Utilities Division The City of Wooster utilities division extends a commitment to excellence in public service through the proper treatment, protection, and preservation of the cities water resources.
Advanced Secondary Treatment
Ohio EPA only requires Chlorination and Dechlorination during the six summer months (May through October). Although the final effluent flows through the Chlorine Contact Tank continuously, we do not perform these additional treatments during the winter months.
After chlorinating the final effluent, we are required to remove the residual chlorine. We use sodium bisulfite, which reacts with the chlorine, to do this. The reason for dechlorination is that chlorine is harmful to aquatic life.
Sodium Hypochlorite is pumped into the Chlorine Contact Tank in order to reduce the bacterial content of the final effulent. This is the same substance that is used in swimming pools.
Although the Ammonia Towers add a lot of oxygento our final effluent, sometimes it is not enough to meet regulations. The two postaeration motors allow us to add a little bit of additional oxygen.
Our final effluent discharges at the intersection of Christmas Run and Killbuck Creeks. During periods of high creek levels, the effluent must be pumped out under pressure. This is done by the effluent pumps.
The ChlorineBuilding also houses the emergency power generator, which runs on natural gas or methane from the Digesters. Because of sewage plant expansions over the years, the generator is no longer able to provide enough power to run the entire plant. We now have a second power source. This consists of electrical wires running from a second substation, and is able to switch over automatically to the second substation, when power is down at the first substation. The new water plant, located just down the road from us, also has a second power supply.
