City of Myrtle Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant - Executive Summary |
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The City of Myrtle Creek Wastewater Treatment plant is a regional facility, staffed by skilled certified operators, that disinfects treated wastewater with chlorine gas. During the summer months, wastewater is reclaimed and used to irrigate the Myrtle Creek Golf Course. In the winter months, treated wastewater is discharged to the South Umpqua River. In 1998, the Department of Environmetal Quality approved a Facilities Plan for plant expantion and upgrade. Contained in that plan are recomendations for a change in the disinfection process. Although the use of chlorine gas as a disinfectent is widely accepted, the City has determined that there are significant risks associated with using chlorine gas that can be mitigated by new technology; specificly, ultravilet (UV) disinfection. The City has secured funding to move forward with plant expantion and upgrades that will include the installation of UV as the primary form of disinfection. Plant expantion is anticipated to be complet eby December 2002. Sodium Hypochlorite will be used as a tracer and backup disinfectent. The City has an excellet safety record associated with the operation of the wastewater treatement prosess. The facility has recieved recognition for over 25 years of operation without insident or lost time injuries. Our operators have been awarded recognition as outstanding operators at the region and national level. With the future changes in the disinfection process, excelence in safe operation and training, and local involvement of emergency services we feel that the safe use of chlorine gas will continue without insident until such time that the process is changed. Should it become necessary to change the disinfection process prior to completion of plant expantion and upgrade, the City is prepaired to responed. |