In 2020, the City of Ashland opened a new mechanical Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).  The WWTP replaced the existing City Aeration Lagoon as the primary wastewater treatment system.  The City’s collection and treatment system is capable of processing up to 600,000 gallons of designed average wastewater flow per day.  As the City of Ashland continues to experience record growth, the new WWTP is designed to allow for modular expansion, providing the ability to grow with the community for the future years.

The collection system consists of 15 separate lift stations and the several miles of subsurface pipe that carries wastewater to the WWTP.  Influent wastewater (un-treated) is pumped and/or gravity fed into the plant, where it enters via the head works structure.  A mechanical bar screen and grit collector complete the first step in the treatment process by removing foreign materials for disposal.

The influent then moves along into aeration basins, clarifiers, and sludge holding/digester basins.  Bio-solids are managed during this process and later removed through the use of a mechanical belt press for dewatering prior to disposal.  Remaining wastewater then travels through the ultra-violet light disinfection and re-aeration basins for final treatment, prior to discharge as effluent (treated wastewater).