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Water and Wastewater Plant Directory
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Key West, Florida, USA
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Key West Richard A. Heyman Environmental Protection Facility
PO Box 4998
Key West, Florida, 33041
USA
Contact Information:
Contact: Nick LeCoumpte, OMI Operations Supervisor
Email:
webmaster@keywestwastewater.com
Telephone: 305-292-5100
Fax:
Plant Operation: Municipal
Processing: Wastewater
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Web site:
http://www.keywestwastewater.com/
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Plant/Process Description:
Key West's wstewater treatment facility and
sanitary sewer collection system have been
operated and maintained by Operations Management
International, Inc. (OMI)since plant startup in
1989.
OMI employs 26 people at its Key West facility,
which functions as a City department.
Originally designed as an extended aeration
activated sludge plant; modifications were made
in 2001 that included an anoxic zone for
denitrification, reaeration, and alum addition
to precipitate phosphrus in the clarifiers, and
fabric disk filters. The facility routinely
produces effluent quality well below 5-5-3-1, or
AWT standards.
Currently, average flows are
approximately 4.5 MGD, a reduction from an
average 8 MGD three years ago. This reduction in
flow was a direct result of the $56 million
collection system rehabilitation that began in
1999. Seawater and rainfall inflow that
previously entered the system and had to be
unnecessarily pumped to the plant no longer
occurs. The City has spent more than $67 million
over the past 3 years on sewer capital
improvements that included rehabilitation of the
collection system, construction of two Class I
Deep Injection Wells, and upgrading the facility
to an Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT)
facility.
The treatment process begins with two mechanical
barscreens for removal of inorganics and large
debris like plastics, rags, and other non-
biodegradable trash. These screens let
wastewater pass through but retain
the debris, which is transported to a sanitary
landfill on the mainland. The Grit Removal
System consists of a centifugal grit
settling chamber which collects sand and grit.
The slurry of sand and grit is washed and
drained, then removed from site with the
screenings.
The wastewater then enters one of two aeration
basins where oxygen is supplied through the use
of platform mounted surface aerators. The
mixture of wastewater and bacteria
called "Activated Sludge", help to degrade the
remaining organics in the water.
The secondary clarifiers allow the "Activated
Sludge" to settle out of the purified water.
Some of the activated sludge is returned to the
aeration basin to repeat the cycle while another
portion, called "Waste Activated Sludge" is
removed in order to maintain the balance between
available food in the wastewater to the mass of
bacteria in the aeration basin.
After the
purified water leaves the clarifier, a
chlorine (Cl2) solution is added as a
disinfectant. This kills pathogenic, or disease-
causing organisms in the water. The City will
soon be eliminating chlorine gas and replacing
it with ultra-violet disinfection. After
treatment, the water is pumped into one of two
deep injection wells that extend 3200 feet below
surface and cased through an
impermeable "Boulder" Zone that assures there
will be no upwelling of effluent. Key West
stopped discharging treated effluent to the
ocean in September 2001.
The waste activated sludge is stabilized
aerobically which means that air forced into the
sludge with rotating paddles. This helps provide
and environment in which bacteria will thrive.
After being mixed with a polymer coagulant, the
liquid sludge is run through the belt filter
presses which use gravity and pressure to
dewater the sludge. The dewatered sludge,
called "cake" is transported to a sanitary
landfill on the mainland.
In 2005 Key West was presented with the Florida
Department of Environmental Protections highest
award for Operations Excellence. In 2004 the
Florida Rural Water Association awarded OMI and
Key West the Earl B. Phelps Operations
Excellence Award. OMI and the City of Key West
are extemely proud of these accomplishments, and
they are a testament of Key West's commitment to
protect our environment.
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Owner:
City of Key West
Web site:
http://www.keywestcity.com
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Operating Company:
Operations Management International
Web site:
http://www.keywestwastewater.com/
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Directions:
The Key West WWTP is located on Flemming Key just off of the island through Trumbo Point Annex Navy base.
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Disclaimer:
Water and Wastewater.com provides the information on
this page for reference purposes only. We do not certify
the accuracy of the information provided by third-party
individuals for this listing.
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