City of Jerome
Jerome, AZ
Project Context
Jerome, Arizona is located on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet) between Prescott and Flagstaff. Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a thriving mining community. As of the census of 2000, there were 329 people, 182 households, and 84 families residing in the town.
The Jerome Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has the capacity to treat a maximum average monthly flow of up to 70,000gallons per day (gpd). The WWTP process consists of a bar screen, a primary settling tank, two trickling filters, two reed beds (for sludge dewatering and in situ composting), four vertical flow constructed wetlands and a chlorination-dechlorination disinfection unit. All the effluent generated from the WWTP is discharged to Bitter Creek as regulated under NPDES permit AZ0021804. The sludge generated in the WWTP is dried and composted in the reed beds for approximately 7-10 years. After the sludge is dried and composted, it is used for a land application around the WWTP site in accordance with the requirements for sewage sludge disposal.
The Town of Jerome also has an existing septic tank and leach field system at the WWTP site which treats wastewater when flows do not exceed 20,000 gpd. The septic tank and leach field system has been in operation since 1973 and is covered under a Type 1.09 General Permit.
