Fishing
in a crystal clear stream or splashing in the water at the local beach
are just two of the many blessings of clean, safe water. Clean
water is essential to life as we know it.
Your wastewater treatment facility performs an
invaluable environmental service by treating polluted water from homes,
businesses and industries, and returning safe, clean water to the
environment.
Under the streets of the Terre
Haute Sanitary District, the Wastewater Utility manages a massive
network of drains, old brick sewers, clay tile, newer PVC pipes,
concrete structures, and pumping stations that all work together,
quietly, out of sight, delivering more than 10 million gallons of raw
wastewater to the City’s treatment plant every day. The treatment system removes a number of
contaminates like organic material, dirt, fats, oils and greases,
ammonia, nitrogen, and bacteria.
The Terre Haute Wastewater
Utility employees work diligently around the clock, 7 days per week,
365 days per year, making sure that we are doing our best to keep the
wastewater flowing through the collection and treatment system all
while protecting the environment and our beautiful Wabash
River.
You currently pay for clean water through
utility bills and other fees, such as connection charges, as well as
property, state and federal taxes. The average residential
consumer in Terre Haute pays less than a dollar a day or less that a
cup of coffee, for wastewater treatment.
What Does Your Community Get for Its
Money?
- Construction of new treatment facilities, new sewer lines and upgrades to existing treatment facilities;
- Operations and Maintenance including personnel, laboratory analysis, facility/equipment maintenance and sewer system maintenance;
- Improved Cost Effectiveness through improvements in design and process control of treatment facilities;
- Valuable products including biosolids that can be used as fertilizer for area farmers;
- Added benefits including more economic development, increased property values, improved public health, a cleaner environment and the ability to preserve our precious water resources for future generations.
The City of Terre Haute
Wastewater Utility is a Class IV activated sludge wastewater treatment
plant located along the Wabash River, east of State Road 63 and south
of Interstate 70. It was originally constructed and put into
operation in 1963.
The
collection system is comprised of more than 500 miles of sewer line and
over 8,000 storm structures with one Wet Weather Treatment
Facility.
The Terre Haute
Wastewater Utility has seven departments, each with a special set of duties that fit
together to make our Utility operate smoothly.
Operations
The
Operations Department is responsible for process control within the
treatment facility. The treatment
plant consists of a headworks facility, anoxic and aeration tanks,
clarification, ultraviolet disinfection and sludge treatment
processes.
Operators are stationed at the plant 24 hours
per day so they can provide constant monitoring and adjustments to the
facility’s screens, pumps, mixers, and ultraviolet disinfection
system. They collect samples from various areas of the plant and
adjust the system accordingly so we continue to provide the optimal
environment for the wastewater microbes to break down the waste and
produce the cleanest effluent possible before the water reaches the
Wabash River.
Laboratory
The Wastewater Utility Laboratory
ensures that the wastewater treatment plant is operating within the
limitations set forth in our regulatory permits. Samples of the
incoming and outgoing wastewater are collected for laboratory analysis
24-hours per day, 7 days per week. The facility’s administration
prepares monthly compliance reports to the State.
Collections
The Collections Department
operates two vacuum trucks. The trucks are used to clean the
sewer lines and remove blockages caused by tree roots, grease,
excessive trash, baby wipes or other items. Flushing these
items down the drain can restrict the flow of wastewater and cause
overflows or backups into people’s homes and basements. They use
a robotic camera inspect the sewer for cracks, blockages or illegal
connections.
An inlet cleaning crew is out in
the sewer service area 5 days per week working to remove grass
clippings, leaves and other debris from the curb drains on the city
streets so the roadways can drain during rain events.
Construction
The Construction Department
operates heavy equipment to uncover sewer lines and force mains to make
necessary repairs and install new sewers and lateral lines. They
also repair and install curb drain inlets, drywells and
manholes.
Maintenance
The Maintenance crew is
responsible for general facility maintenance and HVAC services in
addition to the upkeep and repair of the mechanics that keep the
wastewater flowing through all of the City’s sewer lines and the
treatment plant. They repair or replace pumps, screens, valves,
actuators, mixers, alarms and sensors, control panels, blowers, motors,
overhead hoists and cranes. They make sure our backup generators
are ready for action to prevent any interruption of sewer services in
the event of a power outage.
Auto
Garage
The City of Terre Haute
Wastewater Utility has four Auto Garage employees that keep the
Wastewater Utility vehicles and equipment in good working order while
providing maintenance service to almost 300 other vehicles and
equipment owned by other City departments including City Hall,
Terre Haute Police Department, Terre Haute Parks & Recreation and
the Street & Transit Department.
Building &
Grounds
Employees in our Building and
Grounds Department keep our supplies stocked, our vehicles fueled and
all of our properties accessible and clean. Not only do they
maintain all of the buildings in the plant and nearly 100 satellite
locations throughout the sanitary district, they provide vegetation
control on the 3rd Street overpass and the I-70 & US 41
intersection. They also provide snow and ice removal for the
treatment plant and the sidewalks of City Hall in the winter
months.
Regulatory
Oversite
The US Environmental Protection Agency and the
Indiana Department of Environmental Management regulate wastewater
discharges by way of the Federal Clean Water Act, the Code of Federal
Regulations, and the Indiana Administrative Code.
The City of Terre Haute is one of 47
Pretreatment Cities in Indiana that run federally delegated local
pretreatment programs. The Terre Haute Wastewater Utility’s
Pretreatment Department is responsible for implementation, oversight
and enforcement of wastewater regulations on a local level. The
program is designed to protect the treatment system and reduce
pollutants levels discharged by industries and other nondomestic
wastewater sources into municipal sewer systems and into the
environment. We develop local limits for discharges in the Sewer
Use Ordinance and perform permitting, administrative, and enforcement
tasks.
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City of Terre Haute Wastewater Utility |