By John Dobberstein, Editor
A new master plan that will make the Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant the largest municipal biosolids composting facility in Oklahoma is set to begin the design phase.
The Broken Arrow Municipal Authority approved the plan Feb. 1 in a unanimous vote. The new design for the plant updates the current biosolids stabilization process and the capital improvement plan (CIP).
Biosolids are a product of the wastewater treatment process. During wastewater treatment the liquids are separated from the solids. Those solids are then treated physically and chemically to produce a semisolid, nutrient-rich product known as biosolids, the EPA says. The terms ‘biosolids’ and ‘sewage sludge’ are often used interchangeably.
Wastewater treatment facilities have two essential functions—reclaiming water and processing solid waste. This new capability will turn the solid waste into useable Class A compost with unlimited distribution.
A composting material produced at the Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant could be used on all fields on city property and made available to the public.
Lars Ostervold of Jacob Engineering estimates the Haikey Creek plant will produce 11,000 tons of compost annually. There are currently four wastewater plants that compost in the state. Of those, Midwest City has the largest plant.
“The superintendent there said he started applying it to his vegetable garden and he’ll never use anything else but compost produced at the wastewater plant,” Ostervold said.
The Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is a part of the Regional Metropolitan Utility Authority and it is utilized by both the City of Broken Arrow and the City of Tulsa.
Adoption of the updated Biosolids Master Plan by BAMA allows the RMUA to move forward with its recommendation to begin the design update.
The new design will be a collaboration between the City of Broken Arrow’s Engineering and Construction Department, the City of Broken Arrow Utilities Department, the City of Tulsa and Jacobs Engineering Group.
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There was a consensus among the RMUA constituents that the original plan completed in 2007 should be re-evaluated with more current and sustainable options for processing solids.
Jacobs Engineering Group was hired in December 2020 to rethink the current biosolids plan.
“That reevaluation came up with some significant cost savings,” City of Broken Arrow Engineering and Construction Director Ethan Edwards said.
BAMA and the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority (TMUA) will each fund 50% of the CIP. The previously approved CIP through fiscal year 2026 had a total of $58.4 million compared to the updated CIP at $39.44 million.
The city says there are still many details to be discussed between the communities and their stakeholders, including issues such as marketing, distribution methods and potential uses.
The final distribution plan will be based on the market study and the decisions of BAMA, TMUA and RMUA. The variety of distribution models across the country, or even within the southern Great Plains, provide many options for the communities to consider. BAMA, TMUA and RMUA will make the final decision after a detailed analysis, the city says.
The distribution plan to be developed will describe how parties can obtain access to the compost. Many users and stakeholders will be considered
Haikey Creek WWTP, operated by the city of Tulsa, will be responsible for testing and meeting Class A EQ (exceptional quality) standards on biosolids per U.S. EPA and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality requirements – which are the highest standard in the biosolids processing industry.
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