City of Hammond | General Information | Sanitary District

Sanitary District - General Information

Office Information

5143 Columbia Avenue
Hammond, IN 46327
Phone: 219-853-6413
Fax: 219-853-6321

Monday through Friday
8:30am - 4:30pm

The 1930’s witnessed new Public Works projects from the rapidly growing city of Hammond, Indiana. The Hammond Sanitary District was formed, by legislation, in 1938. Its sewage disposal plant, located at 5143 Columbia Avenue, was completed in 1941. In 1948, the town of Munster was added to the district’s jurisdiction.
In addition to treating wastewater form homes, the Hammond plant treats wastewater from businesses and industrial users in Hammond and Munster. It serves 150,000 people over a 50-mile geographic area, and is responsible for nearly 400 miles of Hammond sewers, including the contract communities of Whiting, Highland, and Griffith. District operations are financed by a user-fee charged to all residents, businesses, and industries.

GO WITH THE FLOW

More than 40 pumping stations, or lift stations, along the Hammond Sanitary District’s sewer system facilitate the flow of sanitary sewage to the plant, and remove excess storm water. All wastewater entering the district’s Columbia Avenue pumping station flows by gravity through large interceptor sewers. All of the influent pumped to the plant flows to two grit tanks for preliminary treatment to remove and mechanically screen out largely inorganic material. This residue is washed and landfilled.

From the grit chambers, the wastewater enters pre-aeration tanks that oxidize odors and improve the settleability of suspended solids. After pre-aeration, the flow enters and open channel for distribution to 12 primary settling tanks that provide the retention time for settling the primary biosolids. These biosolids are transferred to digesters for anaerobic treatment, while the clarified water or primary effluent goes on to a biological process, or secondary treatment.

Secondary treatment speeds up the biological decomposition of wastes by forcing oxygen into the wastewater, which promotes the growth of microorganisms that feed on the organic material. This process, called aeration, uses air blown through diffuser assemblies located along the length of each tank. A mixture of wastewater and activated biosolids is agitated and aerated during this biological wastewater treatment process. The activated biosolids are subsequently separated from the treated wastewater (MIXED LIQUOR) by sedimentation, and wasted or returned to the process as needed. There are literally millions of bubbles in the chocolate-colored water.

The effluent is then distributed to the final tanks where the biomass is settled. The collected biosolids are sent to thickening facilities where it is prepared for further treatment. Clarified effluent from the secondary settling tanks is now relatively free of small particles called suspended solids.

This liquid is pumped to sand filters for tertiary treatment, a step that produces clear water. Chlorination disinfects the clear water, killing bacteria, before the flow is de-chlorinated and discharged to the Grand Calumet River.

THE LABORATORY

The 25,000 square foot laboratory building, located on he North bank of the Grand Calumet River at Columbia Avenue, was built in 1996. Visitors entering the building will first notice a dramatic two-story atrium arranged with indoor planting and seating areas for the public and employees. The design is a contemporary, 45-degree triangular shape with an attractive exterior landscape and an interior allowing for spacious and well-lighted work areas.

The first level houses pretreatment laboratories for sampling equipment preparation, safety division offices, training space, lockers, and lunch area. A geographic information system (GIS)/engineering graphics lab, also on the first level, houses automated mapping for the Sanitary District and Sewer Department. GIS combines the efficiency of a computerized mapping system with database management. This electronic base map will ultimately include all underground facilities. Computer-aided drafting technology, or CAD, creates and maintains mechanical drawings for the engineering staff.

The building’s second level is dedicated to chemistry, microbiology, and instrumentation laboratories. There are particle characterization sample preparation and incubator rooms, and storage rooms. There is also a spacious conference room, reception area and a public display case highlighted by an aquarium holding aquatic life from the Grand Calumet River. Office space for support personnel is located on both levels.

DISTRICT OPERATIONS

The Hammond Sanitary District Treatment Plant is run by a team of highly skilled and dedicated people:

The Plant Manager and the Board of Sanitary Commissioners are responsible for making sure that the plant has the financial resources, trained personnel, and equipment needed to run efficiently.
Plant Operators know how to treat wastewater properly before discharging it into the environment.
Laboratory Personnel monitor the contents of wastewater, and the quality of treated effluent.
Maintenance Personnel work to prevent and correct mechanical and equipment failures.
Office Personnel handle payroll, billing, accounting, complaints, pretreatment data, and offer administrative support.

The Hammond plant, processing an average daily flow of 40 million gallons of wastewater, containing more than 100,000 pounds of solids, handles up to 72 million gallons per day during rainstorm events.
During a normal year, the plant produces nearly 40,000 wet tons of biosolids, a black mud-like substance. Biosolids produced during wastewater treatment are high quality, filled with many nutrients, with nearly 90% being used in land application on rural farmlands as a soil-conditioner or fertilizer. Some biosolids go to landfills (primarily in the winter).

