Water Pollution Control Facility

The City of Urbana Water Pollution Control Facility  is located southwest of the city limits on Muzzy Road. The original WPCF was constructed in 1915 and one of the buildings still exists. In 1954, a new WPCF was constructed on the same WPCF site providing complete treatment and designed for an average flow of 1.5 MGD. The WPCF was introduced as a Tricking Filter system with Primary and Secondary Settling Tanks with anaerobic digestion. In 1973, construction was started on updating and expanding the existing plant facilites. The expansion consisted of aeration tanks, aerobic digesters, and 2 settling tanks for secondary clarification. This upgrade raised the facility average flow to 3 MGD treatable.

In late 1991 through 1992 the WPCF received its last upgrade. At that time the N-viro process was introduced and allowed the Urbana WPCF to produce Class A exceptional quality sludge (EQS). Along with the N-viro process, a chlorine contact tank, and a post aeration tank were designed. With small capital expenditures in the past 15 years, the Urbana WPCF has started a new design and upgrade study in early 2006. At the end of 2005 the facility treated 803 MG of domestic and industrial wastewater and produced about 2030 ton of Class A (EQS) sludge. The Class A sludge was land applied to our area farmers at agronomic rates as a lime product. With many new regulations for solid waste and development within the city, the WPCF is being directed to accept septic haulers and urban development. The present study is targeting the facility to handle an average of 4.5 MGD along with a septic dump station and microwave process for sludge’s.

We, the staff at the Urbana WPCF try to make the cleanest effluent possible to protect the interests of the Mad River watershed.