent thereby eliminating flow in Paradise Creek below the wastewater treatment plant and drying up Paradise Creek; and WHEREAS, the City remains committed to environmentally sound practices but believes those practices should be based not only on national or state promulgated standards but should also take into account common sense, overall environmental effects, fairness, and other factors which are applicable specifically to Moscow and local environs; and ---PAGE BREAK--- WHEREAS, the City does not believe that the draft NPDES permit received from the EPA has been properly considered and properly tailored to Moscow's particular situation and reasonable phasing recommendations for for Paradise Creek. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOSCOW AS FOLLOWS City Council requests the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States set a public hearing on the draft NPDES permit as soon as possible in order to receive information and comment on the draft NPDES Permit for the City of Moscow, Idaho. Passed by the City Council and APPROVED by the Mayor this September, 1998. day of 2