The City of Bowling Green has spent millions of dollars to reduce clean water Inflow and Infiltration into the combined and sanitary sewer system, as well as increasing the treatment capacity at the WPC. As a result, the duration of CSOs and the concentration of pollutants has been reduced.
The City is in compliance with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce our CSO events to 4 or less per year. A Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) was created that addressed the necessary steps to reduce the number of CSO events to the Ohio EPA NPDES permit limits. The current LTCP is on hold for further review until modifications are made to the WPC, and the E Poe Road and Mercer Road Pump Station.
Comprehensive Waste Water Strategy
In addition, the City has developed a Comprehensive Waste Water Strategy (PDF) to help reduce CSOs.
The following list are just a few examples to achieve these goals:
- Increase the treatment capacity of the WPC to 30 Million Gallons per Day (MGD).
- Alter the treatment process at the WPC to increase treatment capacity to 30 MGD as soon as possible during wet weather conditions.
- Use the 5 million gallon underground storage tank at Poe/Mercer intersection to store additional combined sewer flows in excess of the 30 MGD pumping capacity. Pump any stored volume to the WPC for treatment when plant capacity is available.
- Installing flow restrictors on storm catch basins in the combined sewer area to slow down the rate of the storm water entering the combined sewer system.
- Reducing impervious surfaces in the combined sewer area.
- Flow monitor and televise separated sanitary sewer system to identify and remove clean water inflow / infiltration.
- Replacing or relining Combined and Sanitary sewers that have large sources of infiltration.
- Educating the public about CSOs, wet basements, and removing clean water connections from the combined or sanitary sewer.
- Assist homeowners with the removal of illegal clean water connections to the sanitary sewer.