Aerated Lagoons - Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater lagoons have been used as a process for wastewater treatment for centuries. In the 1920's artificial ponds were designed and constructed to receive and stabilize wastewater. By 1950, the use of ponds had become recognized as an economical wastewater treatment method small municipalities and industries. Today, one third of all secondary wastewater treatment facilities include a pond system of one type or another.
The Aerated Lagoon System consists of three cells to be operated in series. The Lagoons are designed to receive, hold and treat wastewater for a minimum of 60 days and are lined with an artificial liner to prevent leaks to the groundwater below.
The aeration segment in these systems is the most critical component and is the core of their biological treatment process. A lagoon systems ability to aerate the incoming sewage has a direct impact on the level of wastewater treatment it achieves.
An ample oxygen supply in a wastewater pond system is the key to rapid and effective wastewater treatment. Oxygen is needed by the bacteria to allow their respiration reactions to proceed rapidly. The oxygen is combined by the bacteria with carbon to form carbon dioxide. Without sufficient oxygen being present, bacteria are not able to quickly biodegrade the incoming organic matter.
Upon full build out, the aeration will consist of Fine Bubble which are most efficient at transferring air because they create a larger transfer surface area, but until the WW&S customer base expands, we are using a Floating Aerator. Fine Bubble Aerators transfer oxygen into the water by creating small bubbles. As the bubbles travel through the water, oxygen is transferred across the bubble's surface and into the water. The Floating or Mechanical Aerators work in the opposite way by creating small droplets of water using a mixer. These droplets are propelled through the atmosphere above the ponds surface. Oxygen in the air is transferred into the small water droplets which then fall back into the water.
Unlike conventional wastewater treatment plants that must remove excess sludges daily, a pond type system can go from ten to twenty years without ever needing cleaning. This is because, in the presence of sufficient oxygen, bacterial cells that settle to the ponds bottom are eventually biodegraded into carbon dioxide and inert materials. Since a large portion of municipal wastewater consists of biodegradable organic carbon matter, much of the settled sludge in the lagoon can be quickly decomposed by the remaining active bacteria.
Potentially at our full build-out in approximately 2018, there will be a Wastewater Treatment Plant that will allow us to irrigate the adjacent agricultural lands, and potentially The Ridge at Copper Point Golf Course with the fully compliant and treated wastewater.
