Feature Installation: City Of LaGrange Wastewater Treatment Facility, KY
LaGrange Utilities Commission operates a 775,000 gallon (2934m3) per day wastewater treatment facility located northeast of Louisville, near the I-71 and KY 53 interchange. Neighbors of the treatment facility include a hospital, hotels, stores, restaurants, gas stations and a planned business park. Odors from any wastewater treatment facility can be a nuisance to surrounding neighbors.
The treatment facility has a 1.8 million (6814m3) gallon raw wastewater flow equalization basin. Air to the equalization basin was provided by floating aspirator type aeration units which proved troublesome to operate and maintain. Dissolved oxygen levels could not be properly maintained in the equalization basin and the aspirator type units frequently clogged. By 2006, odors were continuously prevalent at the treatment facility and complaints from neighbors and even travelers on I-71 were frequent. Community leaders expressed concern with potential negative impact on existing and planned commercial and residential development.
An engineering evaluation of the flow equalization basin was completed in early 2007 with warmer weather and Derby Week rapidly approaching. As a result of the evaluation, two 3HP 460V High Volume Otterbine floating aeration units were installed in the equalization basin and improvements were immediately apparent. Today there are four 3HP High Volume aeration units in the basin which were installed over a 3 month period. From the time the first aerator was installed to 5 months later, dissolved oxygen levels rose 6.5 mg/l.
Otterbine aerator units have been operating in the raw wastewater flow equalization basin for nearly nine months maintenance free but more importantly with no odor complaints. This plant improvement is the first step toward community confidence that a wastewater treatment facility can be a good neighbor.
SOURCE: Otterbine Barebo, Inc.