ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsJeffCo closer to ousting sewer receiver?

Managing Jefferson County's sewer system is a momentous task. But the county manager says he's ready thanks to his experience managing the Hoover sewer system.

Jefferson County is one step closer to getting its way. It wants sewer receiver John Young off the job.

A federal bankruptcy judge struck down two arguments over why Young should remain in charge during bankruptcy proceedings.

But the final decision won't come until next week.

Young's attorneys argue no one else can properly run the system.

But county manager Tony Petelos says he can get the job done.

Hoover's waste water treatment plants had problems in the early 2000's. The one in Riverchase wasn't even meeting EPA standards when Petelos took charge of it as mayor.

"We had iodine problems with the pipes. We had capacity issues with the hydraulics as far as capacity for water that came through the system," said Petelos.

Petelos says it was a major problem considering the plant discharged water directly into the Cahaba River.

"We did the upgrades and since that time, Hoover has had no violations from EPA or ADEM," he said.

Jefferson County's system faces other challenges... mainly financial.

Petelos says he's ready to take control of the system with help from environmental services director David Denard.

"The process is the same. It's not just understanding the process. It's working with people, motivating people, building a team approach," said Petelos.

But Young disagrees.

In his motion, Young's attorneys say he should be allowed to continue managing the system "because of the debtor's inability to properly manage the system." They point to "fraudulent conduct and suppression from the county" that led to Young's initial appointment.

But as the county pointed out in court, that was a previous commission.

Sheriff Mike Hale is asking the court for clarification as to whether the halt to all pending county litigation applies to his department.