The City of Dresden received an updated NPDES permit which deemed the city’s current existing lagoon treatment system, which serves more than 1,300 households, noncompliant.

The city partnered with A2H to design a system that would more efficiently filter the nitrogen and phosphorus content of incoming wastewater at its current sanitary sewer lagoon location. The incorporation of hydroponic plants throughout the lagoon allowed for wastewater treatment to occur organically. By maintaining operations at the current site and utilizing only the existing number of staff members to monitor the new system, A2H designed the new system as a sustainable, economical solution to providing wastewater treatment services for the City of Dresden.

A2H prepared the Preliminary Engineering Report for Dresden’s 2016 CDBG application. The city received a $350,000 grant to assist in funding this project. The system was placed into service in the fall of 2017, and the hydroponic plant system is performing as intended in removing the nitrogen and phosphorus components of the wastewater.