Greenwood Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility

The County's Greenwood Lakes Wastewater Facility, located in Lake Mary, treats approximately 840 million gallons of wastewater a year. Of this total, 365 million gallons were reclaimed for irrigation.

Currently the County has 122 reclaimed water commercial customers, including a car wash. In February 2008 there will be an addition of approximately 922 residential customers, with an average daily flow of 1 million gallons a day, saving potable water for drinking purposes.

Raw sewage is collected and pumped through force mains to the treatment facility (Fig. 1). Larger particles such as rags and grit are removed before sending the sewage to the oxidation ditches for treatment.

The liquid, or effluent, is filtered (Fig. 2), then disinfected with sodium hypochlorite (Fig. 3) before it is sent out as Public Access reclaimed water for irrigation purposes (Fig. 4).

The quality of the effluent is continuously monitored for turbidity, ph and chlorine. (Fig. 6)

Plant operation is also continuously monitored through the County SCADA system (Fig. 7) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Micro-organisms use the sewage for food and produce a stabilized sludge.

The sludge is pressed into a cake-like substance (Fig. 8). The monthly average of cake sludge produced for 2006 was 654 tons at a 12% solids.

These solids are then transported (Fig. 9) to a facility by a contractor that further treats the sludge to a Class AA biosolid, that can be used as a fertilizer for crops.

Fig. 1 - Master Pump Station/Pretreatment area

Fig. 2 - Effluent is filtered

Fig. 3 - Effluent is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite

Fig. 4 - Water for irrigation purposes

Fig. 6 - Effluent is continuously monitored

Fig. 7 - County SCADA system

Fig. 8 - Sludge is pressed into a cake-like substance

Fig. 9 - The solids are transported