The City owns and operates a waste water collection and
treatment facility. The City's waste water treatment facility
(WWTF) is located on the south side of the City and discharges
treated waste water to the Mississippi River. Wastewater
generated through the facility's service area is conveyed to the
treatment facility through gravity sewer and four watewater lift
stations.
| St Croix Bluffs Lift Station |
North Pearl |
Installed 2004 |
| Dairy Queen Lift Station |
Hwy 10 |
Installed 1990 |
| Main Lift Station |
2nd Street |
Upgraded 1994 |
| South Lift Station |
Hwy 35 South |
Installed 1988 |
The original WWTF was constructed in 1970 and consisted of an
extended aeration activated sludge package plant with chlorination
and discharge to the Mississippi River. The WWTF was upgraded
in 1995 to include preliminary treatment, biological (and chemical)
phosphorous removal, addition of a second package plant, sludge
thickening and thickened sludge storage, and UV disinfection.
The City of Prescott is one of 11 member owners of the West Central
Wisconsin Biosolids Facility located in Ellsworth WI. Waste
sludge from the City's WWTF is sent to the Biosolids Facility for
dewatering. Centrate water is received back from the
Biosolids Facility and discharged into the septage receiving
station and mixed with the influent waste water from the City.
As of May 2010, the existing wastewater treatment facility was
at approximately 72% of its design capacity. Since it
typically takes several years between the initiation of planning
and the start-up of new wastewater facilities, the City decided to
begin the planning process in 2010. The City hired
MSA Professional Services to evaluate alternatives for meeting the
City's existing and future wastewater treatment needs. As the
existing WWTF has limited space for expansion, the alternatives
evaluated included upgrading the existing facilities, regional
treatment, and building a new WWTF at a new site. Based
on future flows, loads, evaluation of the current system, effluent
limits, evaluation of alternative sites, and cost, the City Council
approved upgrading the existing package plant and adding a new
aerobic digester on site. Upgrading the system will be
dependent on the capacity of the current plant and is anticipated
to start in 2014 or later.