More Capacity But Less Spend At Turkey Creek

At the award-winning Turkey Creek WWTP, its Site Superintendent is as enthusiastic as ever – 37 years into the job – as the treatment plant enters its latest phase of expansion.

Despite the considerable seasonal pressures of the fluctuating population at Indiana’s largest and most popular lake, Tim Woodward is understandably cheerful to see capacity increase by a much-needed 60% - at a cost of just $500,000, compared to what many proposed would be more in the region of $8M to $9M!

That comparatively meagre half a million dollars arrives in the shape of two new, 11-foot rotors (from Lakeside Equipment Corporation) that will mix and aerate sewage; one of which, importantly, will be in operation before the Fourth of July, when the plant’s flow rockets up from its winter low of 300,000 gallons a day, to a staggering 1.2 million.

The gulf in price came about from the decision by Tim and the Board of Trustees of the Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District (all volunteers) to invest in the Lakeside rotors, rather than have a new oxidation ditch installed.

“We discussed the options long and hard with Lakeside, Ken Sobbe at Faco LLC, Jones & Henry Engineers, Ltd., the IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) and our operating staff,” said Tim.

‘Originals from when the plant was first built in 1989’
“Many of the Lakeside bearings, gear reducers and electric motors we use are the actual originals from when the plant was first built in 1989 (!), so as you can imagine, we have every confidence in their equipment, plus the back-up that we’ve always received.”

At Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District (TCRSD) in Cromwell, IN, since day one, Tim saw the original installation by HNTB of four Lakeside rotors on oxidation ditches, plus two clarifiers, then the addition by Jones & Henry Engineers of two more Lakeside clarifiers in 2018. But despite some $60M worth of capital projects over those 37 years, the treatment plant has been fast approaching its design capacity.

“Our team of seven operating personnel are very proud of the fact that we haven’t had a permit violation in more than seven years,” added Tim. “Especially when things have been moving fast and changing, with discharge regulations getting ever tougher.

“Lake Wawasee is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the whole of the Midwest, so we’re constantly under pressure to protect it, and rightly so. I’ve always been fascinated about how we can take dirty water, make it clean, and return it safely to the environment. We work closely with the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation and the local community to keep an eye on everything. As well as our residents, marinas and sailing clubs, people from Chicago and Indianapolis love sightseeing, swimming and boating here, so we want to keep the water clarity, including surrounding groundwater (watershed of 23,000 acres), at its very best.”

Wastewater flow through Turkey Creek’s activated sludge facility is processed through influent screening, then through six submersible pumps and into two Lakeside oxidation ditches with four rotor aerators (soon to be six rotors). Four Lakeside clarifiers follow the oxidation ditches with ultraviolet disinfection, then discharged through post aeration into the receiving stream.

In the secondary phase, the oxidation ditches reduce the organic loading and remove ammonia nitrogen. Lakeside’s Magna Rotor Aerators provide oxygen to the biological mass, mixing uniformly to prevent solids from settling. The Rotors sustain high concentrations of the microorganisms so that variations in organic loading and shock loads are easily absorbed by the system. The wide range of oxygen transfer allows Turkey Creek maximum flexibility to match the demand of the system. Oxygen enrichment efficiency is further enhanced by flow control baffles.

Circular clarifiers follow the ditches, equipped with rotating sludge collectors that move the solids to the center of the tank floor. The design of the system provides adequate aeration and sludge return capacity, enabling the plant to operate successfully as a nitrification process, achieving better than 99 percent removal of ammonia nitrogen. A UV system disinfects the effluent, which is then discharged to a re-aeration process before entering Solomon Creek, via Cromwell Ditch. Waste activated sludge is pumped to an aerobic digester and then to drying beds. Biosolids cake is spread on local farmers’ fields.

Rising populations affect every wastewater treatment plant, but at Turkey Creek (which has 2600 customers and 230 potable water users in the wonderfully named Enchanted Hills area), the knock-on effects from COVID have seen many people now choose to reside permanently at Lake Wawasee, rather than use it as a weekend or holiday home. It’s a high-dollar deal as some of the dwellings are worth $2M-$3M. Turkey Creek has also picked up another 190 customers by servicing a portion of Syracuse Lake.

Over the years, 2600 old septic systems have been removed, which highlights Tim’s always proactive approach. He’s a real stickler, and does not settle for second best.

He continued: “From day-one, I’ve always found the Lakeside equipment extremely tough, and because of the way it is designed, very easy to maintain. We’re always on top of our maintenance, but the greasing and oil changes are a complete piece of cake. Lakeside is also a very good company to work with, especially with technical support. You get answers and spare parts easily and quickly. They also have an excellent local representative in Faco LLC, where Ken Sobbe has a wealth of knowledge in helping treatment plants keep in great shape”.

Tim Woodward and Ken Sobbe could possibly have a face-off for a ‘Most Experience in the Business’ Award. Ken is a veteran, for example, of 50 WEFTECs, while Tim started mowing grass at a local utility company when he was just 14 years old on a CETA (Comprehensive Employment & Training Act) federal government scheme that was created to provide work for high school students and long-term unemployed. Tim later became a full-time employee at Roann, IN’s WWTP, earning his certification, before joining Turkey Creek in 1989, working his way up to become Superintendent in 2007. In 37 years, he’s only had 10 days off from being unwell. He has even written his own Sludge-to-Waste software program for the plant.

‘Best possible bang for our buck’
“With Lakeside,” said Tim, “it is always a long-term view, which I guess you might expect from a company that has been around for almost a century. In bringing in their latest rotors to help us increase our capacity, they were straight up as always, giving us the best possible bang for our buck. I’ve always had the support of our Board of Trustees, who are all volunteers. Take Bob Dunford, for example; over 30 years of dedicated service. He’s been a hell of a trustee, helping us be successful and win so many state awards, including Lakeside’s 2024 Plant of the Year Award.”

Speaking for Lakeside Equipment Corporation, Vice President, Dan Widdel, commented: “Tim and his team are such a credit to our industry. Hard-working and very conscientious. We know that our wastewater products are built to last, but Turkey Creek set a great example of how to carefully and enthusiastically maintain equipment and how to care for the local water environment.”