Sewage plant workers keep wastewater clean

As you walk by the filters of the base sewage plant, take a whiff of air…nothing. It smells like any other air. For the many who have never been on the sewage plant grounds, they would be surprised by the cleanliness and environmental friendliness plant employees take pride in.
The sewage plant was constructed in 1940 and has since managed the waste of mainside, the town of Quantico and parts of the base west of Interstate 95.
The plant processes more than one million gallons of sewage a day, is permitted to process more than two million gallons a day, and could handle double that if needed. So the plant is prepared of any future growth Quantico may experience.
As the advanced wastewater treatment plant manager, Dave Crosley oversees the process and flow of sewage.
“First, raw wastewater is screened to remove large solids and inorganic grit materials,” Crosley said. “Then the wastewater moves to the clarifiers where most of the solids settle to the bottom and then moved to the digesters. The remaining wastewater is taken to the biological nutrient removal tank.
In one tank, the solids are digested by microorganisms and broken down into inert components where any remaining water is evaporated. After about two weeks the solids are taken to a landfill in King George county. In the BNR tank, the water is mixed with oxygen and alkali to convert harmful particles to harmless ones. The final step is for the water to pass through ultraviolet rays that kill the bacteria’s DNA before it is released into the [Potomac] river.”
More than 99 percent of all the suspended waste is taken from the wastewater before it is released in the river. The water is so clean that the plant uses it to sanitize all of their equipment.
“We put an excellent quality of water in this river, and that’s what our job is all about – taking care of the environment,” Crosley said. “It’s about working with nature and microorganisms without using too many unnatural chemicals. For us, potential Hydrogen (better known as pH) is one of the most important things. You have to make sure the pH of the water being treated is not above the 7.0 midpoint, making the substance too alkaline, and not below 7.0, making it too acidic. You have to balance it out so the microorganisms can live and do their job.”
Working with the environment wasn’t how it was done when the plant was first built. Before, wastewater treatment was approached with a sledge hammer where as now it’s been refined to a science.
“Back then you just added a little chemicals, and you were OK,” Crosley said. “They didn’t think about the environment. Back then the ‘solution to pollution was dilution.’ That’s the wrong way.”
Crosley and plant employees do what they can to help the environment, but the reason they come to work everyday is to support Marines.
“One reason I came to wastewater was that’s where Marines need help,” Crosley said. “I did four years of active duty as a Marine in which part of the time I was a game warden. I will always be one to help the Marine Corps. I’m also a science guy. I raise honey bees in my off time. This is how I offer my science expertise to the Marine Corps. I’m all about the environment.”
The sewage treatment plant may seem like a dirty job, but someone has to do it. And not only do the employees do that job well, they work in a manner that makes the environment as safe and clean as possible, so people can walk outside and breathe fresh air.