Channahon Water Treatment Plant Process is All Natural

In October 2003, the village of Channahon built a wastewater treatment plant to serve its residents. Today, that plant processes 500,000 to 600,000 gallons of water per day - which is only the water produces by residents and businesses, not industrial areas of the village.

On April 2, the village board meeting took place at the facility, and those in attendance who wanted to could tour the facility.

Treating water in a natural way involves "seeding" a facility. This means that biological agents - a bacteria that those in the business call bugs - must be introduced into the process and controlled along the way.

"Since the organisms in the water are living organisms, we have to treat them the best we can," Bruce Vaickus, Channahon Public Works Utilities and Streets superintendent said.

That includes a part of the process where the water travels through oxidation ditches, which gives aeration and nutrients to the bacteria.

At the end of the process of the the water treatment plant in Channahon, the water is put back into the Illinois river via a pipe that runs under the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The step just before that one, the water treated with ultraviolet light between the months of April and Novemember. That water, after the UV treatment, but before being put in the river, is tested every day.

"None of these processes are experimental," Vaickus said. "They are all proven methods."

There are two products at the end of the process. The clean water, which is eventully put back into the river and waste activated sludge, which is eventually spread on farmers' fields or in landfills.

"We truly believe in recycling everything we produce," Vaickus said.

The officials in Channahon hope to keep the process chemical free as long as possible, but as the population grows, it may be necessary to add chemicals to the process.