The Village of Spencer Wastewater Department is open from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Any questions or concerns can be directed to Chris Helgestad at 659-5404 or by e-mail to wwtp@vil.spencer.wi.us.
05-13-09: The Spencer Wastewater Treatment Plant has been using ferric chloride to remove phosphorus from our treated effluent for 9 years. A couple of years ago we began having problems with our pumps plugging up. We installed filters that helped initially, but this winter we began experiencing more frequent problems so we decided to take the time to clean the tank out properly. The first picture shows about 6 to 8 inches of sludge on the bottom of the tank. And it's not what you think. Some of the product we use is actually a byproduct of paint manufacturing, so the solids are made up of clay residuals that come from the paint. The second picture shows the cleaned out tank. The white area around the edge is actually the bottom of the tank. The dark area in the center is a thin layer of clay left over. Although it was a lot of work to clean the tank out, we plan on doing it every couple years to prevent such a large buildup.
05-13-09: Confined spaces are one of the hazards we have to work in and around both at the treatment plant and on the street. As part of the group safety training we do through Wisconsin Rural Water, the City of Greenwood hosted a hands-on confined space non-entry rescue training class. Chris and Joe are on the right side of the tripod, preparing to lower the practice dummy into the manhole.
04-03-09: The Spencer Wastewater Treatment Plant won the DNR's 2009 Laboratory of the Year award for a Small Facility. This award is given once a year to a "small" registered wastewater laboratory that has, according to the DNR, "developed exceptional systems for producing high-quality data". Chris Helgestad and Jerry Marden traveled to Madison on March 25th to receive the award in front of the Natural Resources Board.
11-01-08: Joe Scidmore was hired to replace Jerry Marden and will spend a good deal of his time working at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and with the Wastewater Collection System. Joe has been a member of the Spencer Fire Department for many years and is a current Assistant Chief. In an attempt to make his probationary period as enjoyable as possible, over the next six months we will reserve for him as many of the more enjoyable wastewater related tasks as we can. Can everyone say "lift station cheese"?
10-31-08: Jerry Marden retired at the end of October, 2008. He had been with the Village of Spencer for over 33 years, most of that time as our Wastewater Operator. His dedication to our treatment plant was evident each day he came to work. His service to the Village over the years is greatly appreciated and we wish him all the best.
In the latest discharge permit issued to the Village by the DNR, the DNR has requested that we start disinfecting our effluent in May of 2004. In the past the Spencer WWTP has disinfected with chlorine, but when the plant was upgraded in 1989 this requirement was not included. Since then, the DNR has re-designated the stream the plant discharges to as needing disinfection again. The Village has hired Ayres Associates of Eau Claire, Wisconsin to design the system. Chlorine and other forms of disinfection have been ruled out as possibilities and Ayres is working on an Ultra-Violet Disinfection System.
The Village of Spencer was proud to host this year's winter North Central Regional meeting of the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association. 57 people from around the state attended the meeting at MO-B's Supper Club. Information about this meeting can be found on the WWOA Website.
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