Oscoda Township Wastewater Lagoon Improvements

In the early 2000s, Oscoda Township took ownership of aerated lagoons from the decommissioned Wurtsmith Air Force Base to replace their aging wastewater mechanical treatment plant for lower operations expense, lower life-cycle cost, and increased capacity. Renovations were made over the years to the lagoons, but when the aeration system began to fail, the Township hired Spicer Group to provide design, bidding and construction services to replace the existing aeration system and investigate funding sources.

To comply with EGLE standards, improve the wastewater treatment quality, and lengthen the system’s useful age, the project included sludge removal from the bottom of the 14-foot-deep lagoon cells, installation of a new fine bubble aeration system, replacing existing blowers, performing rapid infiltration basin distribution piping modifications, and adding a chemical feed mixing structure and effluent metering. The project also included the installation of a new geotextile lining and stabilizing the sideslopes of all three lagoon cells with stone riprap.

The existing system stayed in operation throughout the project, which increased the amount of wastewater the Township has the ability to treat. The population of Oscoda Township could triple in size and the system would still have the capacity to handle the wastewater flow.