Four WWTP Employees Awarded For Preventing Overflow Disaster

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is honoring four South Carolina wastewater employees with the national Wastewater Heroes Award, after they prevented a massive sewage overflow during a historic flood and rainstorm.

The storm, which occurred last October, was quickly overwhelming the City of Columbia Metro WWTP, reported the State. Sewage was flooding the facility at three times the rate it was designed to handle, and employees were instructed to evacuate the building and suspend operations.

But Columbia WWTP employees Ashley Dove, James Foust, Adrian Martin, and Brandon Wilcox didn’t want the sewage to overflow the system, eventually contaminating the nearby Congaree River which fed into the city’s drinking water system. So the four men, along with Kim Hinson, a private contractor, volunteered to stay behind and operate the facility.

“We decided we weren’t going to let that happen,” said Martin, who serves as one of the plant’s chief operators, according to the State.

As water lines burst, roads buckled, and many bridges became unsafe to drive on, the wastewater staff managed an influx of 156 million gallons in one day, in a plant that’s designed for 60 million gallons per day, reported the State. This was the highest flow of water in the plant’s history.

The men had to stay in the plant for two days straight to manage the water coming in, and with the entrance road to the plant extremely flooded, no one was able to come to their assistance. Even the National Guard’s high-water vehicles were not able to get to the plant, reported the State.

Due to the team’s actions no sewage spilled into the river. After the worst of the flood has passed, the entire plant worked for days to keep the wastewater flowing normally. Dove, Foust, Martin, Wilcox, and Hinson returned later that week and worked 48-hour shifts to keep the wastewater under control.

“It’s pretty miraculous” that no sewage spilled into the river and that the plant continued to operate far beyond what it was designed for,” said Dove, according to the State. “This award is great and fine, but it took our whole team” to manage the aftermath of the flood for the next week or more.”

Dove, Foust, Martin, and Wilcox will receive the Wastewater Hero’s Award at WEFTEC September 27 in New Orleans. The award honors a group or individual who goes beyond the call of duty during an emergency situation to protect the public and the environment.