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New Wastewater Treatment Plant Proposed for Fairfield County
Jan 30, 2020
New wastewater plant could discharge into Big Cedar Creek.
The Fairfield County Joint Water and Sewer System, which was established in 2019, is moving forward with plans to build a new wastewater treatment plant that will serve portions of southeastern Fairfield County. The plant is intended to serve a proposed 1,500-acre “industrial megasite” near I-77, as well as other customers in the area.
The Fairfield County Joint Water and Sewer System is proposing to build a 2 million gallon a day (MGD) wastewater plant (with the potential to expand to 4 MGD) that would discharge into Big Cedar Creek, a tributary to the Broad River. The FCJWSS is proposing to build a membrane bioreactor (MBR) tertiary treatment system. While there seems to be some back and forth about the specific location of the WWTP, property off of Syrup Mill Road has been discussed and is the likely site.
Here are some significant next steps in this process:
- 208 Plan amendments (must be approved by EPAC committee and CMCOG Board)
- NPDES Permit Application (must be approved by DHEC, opportunities for public comment)
- What other alternatives, including both discharge points and treatment options, were considered?
- Does Big Cedar Creek have enough consistent flow to handle this new wasteload?
- Are there opportunities for wastewater reuse that would reduce the discharge to the creek?
- Will the new WWTP be able to accept the flow from the outdated Ridgeway WWTP that already discharges to Big Cedar Creek?
- Does the newly formed Fairfield County Joint Water and Sewer System have the staff and resources to run a successful industrial pretreatment program?
