Photos - Central Wastewater Facility
RAW SEWAGE
Raw sewage is the water that flows into a waste water treatment facility. It is made up of waste from toilets, sinks, garbage disposals, industries and restaurants. Raw sewage is over 99.9% pure water. Raw sewage can also include items such as articles of clothing, boards, sand and an occasional bowling ball. Items such as these are removed during the first stage of treatment, known as grit and screenings removal or preliminary treatment.
MIXED LIQUOR
Mixed liquor is a mixture of raw sewage (after grit and screenings removal) and healthy "activated sludge". This mixture is the heart of the biological wastewater treatment process. When properly conditioned through the control of oxygen and solids content, the organisms in mixed liquor will eat, absorb or convert pollutants to an environmentally acceptable form.
FINAL EFFLUENT (Surface Water Discharge)
After proper biological treatment and addition of aluminum sulfate, the mixed liquor flows into settling basins known as clarifiers. The heavier solid particles are settled out and collected to be used as activated sludge or dewatered and land applied. The remaining clear water is then disinfected and flows to the Caloosahatchee River.
RECLAIMED WATER
A portion of the final effluent is diverted before reaching the river and given further treatment. This water is passed through disk filters, disinfected to a higher degree than surface water discharge and is currently being supplied to industrial users and for irrigation. These users (Lee County Waste-to-Energy Facility, Fort Myers Nursery, Red Sox Training Fields, and others) utilize the reclaimed water for irrigation or process water, thus eliminating the waste of drinking water for these purposes.
DEWATERED OR CAKE SLUDGE
A portion of the activated sludge collected in the clarifiers is removed from the process for final disposal. This process is called beneficial reuse of waste water biosolids. During this process, the biosolids are stabilized in aerobic (with air) digesters, dewatered (thickened) on belt filter presses and utilized as fertilizer on pasture land, hay or sod fields and in citrus groves.
SUMMARY
The waste water treatment process is primarily a biological process with limited chemical addition. Through stringent process control and proper staffing with qualified, state certified operators 24 hours of every day, the City produces a very high quality effluent suitable for reuse or river disposal. The City's effluent and bio-solids consistently meet or exceed the limits set forth by the numerous State and Federal regulations, thus helping to preserve Florida's limited water resources.
Photos - Central Wastewater Facility
RAW SEWAGE
Raw sewage is the water that flows into a waste water treatment facility. It is made up of waste from toilets, sinks, garbage disposals, industries and restaurants. Raw sewage is over 99.9% pure water. Raw sewage can also include items such as articles of clothing, boards, sand and an occasional bowling ball. Items such as these are removed during the first stage of treatment, known as grit and screenings removal or preliminary treatment.
MIXED LIQUOR
Mixed liquor is a mixture of raw sewage (after grit and screenings removal) and healthy "activated sludge". This mixture is the heart of the biological wastewater treatment process. When properly conditioned through the control of oxygen and solids content, the organisms in mixed liquor will eat, absorb or convert pollutants to an environmentally acceptable form.
FINAL EFFLUENT (Surface Water Discharge)
After proper biological treatment and addition of aluminum sulfate, the mixed liquor flows into settling basins known as clarifiers. The heavier solid particles are settled out and collected to be used as activated sludge or dewatered and land applied. The remaining clear water is then disinfected and flows to the Caloosahatchee River.
RECLAIMED WATER
A portion of the final effluent is diverted before reaching the river and given further treatment. This water is passed through disk filters, disinfected to a higher degree than surface water discharge and is currently being supplied to industrial users and for irrigation. These users (Lee County Waste-to-Energy Facility, Fort Myers Nursery, Red Sox Training Fields, and others) utilize the reclaimed water for irrigation or process water, thus eliminating the waste of drinking water for these purposes.
DEWATERED OR CAKE SLUDGE
A portion of the activated sludge collected in the clarifiers is removed from the process for final disposal. This process is called beneficial reuse of waste water biosolids. During this process, the biosolids are stabilized in aerobic (with air) digesters, dewatered (thickened) on belt filter presses and utilized as fertilizer on pasture land, hay or sod fields and in citrus groves.
SUMMARY
The waste water treatment process is primarily a biological process with limited chemical addition. Through stringent process control and proper staffing with qualified, state certified operators 24 hours of every day, the City produces a very high quality effluent suitable for reuse or river disposal. The City's effluent and bio-solids consistently meet or exceed the limits set forth by the numerous State and Federal regulations, thus helping to preserve Florida's limited water resources.