Waste Water Treatment Plant

Overview

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians Wastewater Department under the direction the of Reservation Services Administrator’s office has the responsibility to insure that all sanitary sewer is conveyed and treated within industry standards. This department also maintains, and operates the sewer collection system which consists of approximately 5 miles of pipelines, including the wastewater reclamation facility located on the reservation 2 miles east of Main St. on Seminole Dr. The Tribe under the direction of the US Environmental Protection Agency ensures that all regulatory rules apply to the treatment process. The collection and treatment of domestic sewage and wastewater is vital to public health and clean water. It is among the most important factors responsible for the general level of good health enjoyed in the United States. Sewers collect sewage and wastewater from homes, businesses, and industries and deliver it to wastewater treatment facilities before it is discharged to water bodies or land, or reused.

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Operations

The water reclamation facility was constructed in 2003 and designed to treat up to 750,000 gallons per day utilizing an OMNIFLO interchange Sequencing Batch Reactor system with a 900 mg/l biological oxygen demand load. Included in the design was the Cannibal Solids Reduction system. This system produces a low sludge yield of .05 to .25 lbs. of biological solids per pound of BOD and greatly reduces the sludge that has to be disposed off-site. Since 2010, there has been significant equipment upgrades which increased the original design flow from 750,000 gallons per day to 1.5 million gallons per day. The operational flexibility and significant power cost savings of this facility has proven to be an industry leader compared to installing an aerobic digester and large sludge drying beds. The plant is operated daily by the Tribe and H20 Innovations.

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Water Resources and Water Quality

All water that is discharged thru the treatment process is stored in large basins which percolate back into the groundwater basin. This resource must meet a specific water quality before it can be recharged as to not contaminate the underlying water table. Water samples are taken on a weekly basis and submitted to a Certified laboratory for processing.

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Pretreatment Program

The Tribe established a Pretreatment Program in 2008 for the purpose of preventing the introduction of pollutants into the wastewater treatment process. Pollutants like Fats, Oil, and Grease {FOG] are discharged to grease interceptors generally located at restaurants. Petroleum products like grease, oil, gasoline or other chemicals including stormwater runoff will pass through or interfere with the operation of the treatment process additionally affecting the disposal of bio-solids. These constituents must be separated and discharged into an oil and grease clarifier. All facilitates that discharge into the tribal sewer system are inspected on a monthly basis for compliance.

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