The sanitary sewer system is not something that is pleasant to talk about, but it is important. Wastewater is comprised of human waste, food prep waste, dirty wash-water, and industrial waste.
Beatrice Wastewater Pollution Control (WPC) Division Objective
To collect, treat, and dispose of wastewater in an environmentally sound manner and in accordance with current local, state, and federal regulations.
Overview
Beatrice has 1 wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) that serves a community of 12,000 people. It is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) over 365 days a year, with scheduled routine maintenance and/or special cleaning requiring periodic shutdowns of individual plant processes. Six full-time staff operate and manage the plant, including trained professionals such as lab technicians, process control personnel, operators, maintenance crews and administrative personnel. The WWTF has emergency crews that are on stand-by 24/7, 365 days a year.
- The plant maintains over 100 miles of sewer collection pipelines and 9 lift stations (which pump sewage to the treatment plant)
- On average 1.3 million gallons of sewage a day is treated
- Approximately 7 separate cleaning steps are taken before wastewater is discharged to area waterways. All environmental and health standards are met in achieving these steps.
- Beatrice discharges treated wastewater under a permit issued by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.