When you think of wastewater, perhaps the sound of flushing comes to mind. Of course, like everything else, it’s more complicated than that. Wastewater comes from a variety of sources, some of which can be dangerous. The City of Alliance has a city-owned Wastewater Treatment Plant on the north side of the city.

The Ohio EPA monitors and sets limits for wastewater treatment in Ohio. One thing they are mighty strict on is heavy metals in the wastewater being treated. No, that’s not a rock band of some kind. Heavy metals come in a variety of types, depending upon the industry. They can be copper, zinc, lead, etc. One way or another, they may get into the wastewater system. Joe Amabeli, the Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent for the City of Alliance, does periodic testing of the industries in Alliance to check for metal concentration in their discharge water. The goal is to stop the discharge of the metals before they get to the treatment plant.

One metal of concern is mercury. We’ve all heard about mercury contamination of water sources. The fish eat the mercury-contaminated algae, we eat the fish, we get sick. Contaminants get in the water source in a lot of different ways. Some mercury comes from human waste. How does it get there? Fillings in your teeth. A few years ago, it was common for dentists to use a mercury amalgam for fillings. Some dental offices still have mercury in their discharge water, perhaps from old fillings they have removed. Since mercury is such a heavy metal, it can lie in piping for years, being leached out slowly.

The City of Alliance Wastewater Treatment Plant doesn’t specifically treat for metals. That’s why Joe Amabeli does on-site tests of the industries that would tend to discharge some metals. Even with very thorough testing, some heavy metals may eventually end up at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The EPA only allows a minute amount of mercury, equal to 60 parts per trillion. That would roughly be the weight of a jumbo paper clip in a daily flow of six million gallons of water.

After the "water" in the wastewater is processed out, you are left with sludge, now being called bio solids. The sludge has to be recycled in some manner. Currently, the sludge is hauled away and spread on farm fields as a fertilizing agent. The point is to keep the heavy metals out of the wastewater system and the remaining sludge.

In order to help keep mercury out of the system, the City of Alliance will hold a Mercury Recycling drive sometime this year. It will most likely be in the form of a Mercury Thermometer Exchange program. Old thermometers containing mercury (the liquid will be gray or silver) will be exchanged for new ones without mercury. The old mercury ones will be sent to Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio where they have a special mercury recycling project. Please watch the newspaper for announcement of this project. If you have questions, give Joe Amabeli a call at 330-829-2220