Wellsville Wastewater Treatment Plant

MRB Group assisted the Village of Wellsville with an evaluation of its Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to address changes to its State Pollution Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit which imposed more stringent effluent limitations on the discharge of ammonia. The WWTP treats influent flow from the village and leachate from local landfills, including the Hyland Landfill in Angelica, New York. The changes to the SPDES permit directly affect the amount of leachate that the WWTP can adequately treat and therefore accept, significantly impacting the village’s annual revenue received by the sewer fund.

The evaluation identified that the two (2) existing trickling filters were insufficient to meet new effluent ammonia limits based on the annual volume of landfill leachate accepted by the facility. MRB Group’s proposed design solution recommended building a new 18-foot depth plastic media Biotower for nitrification, providing additional biological treatment capacity as part of the project’s first phase. The new 85-foot tank was constructed in the middle of the old 120-foot trickling filter, which initially had 6 feet of rock media. Precast concrete tankage was proposed in lieu of cast-in-place concrete, and the 85-foot Biotower was constructed of 21-foot wall panels, reducing the project timeline. The new tank received plastic media, new rotary distributor equipment, and an aluminum dome cover for protection from the environment.

In addition, the project includes construction of a new influent screening facility, new leachate storage tank, final clarifier improvements, new chlorine contact tank, new chemical bulk storage facility for Chlorination and Dechlorination processes, new Recirculation Pump Station, miscellaneous pump station improvements, new sludge dewatering system, new electrical service, emergency backup generator and overall SCADA System for monitoring/control of the WWTP.

Phase 2 of the project will see the construction of the 2nd Biotower, incorporation of a fourth final clarifier, and additional solids handling improvements.

Big Idea

Improve the WWTP to adequately serve the community with a phased approach