GALLATIN PUBLIC UTILITIES CONSTRUCTS MASSIVE TANK TO DIVERT SEWAGE DURING STORMS
Storage and Pump System Keeps Untreated Discharges from Entering Town Creek
Gallatin – Gallatin Public Utilities is working to complete a project that will prevent strong rain events from overwhelming the sewer system and causing discharges of untreated water into Town Creek. The 10-million gallon tank and pump “equalization basin” off Maple Drive will stagger the flow of water to the treatment plant and resolve the issue. The project was funded at $12,200,000 and is expected to be complete in the summer of 2022.
“Gallatin Public Utilities has been working closely with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to insure we are in compliance with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit,” said GPU Superintendent David Kellogg. “This is a good investment toward city infrastructure and our local environment.”
Wastewater is discharged from toilets, drains, sinks from homes, businesses and commercial properties and travels through our sanitary sewer system to be treated at the Gallatin Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Stormwater is generated during precipitation events. Water that flows off roofs, streets, sidewalks and parking lots drains into a separate stormwater collection system and is diverted directly into waterways without treatment.
While these two systems operate independently, heavy rains can enter the sanitary sewer system through cracks in pipes, defective manholes, or illegally connected downspouts and drains, which can overwhelm the system and lead to sanitary sewer overflows. The EQ Basin works by measuring rainwater and water flow in the sanitary sewer system. When a certain volume is reached during a rain event, the system will divert excess water into a storage tank. As flows come back down to normal, stored water is slowly released back into the system.
CROM, the project contractor, has built more than 4,000 similar products across the southeast. “A good percentage of our business over the last eight to ten years has been EQ Basins alone,” said Blake Roberts, CROM Area Manager. “So it’s not just Gallatin, it’s everywhere that is having to address this problem to free up capacity for the water/waste water treatment plants.”
YOUTUBE VIDEO - GPU Builds 10-Million Gallon Concrete Tank
https://youtu.be/KJWlqgTwIGg
-###-
