Fort Valley maintains a return-activated sludge-extended aeration wastewater treatment plant. This means that as the sanitary waste passes through the treatment process, a portion of it is continually returned to the beginning of the treatment plant process for further aeration and treatment.
The treatment plant is permitted by the State of Georgia, which allows discharge of the treated water to a receiving creek. Before discharge, the water is tested to make sure it meets stringent discharge requirements as prescribed by the plant's permit.
Professional operation of the plant by its operators, daily testing, and vigilant inspection by state regulators all work in concert to ensure the discharged water is safe and healthy for aquatic life downstream, which has been reinforced by watershed assessments.
The sewer collection system is comprised of 52 miles of wastewater lines that vary in size from 4-12 inches in diameter. These lines are maintained by a sewer collection crew, who constantly clean and inspect the lines.
One of our wastewater plant operators also has a Class I license and two have Class III. In addition, two plant operators have wastewater laboratory licenses.