City Breaks Ground on State-of-the-Art Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) Facility
May 20
New Process Will Reduce Nitrates, Protect Environment - The City of Tallahassee today broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, located at T.P. Smith Water Reclamation Facility. Mayor John Marks, joined by representatives from state, local and regional agencies, continued the City of Tallahassee's commitment to protect the regions vital water resources, including Wakulla Springs.
The $220+ million project is the City's most significant environmental project and represents a partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Northwest Florida Water Management District and local stakeholders; it is also one of the few AWT projects in the region and reflects the City's steadfast dedication to environmental protection.
"This new facility represents our City's ongoing commitment to make our treatment system one of the cleanest in the state," Mayor Marks said. "AWT is generally regarded as the 'gold standard' when it comes to treating wastewater."
"Advanced Wastewater Treatment is an investment in the future health of our region's water," said Janet Llewellyn, Division Director of Water Resource Management at Florida Department of Environmental Protection. "DEP is proud to be partnering with the City, Northwest Florida Water Management District and others to ensure the success of this project, which affects everyone in our community."
Prior to making this investment, the City commissioned a study with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to track ground water flow and characteristics. The USGS study demonstrated a link between the City's wastewater operations and regional water bodies, including Wakulla Springs.
Tallahassee City Commissioner Debbie Lightsey noted that the goal of moving to AWT is to reduce the flow of nutrients into surrounding water bodies and protect our area ecosystems.
"Reducing nitrogen and phosphorous levels by more than 75 percent will bring levels down to no more than three parts per million. By comparison, our current drinking water standards are no more than 10 parts per million," Commissioner Debbie Lightsey said.
In addition to reducing nitrogen and phosphorous, the T.P. Smith plant will receive a number of modifications, including the following:
- New Primary Clarifiers, Primary Effluent and Primary Sludge Pump Stations
- Conversion of individual Secondary Treatment Trains 2, 3 and 4 to a "single sludge" 4-stage biological nutrient removal process; aeration blower building expansion; new secondary clarifier and sludge pumping, and retrofit of existing secondary clarifiers
- New Deep Bed De-Nitrification Filters and Chlorine Contact Basins
- Effluent Pump Station upgrades (replace all pumps and electrical equipment)
- New Sodium Hypochlorite Storage and Pumping System to replace chlorine gas disinfection system
- New Chemical Facilities
- New Gravity Belt Thickening facility
- New Anaerobic Digestion facilities, including digested sludge storage
- New Sludge Dewatering and Thermal Drying facilities
- New odor control facilities
Not only is this project representative of the City's ongoing commitment to make its water treatment system one of the cleanest in the state, but it also provides our community with an economic boost.
"While we are witnessing record unemployment rates in our state, I'm happy to say that this project will provide more than 200 new jobs to our community with 20 jobs already in place," Mayor Marks said.
For more information about the construction at T.P. Smith and the City's Water Utility, visit Talgov.com.
Contact
Joe Cheatham, Underground Utilities, 891-1009; or Lorin Pratt, Utilities Marketing, 891-6106
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