Charlotte County Utilities
Treatment Facilities - West Port Water Reclamation Facility
WEST PORT HISTORY
Since the mid-nineties, the West Port Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) has had several modifications and upgrades to increase its reliability and to enable it to produce public access reuse effluent. The facility was upgraded to 1.2 MGD (million gallons per day) capacity in 2004 and was certified complete in January 2005.
WEST PORT SITE
The West Port Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) encompasses approximately 97 acres of land. Approximately 20 acres are used for restricted-access, slow-rate irrigation of reclaimed water. Unlike the East Port WRF, there is no designated conservation area; however, many species of wildlife make the West Port site their home.
THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESS AT WEST PORT
The West Port WRF is an activated sludge treatment facility with a rating of 1.2 MGD based on annual average design flow. The treatment process includes screening and aeration, clarification, filtration, and disinfection using bleach – 12% sodium hypochlorite. The effluent is discharged to reclaimed water sites such as golf courses or to onsite spray irrigation fields with backup disposal to one onsite deep injection well. The solids are treated using two aerobic digesters. The digested solids are then hauled via County tanker to the East Port WRF for further aerobic digestion. These solids go through a filter press to form a 16% dry cake, which is then trucked via County truck to the landfill. Once at the landfill, it is mixed with yard waste and treated with an enzyme to make compost that is used as cover at the landfill, eliminating the need for fill to be purchased.
DEEP WELL INJECTION
West Port has a Class 1 injection well with a depth of approximately 1,650 feet. The well is permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for a total discharge capacity of 4.75 MGD. This well can pump at a maximum of 3,300 gpm (gallons per minute) with a maximum injection pressure of 96 psi.
