Donaldson Crossroads Facility

Design Flow: 1.2 MGD

Annual Volume Treated: 218.8 million gallons

Annual Power Bill: $77,400

Pollutants Removed

BOD:   537,791 lbs.     (96.2% removal)

TSS:     393,068 lbs.     (93.2% removal)

Ammonia Nitrogen: 23,470 lbs. (85.7% removal)

Municipal Wasteload Management Reports

The Pennsylvania Code 25, Chapter 94 requires annual reports to be filed with the PA DEP. The Chapter 94 requires owners of sewage facilities to project, plan, and manage future hydraulic, organic, and industrial waste loadings to their sewage facilities.

2013 Municipal Wasteload Management Report (PDF 1.5 MB)

Donaldson Crossroads WPCP

The DC WPCP is located at the confluence of Little Chartiers Creek and Chartiers Creek near the intersection of West McMurray Road and Oakwood Road. The plants hydraulic design capacity is 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD) and its organic design capacity is 1,954 lbs/day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).  The original plant was constructed in 1964 and has been expanded several times with the most recent upgrade being placed into operation in 1998 at its current capacity.  During 2009, the plant’s final effluent discharge met its NPDES Permit discharge limits with the exception of one excursion in January 2009 where the maximum average weekly total suspended solids value was greater than 450.6 lbs/day. 

Donaldson Crossroads Current Project Update

Details for the current project are updated at Donaldson Crossroads Project

Treatment Process

The plant provides advanced secondary treatment with the treatment process consisting of screening followed by the conventional activated sludge process, followed by disinfection and dechlorination, and finally, effluent aeration.  Biological solids (biosolids) produced in the treatment process are stabilized by aerobic digestion, trucked to the Authority’s Brush Run WPCP where the stabilized biosolids are dewatered by belt filter pressing, and disposed of at a sanitary landfill. 

The treatment process is identical to that of the Brush Run WPCP with the exception that we are not required to remove the TRC before discharging the final effluent to Chartiers Creek. We are required to not exceed a monthly chlorine residual of 1.1 mg/l, which can be achieved without the need for de-chlorination. The digested sludge from the digesters is removed in liquid form and transported via tank truck to the Brush Run WPCP for processing. The processing includes residence time in the Brush Run digesters prior to being processed through the belt filter press and ultimate disposal at a sanitary landfill. This plant is monitored through a combination of personnel and an automatic monitoring system.

Treatment Plant Performance

Download Donaldson Crossroads Discharge Graph 2012 (PDF)

1 One milligram per liter is equal to 1 cent in $10,000

Laboratory and Proficiency Testing

Visit PTSA Laboratory for complete details on our process.

Lab DMRQA Summary (PDF)