AUB Receives Notable Wastewater Awards
Media Contact:
Wayne Scarbrough
(423) 745-4501 ext. 6002
wscarbrough@aub.org
July 25, 2017
ATHENS, Tn.--At its recent Water Professionals Conference, the Kentucky-Tennessee Water Environment Association bestowed multiple awards upon operators in the wastewater division at Athens Utilities Board (AUB).
Both of AUB's wastewater treatment plants received Operational Excellence Awards, and the plant operators also received the Beneficial Use of Biosolids Award.
This marks 21 consecutive years that AUB's North Mouse Creek treatment plant, located on Whittaker Road, has received the Operational Excellence Award and 11 years in a row for the much larger Oostanaula treatment plant.
The North Mouse Creek plant is designed to treat 1.2 million gallons per day. The Oostanuala plant--located on Alford Street--can handle a flow of six million gallons daily with peaks of up to 15 million gallons.
The operational award is earned by the plant operators for strict adherence to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit requirements for the latest twelve-month reporting period, requiring one or no violations.
Jill Davis, who leads the water and wastewater divisions at AUB, gives credit to the plant operators and their expertise and diligence in running the plants year round as some of the best in the nation.
"The work done by the operators, and how well they work together, is what gives us such a high success rate in both biosolids management and operations," Davis said.
"These operators are assets to the community, often unseen, but the entire region benefits tremendously from their work. They are experts in their work and they care about the local waterways and overall quality of life we help protect as environmental stewards," she said.
While Davis and her colleagues expected the Operational Excellence Awards for both plants based on annual performance, the Beneficial Use of Biosolids Award was unexpected.
"A great reward for a lot of work over the years that has paid off for the utility and the environment," Davis said.
Biosolids are a byproduct of the treatment process, the remains of organisms that help digest and treat wastewater.
Handling biosolids is a critical and challenging endeavor for all treatment plant operators, who must closely monitor and manage the population including either disposing of or finding other uses for excess biosolids.
The Biosolids Award recognizes "outstanding biosolids management, treatment and disposal and the most beneficial re-use of wastewater byproducts."
In 2003, AUB began recycling biosolids to create a fertilizer that could be used by landscapers, home gardeners and farmers alike.
"We transform the biosolids byproducts from our treatment process into an effective fertilizer instead of hauling it to ever-growing landfills," Davis said. "It is the essence of beneficial reuse."
The beneficial use of the biosolids has kept some 6,000 tons of waste out of local landfills while saving AUB more than $120,000 in landfill disposal costs.
Recycling the material involves a natural-gas powered dryer and a belt filter dewatering process, located at AUB's Oostanaula treatment facility.
AthenaGro, the local fertilizer created from recycled materials, has a nutrient guarantee of 5-5-0 and is registered with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. It is holds a Class A, Exceptional Quality ranking by the Environmental Protection Agency.
AUB sells AthenaGro for $5 per bag or in bulk for $50 per ton.
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Members of AUB's award winning wastewater treatment plant team, pictured left to right, are:
John Hurst, Greg Hayes, Jody Derrick, John Sullivan, Boone Walker, Russell Coleman, Joshua Dove, Frank Jarvis, Stan Young
