$10 million dollars worth of clean water and community pride!
The effluent going back into Fishing Creek from Oxford’s new plant will meet or exceed the new, stricter effluent quality standards for wastewater treatment plants. We can now be proud that we’re doing our part to protect water quality from here to the coast.
| Oxford’s Old Plant |
The New Plant – Completed September 2006 |
| Permitted capacity – 2.17 million gallons per day (mgd) |
Permitted capacity – 3.5 mgd |
Headworks has trouble handling major rain events  |
Larger headworks with greater capacity |
| Mechanical bar screen to remove solids, positioned behind the
influent pumps |
Larger, more durable grit removal system, positioned in front of
the influent pumps to protect them Includes compacter to reduce volume and moisture of screenings |
| Three 25 Hp influent pumps providing 4500 gpm total |
Three 40 Hp influent pumps with approximately
4000 gpm capacity each |
| Earthen sludge basin | Oxidation ditch (concrete tank for sludge) Gives more control over process Better total phosphorous removal Better total nitrogen removal  |
| Single return sludge pump station | Two return sludge pump stations |
Two secondary clarifiers  |
Three secondary clarifiers |
Post aeration basin with floating aerator  |
New aeration basin using new technology and larger capacity |
| Chlorine used to kill germs Dechlorination is then required to improve water quality |
Two ultraviolet treatment modules to remove disease causing organisms such as fecal coliform – no chemicals are added to the water |
| No tertiary filtration | Tertiary filtration - |
Discharge standards: |
Stricter discharge standards: |
The new plant itself cost $10 million. The City has also completed repairs and upgrades to the collection system costing $3 million, and has spent another $2 million replacing the Coon Creek Lift Station.
