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TREATMENT
PLANT
OUR FACILITY
Warminster Municipal Authority
Treatment Plant treats wastewater from residential, commercial
and industrial users from the surrounding communities. Warminster
Municipal Authority serves a population of approximately 66,000
people from the townships of Warminster, Warrington, Warwick and
Ivyland.
Our plant is designed to treat 8.18 million gallons a day. The
first stop in the plant is the SCREEN & GRIT BUILDING. Here
is where we filter out the many paper products that are in the
raw sewage. The main purpose of the grit chamber is to remove
large objects, so they do not interfere with the pipes, pumps
and/or the treatment process of the plant.
Next is the PRIMARY TREATMENT, this allows the heavy sludge to
settle out and the light sludge to float to the top. At this point
in the treatment process, we remove about 90% of settleable solids
which is the first step to clean water.
After the solids have settled, they are collected and sent off
to the sludge handling system. The floating solids called SCUM,
are skimmed off and sent to the grease pit for removal. The remaining
water now leaves the clarifiers and heads to the activated sludge
system The wastewater enters our A/O PROCESS where BOD and nutrients
are removed in a totally biological system. Our system is divided
into two 4.09 MGD trains. Each train has four initial anaerobic
zones, followed by two anoxic zones. These zones are continuously
mixed with submersible propeller mixers. Following the "mixed"
zones, are the four oxic zones where they are continuously aerated
with fine bubble diffusers.
Off to the final clarifiers the wastewater goes. Here we settle
out the solids that have been formed from the microorganisms growing
and consuming food in the A/O system. These final clarifiers do
the same thing as the primary clarifiers. They settle out the
heavy solids and scrape off the scum from the top. The clean water
is moved to the disinfection stage of treatment.
Here at Warminster treatment plant, we use ultraviolet lights
to disinfect the effluent that is discharged to our stream. The
final clarified water is pushed through two banks of 88 ultraviolet
lamps that kill the living organisms in the water. This type of
disinfection is efficient in killing most of the pathogens in
the water and is environmentally safe.
Solids are handled by the use of a gravity thickener, dissolved
air flotation thickener, anaerobic digestion, sludge dewatering
by means of centrifuge and disposed of to a landfill.
PRETREATMENT PROGRAM
In the past few years we here at Warminster Municipal Authority
have seen our pretreatment program grow from a few industrial
users to a total of 176 IU’s. As of 1997, we have 4 categorical
users, 2 significant users and 170 unregulated users. This increase
has given us a challenge at making the pretreatment program run
smoothly and efficiently. We employ one full time pretreatment
coordinator and one helper. These two employees are responsible
for sampling and inspecting all 176 IU’s in Warminster and Warrington.
All sampling, record keeping, computer data, chain of custody,
sampling procedures and equipment maintenance is done by the pretreatment
staff. Warminster Municipal Authority has EPA approved pretreatment
and enforcement programs.
COMMUNITY
AFFAIRS & US
Warminster Municipal Authority
believes that "COMMUNITY" is a very important part of our job.
We are always willing to open our doors to community projects
involving the environment. The local high schools send their environmental
science classes here each year to tour the facility. Local Boy
Scout and Girl Scout troops have also toured our plant. We participate
with Government Day.
We encorage others in the surrounding community to learn more
about the treatment plant and what we do for the environment.
PLANT
AWARDS
1993
- Plant
Safety Award for 9 employees or more
Given By: EPWPCOA / Municipal
Maintenance
1993
- Industrial Pretreatment Award
Given By:
EPWPCOA / Hartco
1993
- Plant Operation & Maintenance
Award For more than 2 MGD
Given By:
EPWPCOA
1993
- Class II Laboratory Award for more
than 2 laboratory personnel
Given By:
EPWPCOA / American Sigma
1994
- Plant Operations & Maintenance
Award For more than 2 MGD
Given By:
EPWPCOA
1994
- Plant Safety Award - Class II
Given By:
EPWPCOA
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