Waste Water Plant

The City of Clarkesville operates a 0.75 million gallon per day (MGD) Waste Water Treatment Plant. Construction was completed in 1966, ending the use of the original Imhoff Tank Treatment Process, a structure built around 1951 which still stands on the prop-erty today. The 1966 construction includes a Preliminary treatment process of grit and sand removal as well as the removal of large debris by the useof barscreens. Primary treatment is a tank large enough to slow the flow of water to allow heavy particles to settle.

The water is then sent to a biological treatment where beneficial bacteria break down, and consume as food, pollutants in the water. A 60 foot diameter Trickling Filter was used for this process until 1997 when a 290,000 gallon Activated Sludge system was added. The Trickling Filter is still used as a biological pre-treatment for the Activated Sludge Process. The treated water is then sent to final clarifier where the particulates are settled leaving clean water. The clean water then goes to a disinfection process to insure it is safe to be discharged to the So-que River. The 1997 improvements also included a Belt Filter Press to replace 3 Sludge Drying Beds, a new and larger Chlorine Contact Basin and a conversion of the Sludge Digester from Anaerobic to Aerobic eliminating the dangers of methane production.

In 2010 further upgrades included a Grit Cyclone and Classifier to replace a pair of gravity grit channels,larger capacity influent pumps and a new and larger Laboratory with office space. Two operators are needed to run the plant and maintain the equipment and grounds. The City of Clarkesville has a total of 3 Class 1 Licensed Waste Water Operators all with Laboratory Analyst Licenses.