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> Water & Wastewater | |
| El Estero l Improvements l Treatment Process
El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant 
About El Estero WWTP
El Estero is committed to protecting or environment and public health and safety by maintaining an efficient and effective wastewater treatment facility.
On average, each person in the City of Santa Barbara contributes 120 gallons of water per day (about 5 bath tubs full) to the wastewater system. Each house or business has a pipe that is connected to a network of underground pipes and pump stations, which carries the wastewater to El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant.
At El Estero WTP wastewater is cleaned using physical and biological processes. El Estero is a 11 million gallons per day Secondary Treatment Facility equipped with a 4.3 million gallons per day Tertiary Treatment for recycled water. To ensure that the treatment process is effective extensive water testing is conducted before, during and after treatment by the Water Resources Laboratory. Utilizing waste gas fuel cell technology produces nearly half of the facilities electrical needs.
Recycled Water
Water Resources Laboratory
Alternative Energy – Fuel Cell Technology
| El Estero l Improvements l Treatment Process
Improvements
History
The City of Santa Barbara’s first sewers were constructed in the 1870’s. in 1925 the City constructed a “screening plant” and ocean discharge outfall. The mechanically operated screens removed solids and debris immediately before the untreated wastewater was discharged into the ocean. The discharge occurred through 3,400 feet of 42 inch diameter cement pipeline terminating at an ocean depth of 42 feet.
The City’s growing population and increased environmental awareness led to the construction of El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant (El Estero) in 1951. El Estero provided state of the art pre-aeration and primary sedimentation for the City’s wastewater.
In 1972, the federal Water Pollution Act amendments became law. The amendments mandated more stringent regulations for the protection of water bodies receiving wastewater discharges. The law required that by 1983, all dischargers of treated wastewater must provide secondary treatment.
Anticipating the new law, in 1971 the City hired “Engineering Science,” a firm specializing in the design of facilities for wastewater treatment and discharge. The firm’s recommendations for the treatment scheme and facilities needed to meet the new discharge requirements resulted in construction of the present Wastewater Treatment Plant.
1n 1971 the Santa Barbara electorate approved a bond issue of $7.7 million. The major share of the construction and related costs was provided by grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ($24.4 million) and the state of California Water Resources Control Board ($4.1 million).
Construction of El Estero was completed in 1979, providing secondary treatment to the wastewater. Secondary treatment uses a biological process (activated sludge) to convert dissolved or suspended solid materials into a form more readily separated from the water being treated.
In 1987, the City continued upgrading the facility with the construction of a water reclamation facility at El Estero. Water from this facility is supplied to parks, schools, and public restrooms, thereby freeing up potable water for other uses in the City.
| El Estero l Improvements l Treatment Process
Recent Facility Upgrades
The City’s wastewater treatment plant is almost 30 years old. During the last couple of years the City has completed numerous large projects to refurbish the plant. This work will allow the plant to continue to treat wastewater and protect the environment for the next decade or more. It also allows us to update equipment to more energy-efficient models.
New Influent Pump
project cost $1.3 M
An additional influent pump has been installed. The new more energy efficient pump has allowed one of the older pumps to act as a back up during very high flows or if maintance is required on any of the three other pumps.
Primary Clarifiers
project cost $2.1M
The primary clarifiers are tanks that allow solids in the water to settle to the bottom or float to the top. The motors, drives, belts and other equipment used to remove solids from the tanks have been replaced and the insides of the tanks re-coated.
New Thickened Sludge Pump Station
project cost $2.8M
Solids (sludge) removed from the primary and secondary clarifiers are thickened in two large tanks, reducing the water content. The sludge is then pumped to the anaerobic digesters for further treatment. A new pump station has been constructed that reduces maintenance needs and allows for thicker sludge to be sent to the anaerobic digesters – decreasing the amount of heat needed for those units.
Aeration Basins
project cost $1.9 M
The aeration basins are the workhorse of the plant. Air is added to the water to create an environment that supports billions of micro-organisms that consume waste in the water. To better control the growth of these micro-organism the tanks have been redesigned to have sections with different amounts of air. This also decreases the amount of air needed, reducing electricity demands.
Secondary Clarifiers
project cost $1.3 M
Like the primary clarifiers, these tanks allow solids to settle and be removed from the water. In the secondary clarifiers, most of the solids are the micro-organisms from the aeration basins. The secondary clarifiers were rehabilitated and equipment used to remove the solids was replaced.
Anaerobic Digester Mixing System Replacement
project cost $1.1 M
Micro-organisms in the anaerobic digesters break down the thickened sludge in the absence of oxygen. For the digesters to work well, the sludge in the tanks must be thoroughly mixed and kept at a temperature of 98 degrees F. By replacing the mixing system, the breakdown process has been improved, resulting in an increase of valuable by product, methane, which is converted to electricity by the City’s fuel cells.
New Sludge Presses
project cost $1.5 M
Treated sludge, (biosolids) is hauled away to be used as a feedstock for high-quality compost. A belt press is used to squeeze excess water from the biosolids. One of the two belt presses was replaced last year. The other is scheduled to be replaced the summer.
| El Estero l Improvements l Treatment Process
Treatment Process
The wastewater treatment process turns raw sewage into;
water that meets EPA ocean swimming standards, recycled water for irrigating landscapes, biosolids, hydrogen fuel and disposable waste.
El Estero WWTP Photo Tour
El Estero WWTP Streaming Video Tour
Animated Wastewater Treatment Process “Go With the Flow” 
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