2024 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science™ Awards Competition Winner - Grand Prize in Industrial Waste Practice
Webinar Summary:
The HDR team was selected by the City of South Sioux City (SSC), Nebraska to study the feasibility of a new wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) that will support several local industries. Three treatment alternatives, were evaluated and a process assessment examined the feasibility of the technologies under five different flow and load scenarios for existing industry. These scenarios considered capacity for future industrial loads, inclusion of domestic flows, and combinations of sources. Analyzing system costs, user rates, potential of future modular expansion and other stakeholder considerations, SSC decided to pursue the construction of Nebraska’s first Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) plant to achieve self-reliance and long-term economic viability for the community.
The chosen treatment system included Anaerobic Lagoons followed by AGS, then UV disinfection, and discharge to the Missouri River. Construction of the SSC WWTF was completed in 2023 and started to receive industrial wastewater as of June 12th. This presentation will discuss the planning and design stages of the project, the challenges the team overcame during the start-up phase, the ongoing operation of the WWTF, and what the future holds to incorporating domestic wastewater treatment into the facility.