The effort to promote cleaner water dates to 1961 when the various wastewater discharges from the Village, previously piped directly to the river, were re-directed to a primary level treatment plant. Regulations enacted by the State of Vermont in the early 1970's in combination with the Amendments to the Water Pollution Control Act passed by Congress in 1972 mandated compliance with strict water quality standards by each sanitary waste discharger to streams such as the Winooski River.
In 1982, after many months of planning, negotiating inter-municipal agreements, gaining approval of necessary funding applications and bonding authorization votes and two years of construction, the new facility began operation.
Previous to the update the old plant used primary treatment to remove about 35% of the pollutants from 900,000 gallons per day. The new treatment facility combines primary and secondary treatment processes to remove over 90% of those same pollutants from an average of 3,100,000 gallons per day of household type wastewater. As the liquid flows through the various stages of the treatment process, it is stripped of the gross solids and suspended organic materials as well as those nutrients deemed harmful to the receiving stream. Before discharge to the river, the waste stream is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite to kill bacteria which may be present and then is dechlorinated with sodium bisulfite to remove excess disinfectant which may be harmful to fresh water fish.
The material left behind during the treatment process is now termed Biosolids. After separation from the main flow stream, it is transferred to digesters where Biosolids are decomposed and stabilized under closely controlled temperature conditions. Since biosolids are high in phosphorus and nitrogen, it is of value to farmers as a fertilizer on their agricultural lands. Biosolids from the Essex Junction plant are dealt with on a contractual basis. The facility works hard to see they are recycled in the most environmentally sound ways as possible.
This new treatment facility is owned and operated by the Village of Essex Junction. The Town of Essex and the Town of Williston have purchased portions of the plant's capacity. The three municipalities share in the plant's operation and maintenance cost.
