How does the Wastewater Treatment Plant process the wastewater?
The wastewater is pumped from a wet well located at the end of the collection system to the pretreatment process. This process removes the items that may cause maintenance problems throughout the entire treatment process. From the pretreatment process, the wastewater travels to the primary clarifiers where the settable solids (primary sludge) and floatable material (skimmings) are removed and pumped to additional processes: sludge (bio-solids) digestion and skimmings removal. The sludge is pumped into a primary digester where the bio-solids are heated to a temperature of 142 Fahrenheit. Bacteria called thermophilic are used to process the bio-solids in this process. The bio-solids are then sent to a mesophilic digester which operates at a temperature of 94 Fahrenheit. The temperatures in both the thermophilic and mesophilic digesters are monitored and maintained at constant levels to support both their growth and life functions. While the bacteria break down the organic materials, seve
