Our Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has seen a lot of action this spring, starting with a clarifier project that hit the ground running in April and May. 

Clarifier Project 
Excavation work has begun on the project that replaces a failed clarifier at the Plant and adds two new clarifiers for existing and future capacity needs. Clarifiers play an important role in sludge removal before created wastewater can continue through the treatment process. Sludge settles at the bottom of a clarifier, leaving clear water at the top to move on to the final steps of filtration and disinfection.  

A portion of the Plant’s clarifier project is covered by a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration that was secured by GUC staff in 2023. 

To learn more about the importance of clarifiers in treating wastewater, check out our virtual tour of the WWTP (clarifier section is at the 5:35 minute mark).

Constructed Wetlands 
WWTP staff had a handful of visitors on May 10th who were on hand for an update about a hybrid constructed wetlands research project that’s been in the works for a few years. The project is hosted by our WWTP staff and sponsored by the East Carolina University (ECU) Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering and the University of North Carolina Research Opportunities Initiatives grant. Part of the project has also been funded by the North Carolina Sea Grant. 

The purpose of the research project is to find innovative and cost-effective ways in which constructed wetlands could be used to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. The project is headed by Dr. Natasha Bell, former Assistant Professor in ECU’s Department of Engineering and now with the Ecological Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. The project is a collaboration of undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, chemistry, biology, and geology in addition to doctoral students from the Integrated Coastal Studies Program and the Interdisciplinary Program in Biology, Biomedicine, and Chemistry.  

During the May 10th visit from students, faculty, and local industry representatives, Dr. Bell gave a tour of the wetland system at our WWTP and shared the most up-to-date results of the project.  

You can learn more about this project through this detailed article written by ECU News Services in June, 2023:  https://news.ecu.edu/2023/06/22/treatment-plan/