OSAWATOMIE — Some rural residents aren’t happy with their neighbor – the city of Osawatomie. The Osawatomie Graphic reported that the residents recently complained to the Miami County Commission about how the city handles its sewage plant waste on the city’s property across Lookout Road from the neighbors. They say that the city is dumping raw sewage on the property rather than treated sludge, creating a bad odor.
Osawatomie city manager Don Cawby told the Graphic that he agrees the practice creates a foul odor, but disagrees that it is raw, untreated waste. The city’s wastewater treatment plant’s sludge basins are at maximum capacity and the city has had dump the sludge on the property this spring, he said. He told the paper that the wastewater treatment plant is in dire need of repairs after long years of postponing maintenance and needed improvements. The city is in the process of bidding about $800,000 worth of repairs for the treatment plant’s main headworks, where the treatment process begins, he said. Later improvements will cut the amount of sludge the city needs to dump.
Monday, June 10, 3 p.m.
