The City of Vinton’s wastewater treatment plant collects, pumps and treats 170MG of wastewater from the residents. Wastewater flows to the treatment plant or to one of 8 pump stations scattered around town, which pumps it to the treatment plant.
When it gets to the plant it flows through a bar screen which takes out the large particles, wet wipes and other materials that should not go down the drains. It is then dumped into a pit to remove the grit and sand that gets into the pipes through the connections and then pumped up to one of two 400,000 gal aeration tanks where it is circulated and air added to it to help break down the solids for removal. The natural bugs in the waste are what helps in digestion.
The remaining waste water then flows to the final clarifiers where the solids settle out and sink to the bottom, and either returned to the aeration tanks or sent to the digester awaiting to be disposed of. The water leaving the clarifiers are ran through the UV unit, which destroys the bacteria, and sent out of the plant to the nearby creek. Twice a year, before planting season in the spring and after harvest in the fall we haul and clean out the digester and incorporate into nearby farmers fields.