Friday, March 29, 2024

DOE recognizes Bridgeport wastewater program

Posted


BRIDGEPORT – A state Department of Ecology representative attended the regular monthly meeting of the city council on Nov. 20 to recognize the city’s public works department with a special water quality award.

David Matthews, an environmental engineer with the DOE’s Water Quality Program Technical Unit at Union Gap presented the agency’s Special Recognition Award for 10 years of outstanding performance from 2009-2018 to Public Works Superintendent Stuart Dezellem.

This year about a third of the city water treatment departments statewide were recognized with one-year awards for outstanding performance.

“Of approximately 300 wastewater treatment plants statewide, 109 were recognized for full compliance,” Matthews told The Quad last Monday, Nov. 25. “An award for 10 consecutive years is much less common.”  

“Bridgeport has not received this award in the past, this is a first,” said Dezellem. No other recognition of this stature has been received by the City.”

Dezellem praised the city’s treatment plant specialists, Bruce Plimpton and Martin Landin for their contribution.

“The credit goes to Bruce Plimpton, he has 30-plus years with the city,” said Dezellem. “He has been the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant operator during his entire career with the City.  Martin Landin has become the City’s Assistant Operator in the last couple of years.  He operates the plant in the absence of Bruce.”

The award recognizes full compliance with DOE’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit that covers effluent limits, monitoring and reporting requirements, spill prevention planning, pretreatment and overall operational demands.

Matthews said maintaining full compliance with DOE wastewater treatment guidelines is one of the more difficult requirements a city must tackle inasmuch as daily samples are tested to monitor compliance numbers.

”Coliform counts in the effluent is the major issue,” said Dezellem. “Plant capacity is measured in BOD’s (biochemical oxygen demand) and TSS (total suspended solids) handled.  Phosphorus is something in the future our plant will be required to remove. Currently it is not required of our permit.”

Matthews noted that the wastewater treatment infrastructure can be the costliest component of city maintenance.

Dezellem said the last major upgrade to the plant occurred in 2014/15.  

“We added a second large clarifier, aeration basin, screwpress for handling the biosolids, plus scada for operational control. This project added a considerable amount of capacity,” said Dezellem. “In simple terms, the City could handle approximately 300,000 gals of influent per day. Currently the plant is processing 160,000 to 200,000 gallons per day depending on the time of year.”

The DOE operates through four regional offices and six field offices across the state. The Central Regional office in Union Gap serves Okanogan, Douglas, Chelan, Benton, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima counties.

Earlier this year the city of Pateros was recognized for its fifth consecutive year of outstanding performance. Matthews said that next month he will attend the Brewster city council meeting on Dec. 11, to present that municipality’s public works department with a five-year outstanding compliance award.

“I just can’t say enough for the dedication both Bruce and Martin have for operating the plant in the best manner possible,” said Dezellem. “Our community needs to be really proud of their accomplishment.  Bridgeport has been in great hands for a number of years.”   

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here