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Collection System Assessment & Rehab Group
Over the last seven years, the City has commenced the implementation of a full blown collection system assessment and rehabilitation program including the addition of permanent staff to provide for the ongoing and continuing needs for this program. The City commenced with the survey and inspection of manholes to insure map accuracy and to develop accurate hydraulic modeling to assess the systems needs and responses to rain events of any magnitude. Flow monitoring was done to assess the system responses to rain. The responses were used to calibrate the digital hydraulic model of the 10-inch and greater lines in the service area. A staffing plan was developed to identify the key positions needed at all levels to maintain this program long-term. Most of the staff has been secured. However some salary and bureaucratic obstacles have impeded the full implementation of the staffing plan. As would be expected, some additional staffing needs have been identified as a result of experience in developing policies and actual procedures to facilitate the program.
 
The City has implemented computer maintenance management of all assets, fully functional GIS capable maps, long-term capacity needs model and a capital improvements plan to insure this capacity, smoke testing crews, digital robotic television inspection crew for ongoing line inspection on a basin by basin basis, creek crossing management program, creek sampling program and the initial development of a lateral program modeled after the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board program. The goal again is to be proactive in addressing deficiencies and problems in the system and to prevent future problems.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations
There is one wastewater treatment plant that serves the entire sanitary sewer service area. The WWTP is rated for 30 million gallons per day of daily average capacity. The plant has a head works process, primary and secondary treatment systems along with a recently installed ultraviolet light disinfection system that replaced the chlorine disinfection process previously used. The system is positioned to add 15 MGD in 2013 for a 45 MGD build-out capacity rating. The plant currently digests primary sludge in an anaerobic digester and dewaters the sludge produced for final disposal at the local Subtitle D landfill. Plans are to begin land application on abandoned coal mine slag piles east of Tuscaloosa as soon as site engineering reports can be completed and forwarded to ADEM. The primary treatment section is a group of circular clarifiers. The secondary treatment system is composed of four activated sludge basins – two which were built in 1974 and two which were completed in 1994. The plant has not failed to meet permit requirements or limits in over five years on any permit parameter listed in the NPDES discharge permit.
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