Water Services

Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)

The CBPU's Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) is responsible for treating all residential and commercial sanitary sewage generated in the City limits. The main focus for the WRRF is to protect the environment by removing impurities in the water used by the community. Organic matter removed from wastewater is applied to agricultural land. The cleaned and filtered water is then returned to the environment through the local lake-chain.

The WRRF Department staff is responsible for repairs and maintenance to the equipment at the plant as well as monitoring and performing laboratory analysis on the sewage as it undergoes treatment. The treated sewage must meet stringent State and Federal Standards before it can be discharged. The plant is responsible for treating 8 million gallons of wastewater per day. 

History of the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)

The first wastewater treatment plant was constructed in Coldwater in 1951-52. It consisted of primary treatment, secondary biological trickling filters, final settling, and anaerobic digestion of sludge solids. It provided the community with a treatment capacity of 1.5 MGD (million gallons per day). All of the original 1951-52 plant components are still in use today, with major upgrades occurring in 1972, 1986, 1990, and 2001. The plant now treats 3.2 MGD on an average daily basis and peak flows up to 8.0 MGD. Major improvements over the years have included:

• Advanced wastewater filtration
• All new pumping facilities
• Chemical phosphorus removal
• Fine bubble activated sludge secondary treatment
• New headworks building with improved grit removal
• One million gallon sludge storage tank
• Renovation of the original trickling filters
• State-certified water quality control laboratory
• State-of-the-art instrumentation and alarm system (SCADA)
• Ultraviolet disinfection

These improvements have been funded through Federal, State, and local funds. In 1972, the U.S. Congress passed amendments to the Water Pollution Control Act which required communities to upgrade their wastewater treatment plants. The Congress provided substantial financial assistance to help with this phase of construction. Since then, all the improvements have been funded through locally-funded bond issues. The total investment in this facility is over $10,000,000.