Valparaiso City Utilities - Water Reclamation TREATMENT FACILITY

TREATMENT FACILITY

The City of Valparaiso currently operates the Elden Kuehl Pollution Control Facility (EKPCF), a Class IV (Single Stage Air Activated Sludge) Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The Plant has an average design flow of 6.0 million gallons per day (mgd) and a peak hydraulic capacity of 9.0 (mgd) with the ability to capture a first flush of 4.5 mgd into 3 combined sewer overflow detention basins (CDTs) during wet weather periods, thus providing the City a total capacity of 13.5 mgd. Current expansion plans will provide a proposed average design flow of 8.0 mgd and a peak flow of 18.0 mgd therefore allowing an additional 9.0 mgd to be treated during wet weather events.

Once the WWTP has reached its peak flow of 9.0 mgd and has retained the 4.5 mgd first flush, the excess flow will then be diverted to CSO Outfall Point No. 002. The untreated wastewater stored in the CSO detention basins will eventually be bled back through the WWTP. CSO modifications include improved screening, solids settling, aeration, overflow weirs, and pumping to allow the CSO tanks to function as a (flow-through) treatment facility. As a flow through treatment facility, the tanks will provide treatment equivalent to primary clarification thus meeting one of USEPA'a Nine Minimum Controls for CSOs and essentially improving the quality of CSOs entering the receiving stream.

Currently, the WWTP has three combined sewer overflow basins, influent flow monitoring, screening, grit removal, primary clarifiers, single stage nitrification aeration tanks, secondary clarifiers, phosphorus removal with ferrous chloride, mixed media filters, disinfection facilities using ultraviolet irradiation, post-aeration, and effluent flow monitoring. Sludge treatment includes dissolved air flotation thickening of waste activated sludge, anaerobic digestion, and lagoons for temporary storage of biosolids. The facility is authorized to land apply the WWTP's generated and processed biosolids in accordance with requirements contained in IDEM's Land Application Permit. All treated wastewater is discharged to Salt Creek, a salmonoid fishery tributary to Lake Michigan.

The City is required to operate the IDEM approved Industrial Pretreatment Program. At this time, the pretreatment program regulates 3 Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) through issued industrial wastewater discharge permits. There are approximately 50 additional industrial users not defined as significant which are monitored within the program.

The Elden Kuehl Pollution Control Facility achieves excellent removals which are consistently within the 90th percentile removal range. The facility adheres to proper and efficient means of operation. The recent Expansion and Upgrade of the WWTP will allow the facility to improve in overall performance by including more efficient and modern technical means of process control.

We have several images of the Elden Kuehl Pollution Control Facility. Click on any to enlarge....