SANITARY SEWER

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SANITARY SEWER. From 1848 through 1958, Dubuque, like other river communities, pumped its sewage directly into the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. This was accomplished by five pipes leading directly to the water. (1) In 1914 residents of Dubuque living west of Grandview and south of Delhi were so insistent in having a sewer system that the city council passed a resolution instructing City Engineer E. C. Blake to draw up plans. It was thought at the time that the residents lived in an area that could not be linked to the city's sewer system. The only means of handling sewage was pumping it through a "circuitous" route to CATFISH CREEK and through private property outside the city limits. (2) Completed in 1930 the West Dubuque sewer system cost just short of $81,000 and served all the residents with the exception of Fremont Avenue. (3)

In 1931 Dr. W. J. Connell, the city health director, reported that 90% of all dwelling in the city were connected to the sanitary sewer system. (4)

In 1958 the city opened a small primary treatment plant along CATFISH CREEK. This facility did little other than to remove large pieces which were not treated. This sludge was vacuumed filtered to remove water, but it remained moist and smelled. The urine, detergents, sugar, salt, and 75% of the organic material continued on to the river without treatment. (5) When the city found no way of handling the sludge, it contracted with CULLEN-SCHILTZ & ASSOCIATES of Dubuque and Henningson, Durham, and Richardson of Omaha, Nebraska to build a new plant capable of removing and burning the sludge.

The consultants came to the city with a three-step program. Phase 1, estimated at $4 million called for the construction of a new plant, replacement of equipment at the Cedar Street pumping station, a new pumping station at Catfish Creek and several new sewage lines. Phase 2, scheduled for 1972 at a cost of $1.7 million, included additional equipment at the plant to improve volume and increase removal capacity. Phase 3, at a cost of $1.2 and scheduled for 1978, called for a new Couler Valley interceptor sewer and a new Terminal Valley pumping station. (6)

In 1966 with no federal directives on the treatment of sewage, Dubuque became the first city on the upper Mississippi to consider construction of a plant. (7) City staff chose to concentrate on the handling of disease-causing bacteria with partial secondary treatment and chlorination rather than removing high amounts of organic materials through a secondary treatment. (8) The plant was designed for 10.5 million gallons of sewage flow; 104,685 pounds of organic material; and 101,450 pounds of suspended solids daily. The estimated organic material removal was 80-85%. Contracts were signed with the DUBUQUE PACKING COMPANY and CELOTEX specifying limits on flow, organic material and solids. (9)

During the construction of the plant, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new water quality standards called for the removal of 90% of the organic material.

The plant became obsolete at the same time it was being overloaded. (10) On some days sewage flow exceeded 15 million gallons and organic counts rose above 200,000. As the trickling filters became unable to operate, odors began drifting over Julien Dubuque Drive, South Grandview, and Mount Carmel. Instead of 80-85% removal as planned, the plant removed less than 60%. (11) Negotiations with the Pack and Celotex resulted in flow levels being returned to agreed levels by 1972.

In the spring of 1972 the EPA issued a new set of standards. Although phrased in different language, the rules required almost a 97% removal of organic material. The EPA paid 55% of the cost of pollution control, states paid 25% and cities paid 20%. Heavy industrial contributors were required to pay their share of the local 20%. (12) Faced with large costs, the Pack devise its own primary treatment operation at its plant which reduced its organic load from 45,000 to 10,000 pounds. (13)

In October 2013 the Water and Resource Recovery Center, Dubuque's newly completed wastewater treatment plant was one of a few worldwide to use an innovative heating and cooling system, was only months away from being self-sustaining energy-wise, and regularly produced large amounts of agriculturally beneficial "biosolids."

Constructed on the same site as the previous plant, the Center was a $65 million project, the largest capital investment in the history of the city. The facility in 2013 daily processed about 10 million gallons of wastewater from 23,000 customers and deposited cleaned liquid into the MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Solid wastes were processed through anerobic digestion rather than incineration. This produced methane and biosolids. While initially more expensive, anerobic digestion had the lowest annual operation and maintenance costs. Ultraviolet light rather than harmful chemicals was used to sterilize the water. The light did not kill bacteria, but made it unable to reproduce. Instead of using groundwater for heating and cooling, the clean effluent was used within the facility.

The project was funded by the Iowa Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan program. Sanitary sewer fees were used to repay the loan.

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Source:

1. Fyten, David and Knee, Bill. "Dubuque is Forerunner on Sewage Treatment on Upper Mississippi River," Telegraph Herald, Nov. 15, 1974, p. 1. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EQdRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G78MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6845,4066080&dq=sewer+system+dubuque&hl=en

2. "New Sewer Plan for West Dubuque," Telegraph Herald, Nov. 20, 1914, p. 5. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_Q9eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5F8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5953,4552442&dq=sewer+system+dubuque&hl=en

3. "Ten City Streets Paved During the Year," Telegraph Herald and Times Journal, Jan. 1, 1931, p. 9. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XdFFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cr0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4129,3856014&dq=sewer+system+dubuque&hl=en

4. "Dubuque Proves Health City in Which to Live," Telegraph Herald, Apr. 30, 1931, p. 10. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Xb5FAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h70MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2426,4330301&dq=sewer+system+dubuque&hl=en

5. Fyten

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Ibid.

Jacobson, Ben. "Royal Flushes? City Will Put Dubuquers' Waste to Good Use," Telegraph Herald Oct. 4, 2013