Operating a Wastewater Treatment Plant During Construction

On a normal day, the Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility off Johnson Drive in Pleasanton may seem like a well-oiled machine. But there aren’t many normal days for DSRSD operators running the plant when the District is frequently repairing, replacing, or expanding the facility.

Levi Fuller, who retired as the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Superintendent, spent 17 of his 21 years with the plant under some type of construction.

“Operating a treatment plant during construction is like tuning up your car while driving down the road,” Fuller says.

Concrete is pumped to create a new primary tank at the plant in 2020.

Construction projects at the plant often impact one or more steps in the treatment process and occasionally involve temporarily taking working sections out of service. Before that can occur, operations staff must assess if backup systems are needed so the plant can continue meeting the parameters of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. This permit  essentially limits what the plant can discharge to natural waterways.  Operators, mechanics, and electricians also work with DSRSD engineers during the design phase of projects.

“We give input on our preferences, what we’ve seen at other plants, and our instincts and intuition about what works best,” Fuller says. “That’s very important to any successful capital improvement project. It helps to have all disciplines involved.”

Fuller’s most challenging construction project during his tenure with the District was the Stage 4 improvements that began in 2000 when he’d only been with the District about six months . This project affected every process in the plant. The plant operates 24/7/365, so at the time it was common to adjust operators’ schedules to come in off-hours to assist the contractor with taking processes offline.

“I literally kept a sleeping back in my office and probably slept at least several dozen nights on the floor,” Fuller says.

One of the concerns regarding the Stage 4 construction was that it would release more odors to the surrounding community. To mitigate this, DSRSD added more odor-control equipment with the project. The District also began holding quarterly neighborhood meetings with invites sent to about 1,800 addresses near the facility. The meetings, which are still held annually, offered an opportunity for DSRSD staff to communicate about plant improvements and for the public to express their concerns.

Most projects impact one system or process, like the current expansion and improvement of the primary sedimentation tanks. 
Slated for completion near the end of 2021, this project has had its own challenges for plant operators. In August 2019, operators diverted wastewater to a holding basin for six hours during the night so they could drain the settled sewage channel in order for the contractor to prep the channel for new wastewater flows. Operators also had to be sure the plant could handle heavier wintertime flows (due to seasonal rains) while still taking portions of the primary treatment out of service.

“It does make for a more exciting, satisfying career if you have construction and are constantly improving the plant because you work for an organization that wants to be on the cutting edge of treatment technologies,” Fuller says. 

Posted: July 6, 2021