Newsletter Vol. 4, No. 1
City Wastewater Staff Present at SCEC City of Columbia Wastewater staff presented the sessions below during the SC Environmental Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC March 13-15, 2016. For more informa on on the conference, visit the website at www.scecwater.com. Flooded with Data: Looking at Improvements at the WWTP with Hach WIMS – Sarah Hickman
Metro WWTP a er the storm
Maintaining Compliance During Disaster The Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant’s (WWTP) Response to Adversity Emergency plans were set into motion in late September when heavy rain from Hurricane Joaquin was forecasted to impact the City. From September 30, during the historic flood, and into the weeks following, the staff at the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant went well above and beyond the call of duty to keep the system running, while also ensuring reliable service that fully complied with regulatory requirements. In prepara on for inclement weather, the plant stocked the fuel and chemicals required to maintain treatment opera ons. These deliveries arrived un l Saturday, October 3, when trucks were barely able to make it to the plant because flood waters were rising and access roads were flooded. With flood waters rising and arriving at the plant safely becoming an issue, staff were reduced to essen al employees. This was not business as usual. Typically, the plant operates with a staff of 70 to 75 on a 24/7 basis. With swelling rivers, dam breaks across the City, and the heavy rain that fell on Sunday, the plant was facing unprecedented inflow. Addi onally, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issued a warning that the Lake Murray dam was opening its remaining spillways, and Metro WWTP should consider shu ng down
Catastrophic Flooding: How the City of Columbia Prepared and Fared through the October 2015 Floods – John Riggs ConƟngency Emergency Response Plan (CERP) Development and ImplementaƟon – Stephen Sealey