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SCTC WATER ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM

FIELD TRIP WITH PICTURES

BECKER, MN WWTF

On August 8^th of this year the students from St. Cloud Technical College took a field trip to the Becker WWTF.  I would first of all like to Thank Tony, John, Ann and the entire community of Becker for allowing us to use their Wastewater Treatment Facility as a classroom and learning environment.  I am unable to put into words how important this is for students to see during the learning process while attending school. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the Becker WWTF, they have two separate treatment plants in Becker.  The domestic treatment facility treats all the waste from Becker except the industrial discharge from a cardboard recycling/generating facility, Liberty Paper.  The domestic treatment processes consist of a fine screen (3/8”) in the headwork’s area that is followed by compaction to remove water from the rags.  The wastewater is then metered through a parshall-flume and flows to a lift station.  The submersible pumps then pump the water to a splitter box and is distributed to one of 4 RBC units, using parallel flow, and treated biologically.  Immediately following the RBC units, a chemical is added for phosphorus removal before being sent to another splitter box prior to entering one of the two final clarifiers.  The water leaving the finals is then disinfected using Ultra Violet light before being discharged into a river (I forgot which one).  For you sludge guru’s you will be jealous of how they manage their solids generated at this facility.  Becker used to have Ponds as their secondary treatment system prior to building the mechanical facility; they now use the ponds for sludge storage and final disposal.  Becker has not had to land apply, surface dispose or incinerate their sludge since the plant was built many years ago (I think about 15 years).  Rumor has it that the ponds are going to be removed and anaerobic digesters put in to manage the Biosolids.  OH-OH!  Their pond system is so nice I think I would repair and reline the ponds and not worry about having to deal with the 503 rules.  Good luck guys!

The Industrial treatment process is the real challenge for the operators in Becker.  Liberty Paper Company has a waste stream that would scare most operators of a domestic WWTF, however, keeping the domestic and industrial flows separate, allows the Becker staff two run the waste streams independently.  The industrial stream consists of preliminary treatment (screening and compacting) followed by nutrient addition (nitrogen, phos, potassium and micro nutrients) before being pumped to a packed tower (trickling filter) from a lift station.  From the P.T., the effluent is gravity fed to a phosphorus removal process and then into an Oxidation ditch followed by two final clarifiers.  The discharge is mixed with the effluent from the domestic side then discharged.  (I still don’t remember the name of the receiving stream).  Disinfection is not required on the industrial side since no human or animal waste is involved in that process.  The solids from the industrial process are sent to a sludge thickening process (belt press) and land filled.

I’ve attached some photos from our tour of the Becker Facility and what we saw during our tour.  Enjoy and thanks again to the Becker staff!

Keith Redmond, Water Environment Technologies Instructor, SCTC

Bar Screen with 3/8” openings. 

Packed Tower Distribution system 

Lift Station following fine screen (domestic Side)

One of two filter presses for industrial solids

Oxidation Ditch for industrial wastewater.

Phosphorus Removal tank, prior to Ox. Ditch.

Growth on media in Packed Tower.  Industrial Process

Industrial solids coming off of the filter press ready for disposal.  (~12 %)

Pond storing biosolids from domestic treatment process

John’s supper, a snapping turtle trapped in the splitter-box on the domestic train prior to entering the RBC unit.

Plows on top of filter press before solids are squeezed by the belts. (industrial)

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST!!!!!

Becker’s finest, JOHN, providing a little instruction to some students on the computer control and monitoring system. (SCADA)  Great Job John, maybe you would like to fill-in for me at school some day!?!?