Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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AKRON, Ohio – Akron's Water Reclamation Facility has completed its so-called Step Feed 2 project, which increases the amount of wastewater treated each day from 130 million gallons to 220 million gallons.

To put that 90-million-gallon increase in perspective, 41 containers the size of a Goodyear blimp would be needed to hold all that liquid.

Step Feed 2 reached “substantial completion” on Feb. 21, and was completed ahead of the April 30 deadline, Mayor Dan Horrigan said during a recent tour of the facility on Akron Peninsula Road in the city’s Merriman Valley neighborhood.

The contractor, Great Lakes Construction, completed the project at a cost of $37 million, which was $11 million under the engineer’s estimate of $48 million.

“If you look around this place, this is a model of innovation of what we’re supposed to do as a city to find smart solutions to save money in the long run all while being environmentally sound to the natural resources around us,” Horrigan said.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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About 280 million gallons of sewage and stormwater flows into the plant each day, according to Pat Gsellman of Akron’s Engineering Department.

The water gets screened in a very literal way, by passing through a series of screens.

“It gets de-gritted, where all the real heavy stuff – the rocks, sands, solids – all settles out,” Gsellman said.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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Some giggles erupted when Gsellman pointed to poop emojis on poster boards to symbolize the organic waste and sewage coming into the system. And while most of us think that material is disgusting, the system incorporates microorganisms, called "bugs," which thrive on human waste.

The facility creates a wetland-like environment in its tanks.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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“The bugs eat the food, which is the sewage, and those bugs, they’re as happy as can be,” Gsellman said. “We give them a lot of oxygen, they eat this material, they get bigger, they reproduce and they just have a grand ol’ time and get fatter and fatter.”

The organisms grow so large that by the end of the process, they’re heavy enough to settle at the bottom, Gsellman said. Those settlements used to be called “sludge,” but are now referred to as “biosolids” because of their potential benefits.

The biosolids are sent to Akron's Renewable Energy Facility where they are heated to produce energy. They can also be used as a compost material.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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Water is then disinfected before it is sent down the Cuyahoga River, which runs behind the Water Reclamation Facility. To complete the treatment process takes about eight hours.

The process is complicated after a heavy rain or snow melt because of drastic shifts in the ratio of water to waste. In an environment with too much water and not enough waste, the bugs have a lower quality of life and the treatment process slows down.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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When that happens, the plant shifts to a “step feed” process, during which the diluted wastewater is incorporated into the system at a later stage.

“Instead of washing out everything and losing all our bugs to provide that treatment, this keeps some back in the reservoir,” Gsellman said. “That not only provides enough treatment during the event, but after the event, we can jump right back in to normal treatment.”

During the most recent major snow storm, the plant was taking in about 250 million gallons per day, according to Brian Gresser, manager of Akron’s Water Reclamation Services.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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As of Monday, about 335 million gallons of wastewater have been provided a higher level of treatment because of the Step Feed 2 project. In total, both phases of the project have resulted in better treatment for more than 727 million gallons of wastewater.

Again, for scale, that equals about 331 Goodyear blimps.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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The plant produces about one-third of the energy it needs, Gresser said.

As part of the Phase 1 pilot project, four new high-speed turbo blowers were installed, which are 25-percent more efficient than conventional blowers. That results in a cost savings of about $21,000 per month, Gresser said while standing next to the new blowers.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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“The Step Feed pilot program demonstrated a culture of sustainability by using an existing facility to its maximum capacity and reduce energy and maintenance costs,” Horrigan said.

The project also exceeded the 18-percent diversity goal with 19.32 percent of the construction contract performed by minority-owned, women-owned or disadvantaged subcontractors.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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The project is one of 29 in the city's consent decree under the Akron Waterways Renewed program.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com