SECTION II
^VlewA - journal
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1982
, by Bill Lindau
All but some of the lesser of over
SI million in improvements have
been completed at the Raeford
waste-water treatment plant off
U.S. 401 , and the revamped facility
has been in use for about two
months.
The improvements have up
graded the plant's operation but
have not expanded its capacity.
^ Plant Superintendent Jerry Jackson
said.
The old plant, without the
improvements, was strong enough
to handle the domestic waste of a
city of about 43,000 people, if no
industries were on the city sewer
system.
Raeford's population is about
3,600, but the city sewer system
? also treates industrial waste.
When the treated waste-water
system is brought up to state and
federal standards, the current
moratorium on industrial ex
pansion will be lifted by the State
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development
(NRCD) and the U.S. Environ
mental Protection Agengy (EPA).
With the waste-water system
improvements all but complete and
A- pre-treatment facilities installed at
two of the industries, all that
remains is for corrections to be
made at the House of Raeford.
Adjustments are being made
there to handle the problem in
hopes that a fullscale pretreatment
plant will not be required.
will not be required.
The work on construction and
^ installing the improvements at the
t ?
city plant was started about a year
ago. The low bids to do the general
construction and electrical work
totaled S784.870, and, with other
expenses, the total cost has run
about $900,000, Jackson said.
Of the cost the federal govern
ment is putting up 75%, and the
state and city are splitting the
remainder evenly.
Jackson said the most expensive
of the improvements can't be seen
as they are all under water. He
noted four large concrete tanks.
The 1,700 air defusers in the
tanks, do the main job of cleaning
up the sewer water to the point
where it can be discharged into
Rockfish Creek, Jackson said.
The defusers push air through
the treatment water so bubbles are
made which allows bacteria to live.
Jackson explained that the bac
teria, which break down the pollu
tants in the water, need oxygen to
live.
The older system, before the new
equipment was installed, wasn't as
efficient, he said.
A new laboratory was also con
structed to analyze the waste water
to see whether it comes up to state
standards before its dumped into
the creek.
The lab also distills tap water to
make it chemically pure as required
for all testing in the laboratory. The
distilling removes all chemicals and
bacteria from the water, Jackson
said.
The old laboratory is now being
used as a repair shop, he added.
An addition to the existing lab
building was built to house the new
lab. the ift# control panel for the
entire plant and the chlorine tanks
with their alarm system.
The alahn sounds when a chlo
rine leak occurs, Jackson said.
The plant uses about 1 10 pounds
of chlorine a day, Jackson said,
adding that the improvements cut
the cost to the city to 9.5 cents from
22 cents per pound.
One of the main problems the
city has, is treating the oil and
grease discharged from the House
of Raeford, Jackson said.
At present, Jackson explained,
the city sewer plant employees pick
up the oil and grease at the plant,
then put it in tanks where it is
treated with lime, (which reduces
the waste material to a harmless
substance chemically).
After that the treated material is
placed in a drying bed at the plant
once the liquid is removed, it is
buried at the city-county landfill.
Jackson pointed out that this
treatment with lime, incidentally,
makes this fat and grease valuable
to the soil.
The city plant, of course, will be
relieved of this chore once a
pretreatment system is operating at
the turkey plant.
Another of the improvements
made at the plant is the installation
of an emergency power generator
with its "home." Jackson calls this
the largest single expense of the
improvement project at $65,000 for
the generator, a Detroit 12-cylinder
Diesel model.
Jackson said the generator would
go into action two seconds after the
regular power system is knocked
out.
mtmwtww * - ? M.
The new lab building is the part at right with the low masonry wall. The new storage building.
The treatment plant s new laboratory. Melvin Pitt man. who is in charge of the lab. is standing with the distiller.
j
These tanks hold waste oil and grease being given lime treatment before going to a drying bed at the plant.