Wastewater Treatment Facility
Wastewater (or sewage) originates from many sources, including homes, businesses, and schools, and includes water from showers, sinks, dishwashers, laundries, car washes, hospitals, and food processing operations. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces 100 gallons of wastewater each day.Most homes, businesses, and institutions are connected to a sewer system that conveys their wastewater to a public wastewater treatment plant, also known as a water reclamation facility, to emphasize the beneficial reuse potential of the treated wastewater. Sanitary sewer systems carry only domestic and industrial wastewater, while combined sewer systems also carry stormwater runoff. At the treatment plants, the wastewater is purified and returned to the environment to be reused.
The Lindenhurst Wastewater Treatment is an advanced secondary wastewater treatment facility and provides wastewater treatment for the over 14,000 residents within its Service Area. The WWTF design capacity is 2.0 million gallons a day, with a daily average flow of 1.4 MGD . The sanitary and stormwater sewers within the Lindenhurst Service Area are separate systems; therefore, there are no combined sewer systems.
The wastewater treated at the Lindenhurst wastewater treatment facility passes through a series of major treatment processes. In addition, the solids produced by the wastewater treatment processes are treated and disposed of separately. Wastewater treatment requires an intricate balance of physical, biological, and chemical processes, which are described below.
Treatment Process
Tertiary (or Advanced) Treatment is used to further improve the quality of the water. The polyester cloth disk filtration process is provided at the Lindenhurst WPCF to remove additional suspended solids . Removal of the suspended solids results in removal of additional BOD, nutrients, and other pollutants that are associated with the suspended solids.
The preliminary treatment process includes screening to remove large objects (such as sticks, rags, leaves, and trash) and the settling of grit (inorganic material such as sediment, sand, stones, etc.) which could clog pipes and disable the treatment plant pumps downstream. The screened material is collected and disposed of at a municipal landfill, while the wastewater flows to primary treatment.
The secondary treatment utilizes naturally occurring microorganisms which digest organic material, reduce nutrients, and eventually settle as solids.
Tertiary (or Advanced) Treatment is used to further improve the quality of the water. The polyester cloth disk filtration process is provided at the Lindenhurst WPCF to remove additional suspended solids . Removal of the suspended solids results in removal of additional BOD, nutrients, and other pollutants that are associated with the suspended solids.
Disinfection is the final step in the wastewater treatment process. Ultraviolet light disinfects the treated water before it is discharged into the receiving water body to protect the public from exposure to pathogens.
Solids Handling involves the treatment of the biosolids removed from the wastewater treatment processes. The solids that are removed during the wastewater treatment processes still contain a large amount of water so to reduce the volume of solids and disposal costs, the solids are thickened and then dewatered by centrifuge. The dewatered biosolids are then stored in the Sludge Storage building for further drying prior to disposal.