A portion of the requirements for this report mandate we supply customers with a listing of contaminants for which we have tested and received a detect, regardless of whether on not we exceed the maximum contaminant level. Our new sewer plant has been in operation since June 1998. The city decided to use an activated sludge system to meet current and future needs. The activated sludge system uses aerobic microorganisms to break down the waste water into a more desirable byproduct. The process is efficient and flexible and not only eliminates the organic load but also addresses ammonia or nutrient removal.
Ammonia removal is accomplished by varying the amount of air supplies to the process.
By cycling between an oxygen rich to an oxygen starved environment, the microorganisms vary their eating habits and attack the ammonia compounds, breaking them down - thus releasing the nitrogen into the atmosphere as nitrogen gas. Another significant addition to the facility is a disinfection process. This is due to the increased awareness of pathogenic organisms and the strong desire to eliminate the transfer of infectious diseases. There are two methods commonly used and they are chlorination, similar to the drinking water, and ultra violet radiation. The city's new plant uses the ultra violet radiation method by which high intensity radiation is used to inactivate the pathogenic organisms.