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VOL. 82 • NO. 50

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015

What’s in your water Stockton? By Courtney Dufford Correspondent

STOCKTON — What happens to your dirty dishwater, toilet flush, and cold bathwater after they flow down the drain? Except for the occasional flooded basement or water main leak, we almost never have to think about the fate of our wastewater. The residents of Stockton can thank Sewer Superintendent Don Luke and his team for this ignorant bliss- they insure the community’s sewage is safely transported and treated and were happy to share their knowledge about the process. History of Stockton’s Sewer Until relatively recently, American households and industry dumped their wastewater into local pits and rivers. In 1956-62, Stockton’s original centralized sewer network was installed. With the passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act and resulting EPA regulation of wastewater, Stockton has been required to upgrade their sewage treatment system approximately every twenty years. The most recent upgrade was in 2001 when the effluent from the Kraft cheese plant (now Brewster Cheese) was included in Stockton’s treatment plant. This required a major infrastructural expansion resulting in the current class-II oxidation ditch facility. Luke says, “It’s a good partnership. They help finance our system, and from our testing, we can let them know if it looks like something’s off at the plant.” Brewster Cheese generates approximately 300,000 gallons per day, while the village’s businesses and population of 1900 produce roughly 200,000. Treatment Process Wastewater treatment plants

are a mixture of biological organisms and human machinery. Stockton’s sewage is collected through a network of pipes over thirteen miles long. This includes four lift stations to move the liquid through the village’s hilly topography and out to the treatment plant north of town. Once at the plant, non-biodegradable solids are first screen filtered out. The wastewater is then pumped into an oxidation ditch, the main Tony Carton photo stage of treatment. Standing Stockton Sewer Superintendent Don Luke monitors the village’s wastewater to ensure it meets EPA regulaon a metal grate tions for E. coli, fecal coliform, phosphorus, and nitrogen. bridge overtop loans are then repaid by users of the open air concentric concrete the bottom and then are pumped Sound Infrastructure to a digester. From his 16 years of experithe system. circles of the oxidation ditch, it ence, Luke adds, “The system After this stage, treatment is Village president Rod Brandt was surprising how little odor was generated by the circling complete. The once dirty dish- works pretty well. Other towns notes, “We prioritize the areas water is kept in a sludge storage like Mt. Carroll are interested in in the system that require attenraw sewage. Here the wastewater is aer- bin until it can be land-applied our plant, and Warren recently tion and are proactive in rehabilitating those areas that are in ated (oxygen is added), and as fertilizer in the spring and put one in.” fall on neighboring fields. Luke The 2001 plant construction need of repair.” various microorganisms start While other American cities to break down the waste over notes that “local farmers are cost Stockton roughly $4 million. In recent years, projects delay replacing their aging and a 24 hour period. Luke exam- happy with the arrangement”. to rehab the sewer lines, there- leaking systems, residents of Throughout the process, Luke ines this microbial environment by reducing seepage, added Stockton can be thankful they monitors the wastewater to daily, and he “sometimes adds approximately $1.5 million. The won’t have to worry about their ensure it meets EPA regulations different kinds of bugs to make village finances these upgrades wastewater. for E. coli, fecal coliform, phossure it’s fully treated”. through grants and low-interphorus, and nitrogen. The Scoop Today Editor Tony Next, the wastewater falls est loans from the EPA. These Carton assisted with this project over several weirs into either of the two 12-feet deep dome clarifiers. Some of this “activated” liquid is pumped back into the oxidation ditch for secondary treatment. In these warm, humid domes, solids slowly settle onto

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