Last Thursday Councilwoman Deanna McLaughlin and I visited the Sewage Treatment Plant.
For people who may not know, the plant is located on the Red River, the first right turn past the bridge as you go up Boot Hill into New Providence. The plant was underwater as the river came over the low end of the flood berm. Water pressure formed an air bubble inside the main office building causing the roof to basically pop off the walls. This building may be a total loss. It was nasty and ruined on the inside.
The treatment process has about five or six main processing steps. The first process and building separates grease and big solids. It seems to have suffered the least damage as it sat on higher ground within the complex. The sewage is being hit with hydrogen peroxide as it heads toward that first process.
The second step has the sewage going to a round surface tank where some additional processing and separating takes place. This suffered less damage also. After this step, the sewage is being infused with a type of chlorine to kill the germs/bacteria. At this time the water is being returned back to the river. It does not meet clean water requirements, but does not contain any germs or bacteria that could hurt people.
Another step has the sewage going to tanks that are the depth, width and length of an Olympic diving pool. There are three of them. Within each tank are over 5,000 small airheads. All of the heads may be ruined. These heads allow forced air into the tanks that are generated by four 400-horsepower air pumps. These pumps were all under water and are being taken apart and rebuilt. The pipes that carried the air have to be taken apart and cleaned. These tanks usually hold several thousand pounds of live bacteria that tear up and eat the sewage. The air keeps them going. They are gone too.
Another process has the treated sewage going to tanks where skimmers work and the heavy particles sink to the bottom. The clear water then enters troughs and is directed to a high intensity light bank which destroys the germs’ ability to reproduce. The river is the next stop. The skimmers look like tinker toys that were twisted up; the light banks popped out of their tanks and are destroyed. Many other assorted pumps, motors and electrical power equipment were destroyed. So far over $4 million in electric work along is being contracted.
Most citizens do not realize the amount of electrical power the plant uses. When a TVA increase causes residents bills to go up $10 to $30 a month, it costs the treatment plant over $250,000.
The city is very fortunate to have a dedicated and professional crew working the sewage plant. They have pride in their facility and are working hard to get it operational. It is unbelievable how much they have cleaned it up. Beyond the great amount of damage in materials and equipment, you would be hard-pressed to look at the grounds, streets and building exteriors and know the plant had been underwater and covered in sewage. The effort and result is shocking and a tribute to the crews that man the plant. The bad news is the plant may not be 100% for another 18 months and the cost could be $20-$30 million.
However, if determination has anything to do with it, our crews will beat that estimate. At this time 11 pumping stations are still offline.
I have had some residents request info and other actions in regard to issues they may have. Unless these were life or property threatening, I have been holding these as our city crews are “pedal-to-the-metal” to fix, clean and repair. So please be patient with them and me as we dig ourselves out of this mess.
Photo Gallery
All Photos of the Clarksville Wastewater Treatment plant in this article were taken on May 8th, 2010
