Watershed Wednesday: Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility Tour

Dec 15

Happy #WatershedWednesday! Today the IAWP Busy Beavers went to the Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility for day two of the Wastewater Workshop.

Today we received a snowy, fantastic tour at the WRF and learned how our wastewater is treated in Bozeman. Yesterday we gathered to hear Chris Allen, Senior Scientist at WGM group, speak about the whole spectrum of wastewater treatment - from natural, to highly mechanical.

Here are 5 fun facts (of many) that we learned:

Everything that goes down our toilet, kitchen sink, shower, and washing machines ends up at the Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility.
The Bozeman Water Reclamation facility receives about 6 million gallons of influent (wastewater) on average per day!
After large particles (above 6mm) are filtered and removed from the water, the influent goes through various stages of treatment - including the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus via "hungry" micro bacteria. The WRF is teeming with life!
Bozeman's stormwater system is 100% separate from the WRF - which is why we must always be aware of what is coming from our cars and our lawns.
Pharmaceuticals are not easy to remove from wastewater! Please do not flush old pills - consult the FDA for proper disposal of old medication.

Are you interested in attending free educational workshops like these? Visit www.gallatinwatershedcouncil.org to sign up to be an IAWP Busy Beaver!