MURFREESBORO – Members of Murfreesboro’s Town Council are holding out hope that a recently submitted Special Order by Consent (SOC) will gain the approval of the state.

According to Town Administrator Molly Eubank, Town Engineer Robert Graham constructed a timetable to undertake several steps necessary in getting the town’s existing sewer moratorium lifted.

Graham proposed that the town submit complete plans and specifications for modifying the existing wastewater treatment facility on or before October 1 of this year along with any plans to construct additional wastewater treatment lagoons or spraying fields, beginning construction no later than October 1, 2006 and submitted a schedule that would mark the completion of construction improvements/expansion on or before July 1, 2007 to avoid non-compliance with permits and conditions.

Currently, the town is unable to consistently comply with permit conditions and prevent the discharge of run-off from the existing spray field.

In order to fulfill requirements sets forth by the Division of Water Quality (DWQ) and the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, the town will have to construct additional groundwater lowering devices at the existing spray fields and conceivably put in additional lagoons and spray irrigation fields.

&uot;Once the state has finished reviewing the SOC, assuming they approve it, we will be able to file trade offs with other wastewater processing facilities,&uot; Eubank said. &uot;The idea is to make sure we have no additional flow to keep us from being fined.&uot;

During Tuesday’s meeting, council authorized Graham to get started in the process and consented to Murfreesboro Mayor Ben McLean signing and submitting the proposed agreement to the state.

So far, the town has secured a $400,000 supplemental grant from the Rural Center towards the project with plans to finance approximately $2 million more in remaining costs.

In addition to submitting the aforementioned schedule, the town has agreed to pay $4,000 to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, DWQ as a settlement of previous violations for monthly flow, cumulative loadings on spray fields, freeboard violations and runoff.

&uot;The town attorney is negotiating that amount, but it’s likely the amount will remain the same,&uot; Eubank said.

The proposed SOC cites November 1, 2007 as the deadline for achieving compliance with all permit conditions.

Should the town fail to meet schedule dates, achieve final compliance date, submit progress reports or fail to submit spill/run-off or monitoring reports, it will be subject to pay additional penalties.

&uot;We want to do everything we can to make sure that the moratorium is lifted as soon as possible,&uot; Eubank said. &uot;We’re hoping that when the spray fields are extended, they’ll see our intent to do the rest of the improvements and lift the moratorium.&uot;