A 3 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) owned by the City of Wixom advances municipal wastewater treatment technology to meet one of Michigan's most stringent phosphorus limitations and ensures the survival of Kent Lake and the Huron River.

The award winning facility uses “Parallel Plate Technology” to reduce phosphorus discharges into Kent Lake to 0.2 mg/l and less on a continuous basis.   Up until HRC's engineering application, this technology had never been used for municipal wastewater treatment.

Another project innovation was the use of separate biological and chemical solids handling facilities.   Ford Motor Co.'s Wixom Assembly Plant along with other smaller industries discharge pretreated industrial wastewater to the Wixom WWTP.   Heavy metals such as cadmium and lead which may be discharged from these industries within legal limits will concentrate in the sludge produced in the phosphorus removal process.   Therefore, by segregating the solids handling systems, the biological sludge is kept free of metals allowing the biological sludge to be “recycled” as “fertilizer” on farm fields.   The chemical sludge can be dewatered and removed separately to a landfill.

Since the completion of the original plant, HRC has continuously been involved at the facility assisting the owner with operation and improvements to maintain this state-of-the-art plant.

Additional funding was obtained from the EPA for the “innovative and alternative” technologies designed into the facility.