The next meeting of theWestern Section of the Professional Wastewater Operators Committee will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2014 and will be hosted by Sugar Creek WWTP. This is an open meeting, and membership is not required to attend. Please feel free to share the agenda with others who may be interested.

Technical Session: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Plant Tour: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

5301 Closeburn Road, Charlotte, NC 28210, (704)  553-2124

Lunch: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Hickory Tavern
12210 Copper Way, Charlotte, NC 28277, (704) 295-9009

The original Sugar Creek WWTP was constructed in 1924 on the western bank of Little Sugar Creek and consisted of only screening, primary settling, sludge digestion, and disinfection. In 1927, activated sludge secondary treatment facilities were constructed on the eastern side of Little Sugar Creek, with a capacity of 5 MGD. In 1955, the plant was expanded to 11 MGD to accommodate residential and industrial development in Charlotte. After the 1955 upgrades, the treatment process consisted of manual coarse bar screens, comminutors, primary clarifiers, trickling filters, activated sludge treatment, chlorination, anaerobic digestion, and sludge drying beds. In 1981, a polishing lagoon was constructed to reduce the effluent TSS, and additional process tank volume increased the plant capacity to 14.67 MGD.

In 1997, the plant saw major upgrades in the form of mechanical bar screens, vortex grit removal, centrifugal aeration blowers, pH adjustment, tertiary effluent filters, dechlorination, and a SCADA System—bringing plant capacity up to 20 MGD. Later in 1997, the anaerobic digesters were decommissioned, and primary and waste activated sludge was pumped to the McAlpine Creek WWMF for anaerobic digestion. Odor control facilities were also constructed due to the close proximity of fast-growing Charlotte neighborhoods. In 2004, a UV disinfection system replaced the use of chlorine gas for disinfection. New influent pumping stations and chemical feed facilities were constructed in 2009 and 2014, respectively.

The technical presentation is titled “PCB Cleanup at the Mallard Creek WRF”. It will cover the challenges of maintaining WWTP compliance during and after an illegal PCB dumping incident and the lessons learned. Maggie Macomber (CLT Water) and Darrell DeWitt (CLT Water) will present.

Operators who have certifications issued by the WPCSOCC will receive 2.0 contact hours toward their continuing education requirement if they attend both the technical session and the plant tour. CE #01100602

Directions to the Sugar Creek WWTP

From I-77, take Exit 5 for Tyvola Road. Proceed East on Tyvola Road towards Park Road. Take a right onto Park Road. (There is an Auto Bell Carwash on the corner.) Immediately past the Auto Bell Carwash, you will see the entrance to Park Road Park, and a Duke Energy Sub-Station. Take that entrance past the Baseball fields and past the Recycling Center, to the Sugar Creek WWTP entrance. The Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is located 5301 Closeburn Road Charlotte, NC 28210.

Directions to the Hickory Tavern Restaurant

Leaving the Sugar Creek WWTP, turn right onto Park Road. Follow Park Road until it turns into Johnston Road. (Park Road bears off to the right past South Mecklenburg High School, keep straight onto Johnston Road at this point.) Continue down Johnston Road to North Community House Road. Take a right into the Shopping Center on North Community House Road. Hickory Tavern can be seen facing the round-about. (Distance from the Sugar Creek WWTP ~6 miles, drive time ~10 minutes.)