The Town of
South Hadley Wastewater Treatment Facility is located on the eastern bank of
the Connecticut River and is situated on land in the City of Chicopee that the
Town of South Hadley acquired back in the late 1950’s when the original
South Hadley Primary Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed in 1959. The
South Hadley Wastewater Facility is one of many along the Connecticut River
responsible for improving water quality to a Class B status. Not only does the
river support a healthy aquatic population, a direct result of higher
dissolved oxygen levels, several species of birds have been observed by plant
personnel including numerous Bald Eagle sightings around the plant.
Over the
last ten years the Town of South Hadley has
made progress addressing and eliminating combined sewer overflows (CSOs).
In the late 1980’s there were thirteen permitted CSOs and by 2001 the
number was reduced to only four. Plant
influent flows are now less affected by wet weather or heavy rainfall
resulting in more stable plant operations.
As part of
the facilities ongoing commitment to improving process operations, facility
management recently presented a field study report at the November
2001 Annual Residuals & Biosolids Conference under New Developments
in Management – The Operators Perspective “Long Solids Retention Time
Operation”. A copy of this Study is available by contacting the South Hadley
Facility at 413-538-5040. The study is summarized below under the heading “Whats
New”.
Operational
Highlights
Start up:
Secondary Facility
1980
Design Flow : 4.2
MGD Average Daily Flow: 2.1 MGD
Population Served: 18,000
including all of South Hadley and portions of the Town of Granby and
the City of Chicopee
Type:
Conventional Activated Sludge
Facility Grade:
6
Percent Industrial: 5%, with Industrial Pretreatment
Program in place.
System: 75 miles of
sewer lines with five pumping stations
Treatment
Processes: All
wastewater is collected at the Main Street pumping station where it travels
through either one or two comminutors with a bar rack for backup. The flow is
pumped a half mile to the wastewater treatment facility aerated grit chamber
(1), low pressure blowers (2), primary clarifiers (3), primary sludge pumps
(2), primary scum pumps (2), mechanical aeration tanks (4), autodox dissolved
oxygen controller (2), secondary clarifiers (2), return sludge pumps (2),
waste sludge pump (1), secondary scum pump (1),
chlorine contact tanks (2), chlorine scale/chlorinators (2), gravity
thickeners (2), vacuum filter (1), belt press (1), lime silo (1),
plant water pump (1), treated effluent pumps (2), emergency generator
(1).
Mode
of Operation:
The secondary
wastewater treatment facility has been operated in the conventional activated
sludge mode from 1980 up until June of 2000 with a sludge retention time of 4
– 6 days. In June 2000 the
sludge retention time was increased to 35 days in an effort to improve
operating efficiency (results are summarized under "What’s
New").
Mechanical
surface aerators transferring oxygen to the bacteria in the mixed liquor
suspended solids averaging 5,000 mg/l with a 16 – 20 hour detention
time and an SRT of 35 days.
Solids
Handling: Primary and
secondary solids removed from the system are blended in two gravity thickeners. Thickened sludge at 5 % solids
concentration is pumped to a two meter belt press and dewatered to 26 – 28 %
solids and then transported/incinerated off site by an outside sludge disposal
company, Synagro, Inc..
Odor
Control: Chlorine,
potassium permanganate and sodium chlorite are
all used for odor control. An
odor counteractant “Phantom 4” is atomized at the headworks, gravity
thickeners and on the belt press during sludge dewatering.
Peripheral Flow
Secondary Clarifier, 75' diameter
Completed
upgrades: A
two meter belt filter press with new sludge pump, pug mill and lime system was
installed in 1991; three old sludge pumps were replaced with new pumps in 1994;
the metal/wood primary clarifier components were replaced with new
polyurethane collector chains/gears and fiberglass flights in 1998.
Installed two new variable frequency drive controllers for sewage pump
motors at the Main Street pumping station in 2001.
Future
Upgrades: In 2001, Tighe & Bond
Consulting Engineers worked with Town DPW/Facility personnel and completed a
Comprehensive
Wastewater Management Plan outlining
a 3-phase program with upgrades to the wastewater collection system, pumping
stations and wastewater treatment plant.
Permit
Requirements: BOD and TSS @
30/30 mg/l, Chlorine Residual 1.0 mg/l, 200 Fecal Coliform/100ml average
monthly. Report only:
TKN; Nitrite + nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus.
Staffing:
Seven full-time certified employees & one part-time IPP Coordinator.
CSO
Status: Only four remaining
CSO’s from a total of 13.
Safety
Program: A Safety Program is
in place with monthly meetings/training sessions.
Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP) Program : An
ongoing write-up of routine unit operations takes place in order to
standardize plant operations.
What’s
New:
Long Solids Retention Time Operation Field Study
: As part of the ongoing process of trying to improve plant
operations and reduce costs, a field study was conducted where long solids
retention time was adopted in
order to look at reducing secondary solids, improve operations and to reduce
operating costs. The below graph
clearly shows the daily reduction in the pounds of waste activated sludge.
Study
Highlights
- Belt
press sludge cake percent solids increased from 24 to 28%
- Mixed
liquor volatile suspended solids decreased from 70 to 60%, indicative of a
more stable sludge with less odors
- Secondary
sludge settleability improved with a lower SVI
- Sludge
dewatering chemical usage was reduced
- Overall
BOD removal efficiency improved
- Ammonia
removal was achieved as a secondary benefit
- Overall
cost savings on the O&M budget
Chemical
Cost Savings
- Converted
from potassium permanganate to more
effective sodium chlorite, saving 30%.
Town
of South Hadley Board of Selectmen
Department
of Public Works Superintendent: Gregory Kereakoglow, P.E.
Water
Pollution Control Supervisor: Rudolf
F. Urgiel
South
Hadley Water Pollution Control Facility
2 James Street
Chicopee, MA 01020
E-mail: rudy.u@the-spa.com
Tel:
413-538-5040
FAX: 413-536-7151
Homepage