As a result of the anaerobic digestion of biosolids, more than 350,000 cubic feet per day of methane gas is produced and used as a source of heat and power her at the Hammond wastewater treatment plant.

PLANT IMPROVEMENTS

The Hammond Sanitary District continues to work toward better and improved wastewater treatment services. Recent technical advances include:

The new Laboratory/Administrative building was dedicated in 1996. It increases analysis and monitoring capability and minimizes the cost of outside laboratory services.
Four new 300 horsepower submersible pumps at the Columbia Avenue station to increase the total number of gallons treated, and to reduce combined sewer overflows.
Two new Grit Chambers and three high-capacity Fine Screens to increase grit removal efficiency.
High-efficiency Fine Bubble Diffusers for the aeration tanks which save approximately $450,000 in electric energy costs annually.
Biosolids thickening and digester improvements.
Tertiary Filter Media replaced in eight separate filters to reduce wear on the back washing system, and to restore treatment capacity.
Dual Portable Water System installed to prevent back flow contamination and increase fire protection.
Beneficially reusing biosolids stored in lagoons on Hammond Sanitary District property for use as a top soil for Hammond’s new 18 hole golf course.
Increasing the percentage of biosolids produced annually to serve as a soil conditioner for land application on farms.
Nature path stretching from Columbia Avenue to Calumet Avenue next to the Grand Calumet River.

A COST-EFFECTIVE OPERATION

The Hammond Sanitary District is proud to provide dependable wastewater treatment at a low cost to the consumer. The most recent Indiana Water/Wastewater survey of 25 Indiana municipalities (Populations 25,000 or more) showed that, statewide, the Hammond Sanitary District had the second lowest cost for residential customers (15,000 gallons per month usage), the lowest cost for commercial customers (over 100,000 gallons per month usage), and the third lowest residential cost (7,500 gallons per month usage).

Currently the rates are:

Residential and Commercial - $1.064/1000 gallons plus a $6.52 monthly administrative charge
Industrial - $0.443/1000 gallons with a $6.52 monthly administrative charge
Additionally, there is a CBOD charge of $0.203/pound and a TSS charge of $0.147 pound

WILDLIFE & NATURE PATH

In recent years, more than eight types of fish have been counted in the Grand Calumet River, along side of the Hammond Sanitary District. In fact, salmon lay their eggs here annually.

Our other nature dwellers include ducks, Canadian Geese, egrets, herons, red-tailed hawks, deer, and foxes. There are turtles along the river as well as beavers, busily building their habitats year round.

The Hammond Sanitary District has also carved out a walking path stretching from Columbia Avenue to Calumet Avenue. This path is open to various school groups and scouting groups, bird watchers, and other interested organizations. We welcome science and biology teachers to use the path as a teaching tool, bring attention to the many elements of natural beauty found right here in Hammond on district property. The path is also open to the public by appointment.

A SAFE WORKPLACE

The Safety Program at the Hammond Sanitary District has instilled in our employees that safety is the responsibility of everyone. It takes 100% cooperation from all of us to make sure our workplace is a safe one. We also try to emphasize that many accidents are avoidable if we only discipline ourselves – to think carefully about consequences before acting.

Distribution of all safety equipment that is required under certain circumstances.
Management keeping records of individual accidents.
Additional encouragement and rewarding employee innovations.
The constant use of training aids when applicable – videos, physical demonstrations, classes, and printed information about safety standards.
Personal employee satisfaction when an unsafe condition is noticed, prevented, and promptly reported and promptly corrected.

The weekly safety meetings, updated safety literature, and a modified “light” duty program have had a significant impact on our safety program. Safety is really nothing more than a constant reminder, conscious effort, and the cooperation of each employee to observe safety regulations and use common sense. Each individual must be primarily responsible for his/her safety. Our most important, measurable result can be described by one word; “Attitude”. We have literally changed the attitude of employees from “I’ve done it this way for years without any problem” to “The safe way is always the best way”.

The costs of our safety program has dropped significantly – from $247,584.00 in 1996 to $108,541.00 in 2003 – roughly a savings of 44% for worker’s compensation insurance premiums. We have averaged well over 2,000 days without a lost time injury since 1997. Five of the Hammond Sanitary District’s seven departments are in this category as well.

A local insurance agency for the City of Hammond coordinated a seminar recently about defensive driving for the many vehicles used in the daily operations of the district. Employee feedback and participation was great. “Employee participation is the key to the success for not only our safety program, but also for the health and welfare of everybody,” said Larry Nelson, Safety Director for the Hammond Sanitary District. Continually updating the safety programs already in place, as well as making the employees aware of any revisions or updates to those programs, has paid off handsomely for the Hammond Sanitary District in lowering insurance costs, and building better morale among employees with no lost-time.

Numerous Safety Awards have been received for showing successful Safety and Health Initiatives in the workplace.