The process took more than two months, but the microscopic organisms that clean sewage wastewater are finally functional again at Wheeling’s sewage and pollution plant in Center Wheeling.
And, according to Wheeling’s city manager Bob Herron, additional information – including the identity of spiller – will be released by officials in the future.
“The bugs are back,” Herron announced. “We call them bugs but they’re like tiny organisms that eat waste. When that happens, most of the odor of a sewage plant fades. Not all of it, but most of it.
“In order for those bugs to work, they need oxygen, but when something gets spilled into our system that eliminates the oxygen, we experience issues,” he said. “That’s what happened, and it killed the bugs and the treatment process.”
The spill was reported and addressed in July, but the odors continued until recently.
“We’re not to the point to where we can release any information on the origin of the spill, but we will release that information when we definitely identify who it was,” Herron said. “We have an idea who it is, but we’re doing tests to make sure we’re correct. We’ve had situations like this in the past, and we’re going about it the same way this time.
“When the spill took place and it reach our treatment plant, it killed the ‘bugs’ and caused the odors issues,” he explained. “When we recognized the issue, we did put out some public information and explained that it would cause a short-term problem, and at the same time, the improvements were made to the digesters to improve the plant’s overall operation.”
In January, City Council approved a $46 million project to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant, including a complete cleaning of the system’s digesters. The project, which started in March, includes a total of $31 million that has been allocated for plant upgrades. One line item is for $500,00 for sludge removal, and another is for $1.4 million for digester scrubbing and repairs.
The remaining funds have been directed to additional upgrades.
“It is a sewer plant, so there’s always going to be a smell in the direct vicinity, but the bigger problem (with the digesters) at the facility has been corrected, too,” Herron said. “That project involved the cleaner of the two digesters at the plant, and that has made the biggest difference as far as the odor is concerned. If the project is not complete, it’s at least 95 percent finished.
“Improvements will continue to be made to that facility thanks to City Council’s approval,” he said. “We had been renting equipment to test out a new dewatering process that makes the treatment process easier for the facility, but now we will build a new structure for the system and the whole project is about $4 million.”
