Wastewater Systems & Infrastructure
SUB owns and operates wastewater systems in Sylacauga, AL, including the J. Earl Ham Wastewater Treatment Plant, located on Shirtee Creek in the northwestern part of the city. It serves the central business district, the industrial park, and the residential development areas. Meanwhile, Valley View, located north of the main business district, works with an independent sewer collection system. The wastewater is pumped, and then, by gravity, it flows to the J. Earl Ham Wastewater Treatment Plant. In contrast, our second system is located at the north corporate limit and serves the Fairmont area with a capacity of 0.22 million gallons per day.
Our Capabilities
We provide sanitary sewer service to 6,112 customers using a wastewater collection system beneath the city. This system consists of 125 miles of gravity sewer lines and 9 miles of force sewer lines measuring 4 to 30 inches in diameter with eight lift stations. In 2009, the average daily flow was 3.932 million gallons per day which has increased since then. Our two plants' combined peak treatment capacity is 5.02 million gallons per day.
Our History
In 1987, SUB completed $12,196,200 worth of improvements to a wastewater system. Of this amount, $6,770,260 was provided by a federal grant, and the remaining balance was a combination of Bond proceeds and retained earnings. This project included the construction of the J. Earl Ham Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Fairmont Plant while upgrading the Valley View Plant and other existing sewer mains. SUB met the State and Federal wastewater discharge limits with these improvements.
In recent years, SUB has been involved in many wastewater system improvement projects. In 1998, we began the J. Earl Ham Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge Handling and Grit Removal project. During this $1.3 million project, we installed a grit classifier system at the head of the plant, sand filtration, and a new two-meter belt filter press for sludge dewatering. In 2004, we upgraded the J. Earl Ham Treatment Wastewater Department Plant to increase the treatment capacity from 2.4 to 4.8 gallons.
In 2003, SUB purchased 154 acres of land to accommodate the land application of biosolids generated by the wastewater treatment process. All wastewater treatment processes are monitored and regulated by the ADEM and EPA.
In 2003, SUB purchased 154 acres of land to accommodate the land application of biosolids generated by the wastewater treatment process. All wastewater treatment processes are monitored and regulated by the ADEM and EPA.