Treatment

Preliminary Treatment

Upper Thompson Sanitation District serves homes and businesses across a large geographic area. Approximately 96 miles of underground pipes carry wastewater across the district to our two lift stations. These stations can pump nearly 10 million gallons per day of sewage into the treatment plant. 

Estes Park is a community that experiences dramatic peaks and valleys in our population numbers from season to season. For UTSD, this means that we have variable flow through our sewer system. To keep our process working smoothly, we use a Flow Equalization Basin to release water steadily, so the plant isn’t overwhelmed.

As wastewater is pumped into our treatment plant, we first focus on removing heavier materials like sand, eggshells and other non-living solids so that they do not harm our delicate system. These solids are removed with a vacuum truck and taken to a landfill. 

Secondary Treatment

The wastewater then moves into four large Aeration Basins, each holding about 238,000 gallons. This is the most important part of our process where the main cleaning happens. Through a process called Activated Sludge treatment, naturally occurring microbes break down the organic waste in the water by eating it as food. We are constantly testing the water and adjusting oxygen levels to make sure our microbes are healthy and productive. 

The water enters the clarification process, where all remaining solids are removed from the water. If you find yourself near the Upper Thompson Water Treatment Plant, you’ll see a large, round basin outside the facility. This is one of the Clarifiers, where this step in the process takes place. At this stage, 90–95% of pollutants and solids have been removed.

Tertiary Treatment

To make the water even cleaner before it enters the Big Thompson River, it passes through two final steps. First, Nitrification Towers filled with special wood and plastic materials give microbes a place to grow. These microbes remove ammonia from the water as it flows through the towers. Second, the water flows through Media Pressure Filters – layers of coal, sand and garnet that catch tiny particles.

Sludge Handling

By this point, a lot of solid material has been removed from the water. These leftover solids, called sludge, contain nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. We break down the sludge as much as possible with added oxygen in the Aerobic Digesters, and a centrifuge that spins out any extra water. To ensure we are reclaiming as much water as possible for the watershed, this water goes back to the beginning of the process, and the remaining solids are taken to approved land-application sites or landfills, following federal rules.

Disinfection

In the final stage of the process before the water is released into the Big Thompson River, it must be disinfected. The plant uses a safe, diluted bleach solution to kill any remaining germs. Then sodium bisulfite is added to remove leftover chlorine, so the water won’t harm fish or wildlife.

At this point in the treatment process, the water has been filtered, treated, cleaned and sanitized numerous times. This process is intensive and thorough, to ensure that the water that Upper Thompson Sanitation District releases into the watershed will meet water quality standards and benefit the local environment and downstream users.

Laboratory Analysis

The plant’s lab runs regular tests to ensure the water meets strict federal and state standards. Staff assess things like pH, germs, chlorine levels, suspended solids, oxygen demand, nutrients and other indicators of water quality.