WASTEWATER

About the Wastewater Department

Hamilton’s wastewater systems include over 257 miles of sewer lines and our wastewater reclamation facility is able to treat 32 million gallons per day. Our wastewater treatment facilities include our primary sludge plant and a sewer interceptor complete with a secondary

Core Service Update

treatment process to handle wet weather flows in excess of 32 million gallons a day. The City’s current treatment demands are well below this capacity allowing for new users to connect to the system without a treatment plant expansion.

SYSTEM STATS & FAST FACTS

• Number of Customers: 22,997

• Total Revenue (2021): $12.6M

• Miles of Collection pipes: 253

AVERAGE DAILY FLOW: 7.7 MILLION GALLONS A DAY

• Top Customer (2021): Synergy Flavors

• Founded: 1959

DESIGNED SYSTEM CAPACITY: 32 MILLION GALLONS A DAY

WET WEATHER CAPACITY: 62 MILLION GALLONS A DAY

LARGEST COLLECTION PIPE: 5 FEET WIDE

POUNDS OF BIOSOLIDS GIVEN TO LOCAL FARMERS:

Fighting infiltration and Main Lining

One of the biggest challenges for a wastewater treatment facility is operating during wet weather when inflows from the system increase substantially. This extra water flow generally comes from legacy storm water connections into the system and the pressure of groundwater leaching into aging, but not failing, sanitary sewer pipes during rain events. One way we are helping fight stormwater infiltration is by proactively lining our sanitary sewer pipes. The process inflates a lining which expands and fills the sewer pipes which creates a watertight barrier and provides additional strength to the pipe. The relatively inexpensive enhancement to our existing pipe adds years of life to treated pipes without any digging needed! About 12,600 feet of sewer pipes are lined each year.

Master Planning the Wet Process

Comprehensive sewer systems were being built throughout Europe and the United States in the mid-1880s. These initial sewage systems consisted of diverting wastewater to farms, where the wastewater helped restore nutrients to the soil. Population growth resulted in larger volumes of wastewater to the point that the farmland method was no longer effective and thus began the development of modern biological treatment systems. These systems began to be slowly introduced across the country as needed and, in 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act making secondary treatment a requirement for all wastewater treatment plants in the US.

The City of Hamilton’s Wastewater System began with a sludge plant that was placed into service in 1959 and in 1978 the system expanded to provide complete treatment services to the community. Wastewater customer classes include residential, commercial, industrial and large contract customers totaling approximately 23,000 customers in all today. The Wastewater System serves the entire City and certain adjacent areas and accounts for 99% of the wastewater treatment services within the corporate limits of the City.

The Wastewater System has grown substantially since 1959 and currently consists of an expanded wastewater treatment plant (Water Reclamation Facility), located on the banks of the Great Miami River. In 2002, an expansion of the treatment facilities was completed. Today, in a nod to the origin of sewage treatment, Hamilton’s reclamation facility still provides more than three million pounds of reclaimed biosolids as fertilizer for local farms.