Just north of Fort Wayne, Indiana, the community of Huntertown boasts the second-fastest growth rate in the state, with no sign of slowing down. An easy commute from the city, attractive neighborhoods and good schools have helped skyrocket its population to nearly 7,000 residents in recent years.
Challenge
When the city's agreement with an outside wastewater treatment provider expired, Huntertown decided it was time to build its own facility. Faced with challenges such as high third-party costs and little remaining capacity in the receiving sewer, the town moved forward with a 5-year, multi-million dollar plan that allocated funds to restore collection capacity and a budget to build an all-new plant that would meet current needs and pave the way for the future.
Solution
To help chart its course, Huntertown turned to Engineering Resources, Inc. (ERI), a multi-disciplined consulting firm based in northern Indiana. With two decades of experience in wastewater treatment, ERI brought both a reputation for quality and a thorough understanding of the region’s treatment landscape.
ERI presented a variety of approaches for Huntertown’s project, including systems based on both single-stage nitrification and simultaneous nitrification/denitrification (SND), the driving technology of the Orbal system from Evoqua. Based on its proven performance, energy efficiency, reliability, and more than 800 successful installations worldwide, the Orbal system was selected for the project.
" I have designed several Orbal systems for other municipalities. Huntertown saw how robust and easy to operate they are. A key factor was how easily we could add a fourth ring to the design and double the activated sludge capacity for future growth. "
Results
Since the system went online, Huntertown was able to achieve and maintain consistent compliance across all parameters, meeting the most stringent affluent requirements in the state, all while maintaining the flexibility needed to meet future changes in regulations. The Orbal system’s energy efficiency qualified the project for Indiana state’s Green Project Reserve financing. And with the system’s flexible design, Huntertown has ample room for growth.
Performance parameters
• Average cBOD5: 1.12 mg/L
• Average Ammonia: 0.03 mg/L (winter), 0.02 mg/L (summer)
• Average Phosphorus: 0.44 mg/L
• Average TSS: 1.24 mg/L
• Stringent effluent limits are easily attained
The Orbal system’s proven active sludge process provides simultaneous nitrification/denitrification (SND) through a design that is more reliable, more efficient and more expandable, to meet the most challenging effluent limits now and into the future.
