Wastewater Background Info.


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WASTEWATER BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The community sewerage system serving the Westminster area is owned and operated by the City of Westminster. Some of the sewer lines and pumping stations in the unincorporated area were planned, designed and installed by the Carroll County Sanitary Commission and then turned over to the City for operation and maintenance. The existing and planned service area is located centrally in Carroll County and contains approximately 7, 780 acres. The original system has been in existence since 1935. In 1973, a new plant was constructed along Little Pipe Creek, about three miles downstream from the old plant, which is no longer operational. In 1991, a project was completed to upgrade and expand the capacity of the plant. The plant provides secondary treatment through an activated sludge process and advanced treatment with the addition of phosphorous removal. Treatment capacity was increased from 3 MGD to 5 MGD in 1991.

As part of the treatment plant’s upgrade in 1991, the City also completed an expansion in capacity as well. The modifications were recommended in the 201 Facilities Plan. Improvements included dechlorination of effluent prior to discharge, sludge dewatering, flow equalization, additional digesters, improved clarifiers and disinfection tanks, construction of a sludge handling equipment building (including a garage and storage space), expansion of the existing laboratory, phosphorus removal, grease and grit facilities and other operational modifications. The modifications improved the operating efficiency of the plant and improved the quality of the final discharged effluent. Also included in the treatment plant improvements was construction of a separate septage receiving facility which incorporates an activated sludge pretreatment of the septage. Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) facilities were added to reduce nitrogen loadings to the Chesapeake Bay. Design work is underway to improvements to the chlorination/dechlorination system.

The sewage collection system includes 12 pumping stations and approximately 65 miles of sewer mains. Infiltration and inflow problems have been evaluated through a Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES). Correction of these problems has reduced or stabilized (or both) the average daily flow at the plant. Additional work is anticipated to further reduce infiltration and inflow into the City sewerage system.

Sludge from the treatment plant is presently hauled from the plant by the City and applied to farmland. As part of the upgrade of the plant, the volume of sludge is now reduced by a dewatering process. Options for disposal of the dewatered sludge include land application at specific times of the year or landfilling.