Silver Star Sewage Treatment Plant

The following is a brief description of the wastewater treatment process at Silverhawk Utilities' wastewater treatment facility at Silver Star.

The wastewater generated from Silver Star Mountain Resort enters into a common collection sump where wastewater is aerated and transferred via 3 submersible pumps, operating on level floats, onto three static screens. The static screens remove the larger solids and debris from the waste stream. The solids fall into large permeable bags where the moisture is allowed to drain into the trickling filter (TF) recycle tank below. The screened solids are disposed into the local landfill.

The wastewater that passes through the screens is dumped into the TF Recycle/Equalization (EQ) tank through three 10" pipes where the wastewater is aerated again by fine pore AIRMAX diffusers and recycled through the first trickling filter at a rate of 400 gallons per minute. The wastewater then flows by gravity into aerated pond #1 where the wastewater undergoes conventional aerated lagoon treament. Unlike most lagoon systems, there is a second trickling filter that acts as a polishing filter to reduce remaining wastes.

A portion of treated wastewater from pond #1 goes through the trickling filter, prior to going into pond #2. By gravity, the wastewater that does not go through the second trickling filter polishing, flows into pond #2 where additonal lagoon treament is available. From pond #2 the water flows by gravity through a 6" magnetic flow meter into aerated pond #3. Here, the wastewater is treated further and is ready for storage and disposal.

The water then flows by gravity into the 20 million gallon exfiltration/storage pond. At this point, the water infiltrates into the ground or is stored until the summer season, at which time the treated wastewater is chlorinated and used for irrigation in the Phase 1 and 2 effluent irrigation areas. Future plans are to irrigate the clearcut fairways of the proposed golf course starting in the summer of 2009.

To view a schematic diagram of the entire process, click the icon below.

You may want to right click the diagram and rotate the view until it is oriented correctly.

Sewage Treatment Plant Layout

To view a diagram of the sewage treatment plant layout, including the lagoons and Phase 1 and 2 Effluent Irrigation Areas, click the icon below.

 

Aerial View of Sewage Lagoons and Effluent Irrigation Areas

 

Map of Lagoon Location and Monitoring Sites

To view a map showing the water sampling stations and lagoon locations with respect to the Vance Creek and Coldstream Creek drainages, click the icon below.

On the map above, you'll notice a diagonal line passing through the exfiltration lagoon showing the divide between the Vance Creek and Coldstream Creek drainages. It is difficult to determine what percentage of the effluent in the exfiltration lagoon reports to the Vance Creek drainage, and how much to the Coldstream Creek Drainage.

Vance Creek is joined by Deafies Creek, and then flows into Bessette Creek, north of Lumby. Bessette Creek flows into the Shuswap River. Coldstream Creek flows into Kalamalka Lake, which is used as the water supply for much of Vernon.

You'll also notice that several groundwater and surface water sampling sites are shown on the map (GW1, GW2, GW3, GW4, SW2 and SW4). Water samples are taken from these sites several times a year to monitor the groundwater and surface water for signs of contamination.

 

 

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