History of the Facility
The original sewage treatment system was constructed early in the 20th century. At that time, the discharge went directly into the Mississippi River. In 1956, the system was upgraded and expanded resulting in the first wastewater treatment facility being built on the current site. In 1971, there was an expansion of the facility from a primary to a secondary treatment plant. These improvements included new pumping equipment, two primary clarifiers, and an aerobic digesting tank. The secondary treatment consisted of a mix-type aeration basin for the activated sludge process. The facility went through upgrades in 1982, 1987 and 1992 as well as a major renovation in 1995. The renovation included new final clarifiers, biosolids processing equipment, increased storage to over 1 million gallons, a larger and more efficient activated sludge aeration basin, grit removal, and higher output blowers that provide oxygen to the bacterial life and suppress odors in the storage tanks through the use of more efficient piping and diffusers. In 1997, the facility began treating the wastewater for phosphorus through biological and as necessary, chemical (aluminum sulfate) treatment. The sanitary sewer collection system has approximately 27 miles of piping and also includes six sewage collection lift stations that pump the sewage to the treatment facility. The facility can process up to two million gallons per day of sewage.In addition to the City’s collection system, the treatment facility also accepts the wastewater from the Towns of Bridgeport and Prairie du Chien as well.