An overview of the wastewater treatment plant.

Wastewater Department

HU welcomes student groups interested in learning more about wastewater treatment. For information on scheduling a tour of our facilities, call or email Sewer System Superintendent Robert Wright at 773-5712.

Are you having problems with your septic system? If Hartselle Utilities sewer is available, we offer a financing program for systems development charges. For more information, see our page on Sewer Connection Financing.

Wastewater Department Work in Progress

Sewer System Rehabilitation

Where: East and Southern Areas
Prevention of sewer overflows, extended system life and treatment plant capacity

Sewer main relocation

Railroad Street
Part of the Longhorn Pass Downtown Bypass Project

Rehabilitation of the East Oxidation Ditch

Location: Wastewater Treatment Plant
To increase the efficiency of the Wastewater Treatment Plant

I-65 Utilities Tunnel

Where: Hwy 36 East of I-65
Will provide future access to HU services for City of Hartselle residents/businesses not currently available in that area

Barkley Bridge Sewer and Pumping Station

Where: Garner Road
Provide sewer service to areas south of Nanceford Road and west of Garner Road

Wastewater Department News

WWTP Finishing Second Year of 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan

Crews at HU’s wastewater treatment plant are replacing the west screw pump – which lifts 2,400 gallons of influent wastewater each minute and dumps it into oxidation ditches at the plant – along with several smaller repairs around the screw pump. According to Robert Wright, HU Sanitary Sewer System Superintendent, when the project is completed in February this will complete all budgeted improvement items for this fiscal year, and bring the wastewater treatment plant up-to-date with repairs and improvements included in the 2007 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan.

In addition to replacing the 33-foot screw pump, one of three at the plant, contractors from Sue-Jac Construction will replace damaged and missing handrails around the screw pump, replace the lower platform grading, repair the sluice gate to the pump, and install fall protection around the ladder leading up to the screw pump. The total cost of the projects is expected to be $48,500.

Sanitary Sewer System Upgrades Completed

In 2001, Hartselle Utilities began a detailed study for a daunting project: to rehabilitate or replace 42 miles of sewer lines running beneath the city. At that time, parts of the sewer system were over 60 years old, and broken pipes, damaged manholes and faulty sewer connections allowed outside water to enter the system. Infiltration, from groundwater, and inflow, from surface water (commonly referred to as I/I) took up capacity in the system and frequently caused wastewater to overflow out of the system. These overflows created a health hazard and threatened the environment in Hartselle, and the HU board approved an aggressive upgrade program to correct the problems.
The project was divided into four phases. The first three phases addressed I/I problems; Phase 4 centered around HU’s 23-year-old wastewater treatment plant.
Work on the project began in 2002, with 13 basins requiring repairs. During the next six years, HU replaced or repaired 1,968 manholes; 490,604 feet of gravity sewer lines; 53,182 feet of force main lines; and installed an I/I Diversion facility at the plant.
On January 12, 2003, HU entered into a voluntary Consent Order with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) to complete the sewer upgrades by 2008. The projects were based on a schedule adopted by the HU Board in 2001.
“We are happy to report that Phases 1, 2 and 3 of our sanitary sewer system upgrades were completed by August 2006, well ahead of compliance with our Consent Order with ADEM,” says HU General Manager Ferrell Vest. “Phase 4 of the plan began in 2007, and work on the wastewater treatment plant continues.”
The overall I/I project cost just over $5 million. With assistance from Rep. Bud Cramer, HU received three EPA Special Needs Grants totaling $2.8 million to help finance the project. HU was required to provide matching funds for the grants, which it did through a combination of funds on hand and low interest loans from the ADEM State Revolving Fund (SRF).
“Had we not asked for the money from the federal government,” Vest says, “we would not have received the grants. We still would have had to correct the problems in the sewer system, but our customers would have had to directly foot the bill for the entire project. ”
In 2006, HU received the national PISCES award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the sewer system improvements. The PISCES, which stands for “Performance and Innovation in the SRF Creating Environmental Success,” recognizes “systems that achieve significant environmental and economic benefits with an innovative and effective project,” according to ADEM, which nominated HU for the award.
“I commend Hartselle Utilities for winning this award and I am pleased that these improvements advance ADEM’s goals for water quality protection and safeguarding the environment,” said ADEM Director Trey Glenn.

Staff Changes at WWTP

Larry Narmore is retiring August 1, after 12 years as the chief operator of HU’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. Glenn Byrum, currently WWTP lead operator, will be the new chief operator.

Based on the volume of wastewater treated at HU’s WWTP, the chief operator is required to hold an Alabama Grade III Certified Wastewater Operator license. Byrum recently received his Class IV license.

“This is going to be a big job to step up to,” Byrum said. “It is going to be the biggest challenge that I’ve had in my career. I can’t wait.”

Students Tour Wastewater Treatment Plant

In April students from two Microbiology 220 classes taught by Dr. Don Collier at Calhoun Community College toured the HU Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). WWTP Lead Operator Glenn Byrum gave the students an overview of the plant, which treats an average of 2.4 million gallons of wastewater each day.

“We explained to the students how microorganisms – we call them ‘bugs’ – are a key part of our treatment process, and how we work to keep a balance between the different kinds of bugs,” Byrum said. There are three types of bugs that feed on the organic matter in the WWTP’s treatment process: mesophilic, psychrophilic, and thermophilic, he explained to the students. Plant operators must work to keep a good balance between each type of bug, oxygen levels and the amount of solids during processing, Byrum said.

“By showing the students the different processes that wastewater goes through from the time it enters our system as influent until leaves as effluent into the creek, they were able to see and smell the difference in the water during each stage of treatment,” he said.

The students, most of whom are a part of Calhoun Community College’s Nursing Program, were also given a tour of the WWTP lab, where samples from different parts of the plant are analyzed according to regulations specified by ADEM and EPA. Plant operators regularly test for ammonia, TSS (total suspended solids), fecal matter, BODs (biochemical oxygen demand), chlorine, and pH levels.

“I’ve enjoyed speaking to these classes,” Byrum said. “They were very respectful, and asked very good questions.”

Additional student groups are scheduled to tour the WWTP this fall and winter, and HU welcomes classes interested in learning more about wastewater treatment. For more information, call Sewer System Superintendent Robert Wright at 773-5712 or email rwright@hartselleutilities.com.

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Wastewater Treatment Plant