Happy Birthday, Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant

Several years ago, Dundalk celebrated its 150th anniversary, and a little more than a year ago the town of Essex celebrated its 100th anniversary.

In 2011, an icon closely associated with both celebrates its 100th anniversary. In this instance however, I don't think that we will see any parties in the park. I can't foresee any local talent lining up to perform their music. Nor can I picture local businesses and artisans selling their products at a festival.

Although construction began several years earlier, the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant began full operation in 1911. Owned and operated by the City of Baltimore, the treatment facility was built on a 466 acre site on the west shore of Back River. A gentleman named Calvin W. Hendricks, a New York native, was hired as the first chief engineer of the plant.

I can recall reading somewhere a long time ago that it was a mere two years after the plant began operation that the very first lawsuit was filed against the facility as a result of the noxious odor it produced.

Thus began an eternal conflict between local residents, the plant and the City of Baltimore, which has cost millions and millions of federal, state and local dollars over the years on upgrades and improvements.

Although on the surface it may sound like a bad idea, the plant does from time to time, upon request, offer group tours so the public can get a better understanding of how the process works and the benefits the plant offers. I have been on this tour twice over the years and found it to be very educational.

The plant has a 35-foot elevation difference between the influent and outflow, allowing wastewater to flow through the entire plant by gravity. There are four levels of treatment: preliminary, primary, secondary and tertiary.

Preliminary treatment includes fine screens which remove large objects such as sticks and branches, and grit removal basins that allow sand and other grit particles to settle out. Primary treatment consists of 11 sedimentation tanks, where large denser organic particles (sludge) settle.

In secondary treatment, the effluent enters activated sludge facilities, where a culture of microorganisms absorb and metabolize organic pollutants. Tertiary treatment, which reduces phosphorus loading to Back River, adds ferric chloride and polymer that cause a precipitate to form, which can be removed.

After treatment the effluent passes through the Sand Filtration Facility, which removes most of the remaining solids. Finally, chlorine is added and then removed to further clean and disinfect the effluent and the wastewater is reaerated to increase oxygen levels before it enters Back River.

Odor has always been a problem at the plant, but recent upgrades and improvements including the installation of chemical scrubbing systems have significantly controlled odors and greatly reduced complaints from communities.

The "Golden Eggs," which have become local landmarks, are part of the sludge (the plant's main byproduct) treatment and disposal process. The plant produces approximately 95 dry tons of sludge daily. The majority of this sludge is used in agriculture and fertilizer, while land filling is used occasionally when weather prohibits land application.

Currently the plant processes 180 million gallons of wastewater per day. It serves 1.3 million residents of Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

Even with all the improvements and additions made at the facility over the years, adverse publicity does sometimes plague the plant. Who can forget the fall of 1989, when the facility made national headlines, including stories in Time magazine? That year a 61-car train loaded with 5,000 tons of sludge (treated human waste) left the plant on an almost three-month cross country journey looking for a disposal site.

Infamously coined the "Poo Poo Choo Choo," the train was turned away by state after state and eventually had to make its way back to Baltimore.

So on behalf of the Dundalk and Essex-Middle River Patches, I want to say Happy Anniversary, Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Thank you for the service you have provided to our community these past 100 years.