Wastewater Treatment Division

The Willow Lake Water Pollution Control Facility provides wastewater treatment services to the Salem-Keizer metropolitan area and operates under authority of an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) administered Federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. Construction is currently underway on facilities at the Willow Lake Facility and the new River Road Wet Weather Treatment Facility. This work is necessary because of pressures on the utility caused by growth and age of the physical components, but primarily by the need to increase treatment capacity during winter high flow events that cause raw sewage to overflow to the Willamette River and tributary streams. Federal and State regulations require the elimination of these sanitary sewer overflows under certain storm conditions by 2010 and are the driving force for construction of these facilities. The Permit will also allow installation and operation of the planned improvements and anticipates the regulatory compliance issues of a growing community during the planning period ending in 2025.

The Willow Lake Water Pollution Control Facility continues to operate successfully while faced with constantly changing organic loads, flow conditions, and regulatory standards. The facility minimizes odor impacts on the surrounding community while meeting waste load requirements and operating new process facilities. The Willow Lake Facility's commitment to excellence is exhibited by the receipt of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies Platinum Achievement Award, conferred to facilities that achieve 100 percent compliance with discharge standards for five consecutive years, 2000 through 2004. Additional awards for 100 percent compliance were received in 2005 and 2007.

In addition to current construction at Willow Lake and River Road Park, both intended to increase hydraulic capacity, several related projects have recently been completed in support of these major projects. They include a Perimeter Utility Corridor to replace and relocate aging electrical equipment and utility piping, a Process Support Facility which relocated support services such as the laboratory, maintenance, and administrative functions to provide room for necessary construction projects, and an additional effluent outfall pipe and diffuser.

The Wastewater Treatment Program is structured to maintain the treatment facilities to perpetual life standards while integrating regulatory or capacity driven improvements.

Major Projects planned for FY 2008-09 include the following:

Willow Lake has an operational staff of 53 people in five sections as follows:

Administration

The goal of the Administration Section is to provide administrative, managerial, and coordination of engineering support to all other section programs, as well as development of long-term facilities and capital plans.

Operations

The goal of the Operations Section is to operate the various treatment processes in an efficient and cost effective manner to maintain our investment in the plant, to meet or exceed the water quality requirements of the effluent discharge permit, minimize the odor impact on the surrounding community, and educate citizens and public organizations about the importance of wastewater treatment to their daily lives.

Maintenance

The goal of the Maintenance Section is to provide efficient and cost-effective preventive and corrective maintenance to ensure that all instrumentation, electrical, and mechanical treatment plant equipment will support the operational processes with minimal downtime and extend the useful life of the equipment. The Maintenance Section also provides computer support, plant-distributed control system development, and database system management for all sections of the plant.

Biogro

The goal of the Biogro Section is to provide beneficial reuse of all Willow Lake biosolids in an efficient manner consistent with Federal and State regulatory guidelines. The Biogro Program uses a combination of City staff and contract hauling services to provide cost-effective distribution of biosolids products to farmers and ranchers who are interested in its soil enhancement and fertilization properties.

Laboratory

The goal of the Laboratory Section is to provide laboratory testing support services for the operation of the wastewater plant/collection system, drinking water treatment plant/distribution system, stormwater/drainage system, and environmental compliance.

The data generated is utilized to determine compliance with regulatory requirements, sewer rates, process control, identification of unknown substances, and drinking water quality analysis. The laboratory is accredited by the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) as a certified water and wastewater testing facility.