“What was that Stench?” May 9, 2015

Water Treatment: Last year Hattiesburg, MS had an issue with an odor that permeated the air. Neither the problem, nor the reasoning behind the problem was understood by the citizens. All they knew was they wanted the smell gone, and the problem(s) fixed so they could roll down the car windows without being overtaken by the wonderful smell of sewage.

What the citizens did not know was how much damage that the city incurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and by the most recent tornado that ripped through the city on Sunday, February 10, 2013. While the damage above ground was being attended to, the damage underneath the city would soon have to be addressed, but how?

“Well, first of all we have to remember one main thing,” says Shae McNease from Shows, Dearman, and Waites. “That one thing is that we cannot create new water. The water that we have is recycled and reused. We have to work from within to address and fix the problem for our citizens. This won’t be easy, but if we work together we can make this happen.”

So, on the outside this does not sound too appealing, right? Right. That was also the case for me until I visited the lagoons with The Director of The Water and Sewer Department, Chad Frierson. What he showed me was the many ways that the City of Hattiesburg, and his department have been working to resolve this “stinky situation.”

“There are aerators in the lagoons that place oxygen back into the water to promote the growth of the microorganisms,” said Frierson. “There are a couple of things going on here: One, you have to maintain an oxygen barrier in the water that traps the release of the decaying sludge that results in a sulfur dioxide. That sulfur is what gives that rotten egg smell. If we do not produce more oxygen within the microorganisms, they begin to die. When things die, they smell. You can have too much, or not enough oxygen. The balance has to be carefully maintained. This is a natural biological event that takes place. The aerators assist in maintaining this balance,” said Frierson.

What you see in the pictures is a small example of the daily processes that take place at the lagoons. These lagoons cover approximately 400 acre cells are about the size of a small lake. There are four cells, which include levees; two influents (one from Petal, and one from Hattiesburg.) These influents bring in the water from these two cities, which then is expelled into the lagoons for further processing. The water then moves from the worst stage, the sludgy stage, to the aerators, and so on.

The final process is a “bleaching effect.” This stage is the most detailed because at this point all of the water has been brought through the various stages to get it into the “bleaching channels.” Inside these channels the water is in a final filtering stage that includes final refinement and bleaching. This final process takes about three to five days to complete. Once complete, the water is ready for it’s final destination: the Leaf River.

The process is a lengthy one, but one that is necessary for our water systems to remain intact. Just like Mr. McNeese stated, “We can’t create new water.”

For more information on how to get your school or organization involved in the water treatment process, or how to further promote peers in further education regarding our city lagoons, please contact the City of Hattiesburg Public Relations Department at 601-545-4508. Katherine D. Parker Public Relations Writer/Photographer For the City of Hattiesburg