Douglasville, Ga., Reuse Facility Wins Award
EPA announced recently that the South
Central Urban Water Reuse Facility (SCUWRF) in Douglasville, Ga., won
the EPA Region 4 2007 Clean Water Act Operations & Maintenance Award for
the small non-discharging wastewater treatment plant category with a
capacity of equal to or less than a million gallons per day. EPA’s
national office has also recognized SCUWRF’s innovative treatment
technology and land application system with a 2007 Clean Water Act First
Place Award for Operations and Maintenance in the small, non-discharging
plant category.
Under the Clean Water Act, EPA provides awards to facilities that have
demonstrated outstanding and innovative waste treatment and pollution
abatement practices during the year. The program is intended to educate
the public about the contributions publicly-owned wastewater treatment
facilities make to clean water and to recognize communities that go
beyond the minimum requirements needed to meet the Clean Water Act.
SCUWRF serves over 9,000 people and its primary goals of operating and
maintaining an efficient sanitary sewer system are met with the help of
diligent staff who conduct timely inspections and repairs of the sewer
system and innovative technology. Through an aggressive monitoring and
inspection program, SCUWRF staff reduced inflow/infiltration problems in
the South Central basin by 29 percent. These problems cause increased
flows to enter the sewer system, which can lead to sanitary sewer
overflows (SSOs) of untreated wastewater entering the environment. SSOs
pose a significant threat to public health and water quality. Process
control and monitoring software have also improved wastewater operations
at the facility and increased staff awareness of the plant's processes.
SCUWRF reuses their treated wastewater to irrigate a wooded 120 acre
site around their facility. In addition, SCUWRF has provided various
public education opportunities for the community by sponsoring events
such as Career/Truck Day, Walmart’s Safety Month, Clean Water Week and
school presentations which enhance awareness of many water and
wastewater issues.
More information about the award is available online at http://epa.gov/owm/mtb/intnet.htm.