HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – After four years of construction, the Hopkinsville Clean Water Plant is fully operational, with a ribbon cutting held by the Christian County Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 5. Construction began in 2020, but the project has been in the works for years before then to rebuild and update the existing Hammond-Wood Wastewater Treatment Plant with a budget of $48.3 million dollars.
“What we do at HWEA is not very glamorous, it’s not very sexy, but it is necessary,” said President and CEO Derrick Watson during the ribbon cutting. He explained how HWEA delivers safe, clean water to houses in Christian County every day, which is then used and ultimately sent to this plant to be cleaned and returned to the Little River.
With the last major upgrade of the facility being in back 1994, most of the mechanical parts at the plant were in need of replacement. This, coupled with the need for advanced nutrient removal and increased capacity led to the massive project. Previously, the plant filtered six million gallons of water a day, they will now be able to filter up to nine million gallons a day. The increased capacity will ensure they can keep up with the demand from large industries in Hopkinsville.
Inside the plant
Hopkinsville has over 300 miles of sewer lines, all of which feed directly into the plant. HWEA Director of Water Daniel Lancaster and Employee Supervisor Steven Greenwell gave Christian County Now an in depth look at the inner workings of the plant. Locate completely outdoors, the expansive acreage contains various pits and holding areas for incoming water as it undergoes various filtering processes.
Sewage water is pumped directly into the facility and is immediately separated from solid waste pieces in the water. These various items like food discard, sand, hair, and other debris is piled into a truck and sent to a landfill, while the clean water undergoes further filtering.
As the water flows through various vats that imitate a sort of automated, industrial lazy river, the water gets cleaner with every step. Biological treatments occur where raw sewage is converted into less toxic materials, and water is separated and divided into clarifiers. Solids sink to the bottom of ditches and clear, clean water is ultimately poured directly back into the Little River.
Now that the doors are open, HWEA is excited to share their upgraded technology with the community, and show off the plant to tours and school groups.
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