Countryside Mobile Home Park in Sophia, North Carolina, needed its 50-plus-year-old wastewater treatment plant replaced. The neighborhood and park residents wanted a system that would be neither seen, heard nor smelled, while the property owner wanted something that would be easy to maintain.
Orenco Systems AdvanTex technology fit the bill perfectly. Plus, by including Orenco Controls remote monitoring capabilities, officials approved a permit reclassifying the plant from needing daily operator visits to weekly.
The project’s design included 65 lots with 15,000 gpd permitted flow and a 7.5 mg/L BOD5 daily maximum. Because of site constraints, proximity to residents, and effluent requirements, consulting engineer Kevin Davidson of Agri-Waste Technology proposed using two AX-Max treatment units and flow equalization.
“It was the best solution for this project for several reasons,” he says. “Its history of reliable performance, its small footprint that allowed for installation while the old plant was still running, the way it minimizes noise and odor, and the fact that we could reduce operator visits from daily to weekly.”
The existing collections system was located and marked so that all excavation work could avoid those components and allow them to operate until the new AdvanTex facility was complete. Installation challenges included shallow rock, existing infrastructure, and tight workspaces.
After first positioning the AX-Max units toward the back of the site, crews set three 10,000-gallon precast concrete tanks for primary tankage. Two sequential septic tanks allow for ample solids retention and storage, and an equalization tank buffers the flow during peak usage. In addition, a small building was constructed on site to house the control panel, chemicals, and ultraviolet disinfection units.
The pre-plumbed, pre-wired AX-Max units ensured an efficient, almost seamless installation. After the new system was started up, wastewater flow was diverted, and the old plant was demolished.
With dependable wastewater treatment in place, the park has been able to add new mobile homes. Lab samples show strong treatment results that are consistently well below regulatory levels.
“The old plant was loud and smelled terrible, affecting everyone in the park,” says Michael Clayton of AQWA, the area’s Orenco dealer. “Replacing it has greatly improved life for the local community, making it a rewarding project for our team."
See what Orenco Systems can do for your project. Visit Orenco.com or call 800-348-9843.
