The City of Hazlehurst’s 0.95 MGD Bahala Wastewater Treatment Facility suffered from numerous breakdowns that plagued operations, with operators unable to buy new parts due to the manufacturer going out of business. Workers have been forced to cannibalize one clarifier to provide parts needed to operate the other. WGK, Inc., has drawn out a multi-phase plan to rehabilitate the city’s wastewater system, beginning in Phase One with the rehabilitation of the Bahala facility. Long-term phases will see pump stations rehabilitated and components at other sites upgraded.
- Rehabilitation and modification to concrete basins.
- Removal of all mechanical equipment in clarifiers.
- Installation of new, updated equipment in clarifiers.
- Installation of new bridge.
- Total Phase One Project Cost: $383,000
New wastewater treatment standards are here…
The release of new wastewater discharge permit limits next year could require extraordinary changes for smaller Mississippi towns operating treatment lagoons, while larger cities’ mechanical plants may also need some upgrades to meet the new restrictions.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is developing water quality standards for nutrients in order to meet court-mandated environmental reforms authorized decades ago by the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, but not fully implemented. The new regulations will require wastewater treatment systems to meet total nitrogen and total phosphorous limits for the first time, and could render some lagoons and plants obsolete overnight.
If you are unsure of how new nutrient standards will affect wastewater treatment in your city, town or industry, WGK can chart a course for your facility’s future. Call Greg Gearhart, PE, BCEE, CEE at 601-925-4444 for an assessment of your treatment operation.
