The village isn’t entirely out of the woods yet regarding its sewage treatment plant. More cleanup at the plant is necessary, and negotiations with the DEC continue. But all the equipment at the plant is in place and operational, Mayor Russell Wood, Jr., told the small crowd attending Monday evening’s board of trustees meeting.

The plant had been out of compliance with state Department of Environmental Conservation regulations for more than a year although Wood said he wasn’t aware of the problem until this past November.

The primary cause for failing to meet the regulations was the removal of the two final filters that screen treated effluent before it empties into the Shawangunk Kill, Wood previously said.

Plant operators removed the filters because they were chronically blocked up with disposable wipes flushed down the toilets in the village. The wipes are the bane of treatment plants nationwide. In Bloomingburg the wipes damaged the screens as sewage enters the plant and caused problems throughout the plant, fouling huge concrete tanks where the sewage is treated and the pipes that connect the tanks.

Wood explained that the tank nearest the end of the system was drained and wipes cleared from it and from a pipe that led to the final filters. Three more tanks will be cleared of the wipes, one at a time, a job that should be completed in August.

To prevent a repeat of the problem, the village is working with the DEC, the plant operator, H2O Innovations, Inc., and will prepare a flier to be sent to all village households explaining the damage the wipes cause and imploring villagers not to flush them.

Communication between H2O and village officials has improved dramatically since the village became aware of the problems, Wood said. In addition, village officials and their attorney, Alex Smith, are at work toughening the contract that details H2O’s responsibilities as plant operator.

The village is in negotiations with the DEC regarding any penalties that might be assessed because the plant was out of compliance with regulations. As of Monday, the village has not had to pay any fines. Under the worst-case scenario, the DEC could fine the village $37,000 for each day the plant wasn’t in compliance. However, Wood said that despite the removal of the filters, the plant overwhelmingly operated within the parameters of its permit.

Among the village’s long-range plans for the plant are the replacement of the intake screens and bars that automatically clear them. The technology has improved markedly in the 10 years since the village plant was built, and the Bloomingburg system is dated, the mayor said. Plans also include converting the system that delivers the sewage to the plant to a gravity system, allowing the village to eliminate pumping stations that are expensive to maintain.