How The Ukiah Wastewater Treatment Plant Solved Its Debris Problem

The water treatment needs of both Ukiah Valley and Lake County are served by the Ukiah Wastewater Treatment Plant. Nestled between Highway 101 on the west and the Russian River to the east, the facility features a scenic view of surrounding valleys of vineyards seemingly out of a Steinbeck novel. Construction of the facility was completed in 1958 back when the city had a population of around 9,000. Since then, the population has grown by about 78% to a total of 16,000 residents. The plant’s five pumps are equipped to handle 2.8 MGD (million gallons per day) of dry weather flow, and 20 MGD of wet weather flow. Even though the plant is equipped to remove some floating material, they were having issues with an overflow of unwanted debris.