Water & Wastewater Plants and Maintenance

Today, more and more people are concerned with the environment, especially solid waste. The United States produces 11.6 million pounds of sewage sludge a year. Much of this sewage sludge is either incinerated or disposed of in a landfill, but the City of Sumter has developed a great process for recycling sludge into a low-grade organic fertilizer and soil conditioner at their Pocotaligo Waste Treatment Plant.

Farmers are our original environmentalists, and they have worked very hard to improve the environment by applying the best management practices possible. The fertilizer by-product that is being produced at the new facility could help our farmers in their effort to reduce production cost while maintaining a healthy environment.

One of the greatest applications for the new by-product is for golf courses. Fertilizer is in great demand for the almost 350 courses in our state. When a selling grade is reached for Poconite, the product can be bagged and sold to golf courses, a valuable part of the turfgrass and ornamental horticulture segment of agriculture in South Carolina.

For more information please call 803-481-4677.

WATER PRODUCTION AND TREATMENT

The City of Sumter System consists of five main water plants that can produce up to 23,000,000 gallons of water per day.

The water is pumped from nineteen wells that are approximately 700 feet deep and average 1,200 gallons per minute. The water is then pumped into the plant where it is treated for drinking by adding lime for pH control, phosphates for corrosion control, fluoride as a dental aid and chlorine for disinfecting. One of the main purposes for treating the water is to remove any excess iron. This is done by filtering the water through anthracite and sand filters after the iron has been made insoluble by the addition of lime.

The treated water goes to underground storage tanks until it is needed by homes, businesses or industries. As needed, the water is pumped from storage tanks by service pumps into the distribution system (a network of pipes and elevated tanks).

Water quality is checked every four hours for quality by operators. These operators must be licensed by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations - The Environmental Certification Board.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Wastewater created by homes, businesses and industries are treated by facilities. The Twin Lakes Package Plant, which serves a portion of Twin Lakes Subdivision is designed to treat 0.035 million gallons per day.

Both systems use biological treatment (activated sludge process) to remove pollutants. The treated water is constantly monitored and tested before it is released. The water must be treated as required by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). Operators of the wastewater treatment plant must be licensed by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations - Environmental Certification Board.

A byproduct of wastewater treatment is biosolids. The wastewater plant has completed an eleven-million dollar modification. This modification includes a biosolids dryer (heat drying) that produces a "Class A" biosolid product that is suitable for use as an organic fertilizer ("Poconite"). The product has been utilized on many local farms and is now being marketed throughout the southeast.

INDUSTRIAL PRETREATMENT

The Wastewater Department also maintains an Industrial Pretreatment Program. This program is required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. It mandates that the City monitor the wastewater that enters the sewer system from industries. This Industrial Waste has to be pretreated by the industries to meet certain requirements prior to being discharged.

MAINTENANCE FOR PLANTS, PUMP STATIONS AND WELLS

The Mechanical Maintenance Department repairs and performs restorative and preventative maintenance on machinery and equipment used in the water & wastewater treatment systems.

The department also maintains ten water treatment plants, eleven elevated storage tanks, thirty wells for the water system, two wastewater treatment plants, forty five sewage pump stations and an influent pump station for the wastewater treatment plant, which includes all the outlining systems.

The continuous mission of the Mechanical Maintenance Department is to keep all of the water and wastewater facilities operational. These facilities must stand ready to provide drinking water or wastewater treatment at all times.