Wastewater Treatment Facility

About the Facility

The City of Pittsburg owns and operates a sewage treatment plant located at Olive and the US 69 Bypass.  This plant uses an activated sludge process and is designed to be expanded to meet the needs of Pittsburg for many years to come.  Flow enters the plant from Pittsburg’s 140 miles of sanitary sewers for treatment and notification.

The treatment process is predominately biological in nature and the plant is mechanically and electrically complex requiring operations and maintenance staff to be skilled and well trained in process and maintenance activities. Treatment plant staff also operate and maintain 8 sanitary sewer lift stations, 3 of which are owned by Crawford County, and a compost facility.

All discharges are regulated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Region 7 of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

To learn more about the sewage treatment facility and treatment process, refer to the Wastewater Treatment Facility Flow Diagram, WWTP Plant Overview, and WWTP Facility Fact Sheet.

Industrial Pretreatment Program

Purpose

The City of Pittsburg Wastewater Treatment Facility is committed to assisting industries in complying with their wastewater discharge permits through the administration of a comprehensive pretreatment program.  This program is a partner in a collaborative effort of Federal, State, and local regulatory environmental agencies whose shared objective is to protect water quality.

Pretreatment is the removal, reduction, or alteration of pollutants in industrial or non-domestic wastewater prior to discharge or introduction into the wastewater treatment system. The program is designed to reduce the level of pollutants discharged by industries and other non-domestic wastewater sources into the wastewater treatment system, and thereby, reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment through wastewater.

Major Goals

• Promote the general health, safety, and welfare of all who use Pittsburg’s wastewater system;
• Protect City personnel who work with wastewater and biosolids;
• Prevent pollutants from entering the wastewater treatment system
• Minimize pollutants that may interfere with the operation of the wastewater treatment system;
• Maximize opportunities to recycle and reclaim wastewaters and biosolids from the system;
• Prevent the introduction of wastes that may adversely affect the environment or cause a violation of the City’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, which is issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Pretreatment Rules and Regulations

Federal, State, and local regulations establish pretreatment rules and wastewater discharge standards.  The City’s industrial pretreatment program implements the rules and monitors the wastewater discharge from local industries and other non-domestic wastewater sources for compliance with the wastewater discharge standards.  The program also collects samples of wastewater from all over the City’s sewer system, monitoring conditions in the system and for unknown sources of pollutants.

Pretreatment Permitting

The Wastewater Treatment Plant issues enforceable wastewater discharge permits, as required by the program, to many industries and to all companies that transport waste from sources such as portable toilets and septic tanks to the City’s treatment facility for disposal.  The permits specify regulated pollutants, discharge standards, monitoring and reporting requirements, and various standard conditions.  

Treatment Plant Tours

The Wastewater Treatment Facility will provide tours to individuals or groups when advance notice is given. The Treatment Facility is available for tours Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, except on major holidays.
If you are interested in scheduling a tour of the City of Pittsburg’s Wastewater Treatment Facility, please call the Wastewater Treatment Facility at (620) 230-5590.

Compost Facility

The City compost area is also located inside the Wastewater Treatment Facility grounds.  The hours of operations are Monday – Thursday, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and CLOSED Fridays.  The site accepts compostable waste such as leaves, grass clippings, garden wastes and other soft vegetation.  Prohibited items are trash or refuse of any kind, limbs, branches or trees. The finished compost is available to the public free of charge.

Call the Wastewater Treatment Plant at (620) 230-5590 for availability.