Waste Water Treatment
 

Department Contact
Shelby Richardson

Administrative Assistant

Telephone
256.409.2031

Fax
256.329.9955

Other Helpful Numbers
Sugar Creek Wastewater Lab
256.409.2036

Coley Creek Wastewater Treatment
256.409.2033
256.409.2039

 

Shelby Richardson


General Information

The City of Alexander City operates 2 types of wastewater plants, Industrial Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, (Sugar Creek AWWTP), and Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant, (Coley Creek WWTP). Each of these wastewater treatment plants have different types of operation modes. The Sugar Creek Plant is more difficult and expensive to operate. In addition, the city has a total of 21 lift stations that pump wastewater to these wastewater treatment plants.

List of all the lift stations:

Spring Hill Lift Station Bolton Lift Station
Highway 22 Lift Station North Lake Lift Station
Young's Lift Station Dobbs Lift Station
C1 Lift Station C2 Lift Station
Pearson Chapel Lift Station Industrial Park Lift Station
Highway 63 Lift Station Granger's Lift Station
Prison Camp Lift Station Elkahatchee Lift Station
Sportsplex Lift Station Warren Circle Lift Station
Morningside Lift Station Old Kellyton Lift Station
Christian Lift Station Kellyton Industrial Park Lift Station
Forrest Hills Lift Station North Lake Lift Station
 

 

Lake Martin Regional Industrial Park Sewer Package Plant

The Sugar Creek AWWTP is classified as a Grade IV plant and has a design capacity of 8.5 MGD (million gallons per day) with a peak of 20 MGD. At this present time, this plant is only operating at 60% of the design capacity. The Sugar Creek Plant is staffed with 12 highly trained personnel because of the highly sophisticated equipment. This plant operates and is staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Coley Creek WWTP is classified as a Grade III Plant and has a design capacity of 1.9 MGD with a peak of 6 MGD. This plant operates 24 hours a day 7 days per week and is staffed 8 hours a day 7 days a week.

The Sugar Creek AWWTP and Coley Creek WWTP operate under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, which describes the discharge limitation and monitoring requirements set by ADEM. These testing parameters have to be analyzed according to the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. The testing parameters for the Sugar Creek Plant are low (MGD) Carbonaceous Biological Oxygen Demand (CBOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3N), Nitrate (NO2N), Total Phosphorus (PO4P), pH, Total Residual Chlorine (TRC), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), color American Dye Manufacture Institute (ADMI), Fecal Coliform, and Chronic toxicity. The Coley Creek Plant has the same testing parameters except for color. The result of each parameter is recorded on the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) each month, where each of these parameters have limitation on what can be discharged. If you fail to meet the required limitations, you will receive a violation letter and possible fines from ADEM.

The Sugar Creek Plant has 1 certified superintendent, 1 certified chief operator, 3 certified operators, 2 lab personnel (also certified operators), 2 maintenance personnel, and 3 biosolids handling personnel. The Coley Creek Plant has 2 certified operators. Every operator has to be certified by Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). All operators have to attend 24 hours of schooling to keep their certification.

The Sugar Creek Laboratory and its personnel also have to be certified by ADEM to analyze wastewater. Our laboratory also analyzes wastewater from the Coley Creek WWTP. In addition to being certified in wastewater testing, our lab is also certified by Alabama Department of Public Health to analyze drinking water for bacteriological testing.

The Sugar Creek Maintenance personnel are highly trained and are responsible for all the maintenance and troubleshooting at the Sugar Creek Plant and Coley Creek Plant. In addition, they are also responsible for all the maintenance and up keep of the 19 lift stations located around the city.

The Biosolids personnel have to be highly trained to operate sophisticated equipment and use chemicals efficiently to remove the solids from the plant. We have a crew of 3: 1 to operate the belt press, 1 to haul sludge, and1 to spread the sludge.

The biosolids program is another complicated process at the Sugar Creek Plant. This process uses polymer to remove solids, known as sludge, from the wastewater. Once the polymer is added, the sludge is sent through a belt press to squeeze out the water and form a cake solid. The cake solids are loaded into a dump truck and hauled to a permitted land site to be spread. The sludge from the Coley Creek Plant is pumped into a tanker and hauled to Sugar Creek Plant to be combined with Sugar Creek sludge before being land applied. It is very important the land site is permitted before any sludge is allowed on land. The sludge has to meet certain requirements set by the United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before it leaves the plant. The sludge has to be analyzed for metals, nutrients, and fecal every 2 months. If the analysis results exceed the EPA guidelines you will receive a violation letter and possible fines.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who can operate a WWTP?

A: If you are a Grade III Plant (Coley Creek WWTP), you must have a certified operator of the same grade or higher present at the plant for a minimum of 40 hours per week. For all other days of plant operation, at a minimum, a certified operator with a Grade II or higher may operate the facility.

Q: How do you get certified?
A: First you must qualify for examination. A person wishing to take an examination for certification should submit a complete application to ADEM, together with the appropriate fees required at least 30 days prior to the date of examination (current fee is $60.00 subject to change). The applicant must have a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma (GED), in addition to the experience required to take an examination. The applicant must meet the following additional qualification prior to the date of the examination unless otherwise provided:

f you are a Grade III Plant (Coley Creek WWTP), at least 24 months treatment experience in a Grade III wastewater treatment plant or 36 months of combined treatment experience in a Grade II or Grade III wastewater treatment plant. If you are a Grade IV Plant (Sugar Creek AWWTP), at least 24 months treatment experience in a Grade IV wastewater treatment plant or 36 months combines treatment experience in a Grade III or Grade IV wastewater treatment plant. Credit for a maximum of 12 months of treatment experience may be allowed by ADEM for the completion or attendance at ADEM approved training programs, classes or seminars. The examinations may be taken not more than 6 months prior to acquisition of the required experience.

Q: What is a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES Permit)?

A: This is the regulatory agency document issued by either a federal or state agency, which is designed to control all discharges of pollutants from point sources into U.S. waterways. NPDES permits regulate discharge into navigable waters from all point sources of pollutions, including industries, municipal wastewater treatment plants, sanitary landfills, large agricultural feed lots and return irrigation flows.

Q: Who is ADEM?

A: ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) For more information go to: https://www.adem.state.al.us

Q: Who is USEPA?

A: USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) For more information go to https://www.epa.gov

 

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