Goshen Wastewater Treatment Plant, Northwest corner of the City on the Elkhart River.
The City of Goshen's WWTP is municipally owned and operated serving an estimated population of 31,500 people. The WWTP is governed by IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) under an NPDES Permit (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) and must be operated by a Class III or higher certified operator.
The WWTP is a Class III facility designed to treat an annual average flow of 5.0 mgd and a peak wet weather flow of 12.5 mgd. The plant consists of two mechanically cleaned bar screens, a raw sewage pumping station with six 2000 - 3000 gpm pumps, six primary clarifiers, four aeration tanks with fine pore diffusers, an effluent pumping station, two secondary clarifiers and two upflow (final) clarifiers. Chlorine disinfection is accomplished in the final clarifiers. Final effluent is dechlorinated using Sodium Bisulfite prior to discharge to the Elkhart River.
Sludge from the primary clarifiers and WAS (waste activated sludge) is pump to two high rate anaerobic digesters. Estimated 3.5 million gallons of digested sludge (biosolids) is land applied annually using a private contractor.
Goshen is a CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) community, which can discharge raw untreated sewage to the Elkhart River during rain events. The Elkhart River flows northerly approximately 7.5 miles through the City. The sewer system consists of approximately 90 miles of sewers, 39% of which is considered combined sewers. Currently the city has 39 lift stations that convey the sewage to the WWTP through sewer pipes that range from 8 to 72 inches in diameter.
