Town of South Hadley Wastewater Treatment Facility
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".
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").
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.
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.
Average Influent TSS - 300 mg/l Average Effluent TSS - 15 mg/l Average % SS Reduction – 95%
Average Influent BOD - 175 mg/l Average Effluent BOD - 5 mg/l Average % BOD Reduction – 97%
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.
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
Chemical Cost Savings:
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
