Albert City Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements

Albert City, IA | Water

ISG’s wastewater experts developed improvements for Albert City‘s (the City’s) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and designed a new lift station to meet current Iowa Department of Natural Resources standards.

Receiving a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit that included a compliance schedule to meet new ammonia nitrogen and E. coli effluent limits, it was determined that the City’s existing trickling filter WWTP facility could not meet the new requirements.

A trusted partner on several projects with the City, ISG completed a comprehensive facility plan that determined the most cost-effective solution to the City’s pollutant issues was to construct a new LEMNA covered aerated lagoon system to meet more stringent ammonia nitrogen limits. The treatment system design also included a UV disinfection system to treat E. coli bacteria prior to discharge. The solution provided an effective treatment system which allows the City to meet ammonia nitrogen limits year-round, including cold weather months, as well as meeting bacteria limits during the recreational season.

Additionally, the City moved forward on the construction of a new lift station. The new lift station was designed with four pumps, two for lower and two for higher flows, to adequately pump water ranging from 58,000 gallons per day (gpd) to 2.75 million gallons per day (MGD). In order to operate at multiple flow rates, the pumps are controlled by variable-frequency drives. The lift station discharges into two separate force mains; a 4-inch force main for the two smaller raw wastewater pumps during normal flows, and a 10-inch force main for the larger storm water pumps. To decrease clogging in the pumps, a sewage grinder was installed on the wet well influent to reduce particle size. The sewage grinder also eliminates the maintenance associated with a traditional trash basket. A new control system was also installed to give the wastewater operator the ability to monitor the pumps remotely from a laptop or mobile device for an easily operated and maintained facility.