The Sewer Modernization and Revitalized Treatment (SMART) project replaced aging infrastructure in the county’s wastewater treatment system. Work on the project began in 2022, and it’s the largest Montgomery County Environmental Services investment to date.
This project included the construction of a new 70 million-gallon-per-day pump station at the Dryden Road facility in Moraine.
Much of what the Moraine pump station includes lies beneath the surface. Several large pumps are placed below a concrete platform. Behind the pump platform is a building that stores electrical equipment used to monitor the flow of water.
The Moraine site diverts large materials — ranging from sanitary wipes falsely labeled as “flushable” to children’s toys — out of the wastewater stream, according to Montgomery County Environmental Services.
“Wastewater can consist of sink water once you’re finished with your dishes, water from your washing machine or showers, water from your flushed toilets and more. Essentially, water that you don’t want to see again once it’s down your drain,” said Montgomery County commissioner Carolyn Rice. “We don’t have to think about it because we have a team of professionals who do.”
The Dryden Road location then moves wastewater from the county’s collection system to a water reclamation plant in West Carrollton. Once there, water travels through other screens, too, to eliminate finer particles before it goes through biological and chemical treatment. Water then is discharged back into the region’s rivers.
Boosting capacity for water treatment ensures that areas seeing more growth, particularly in southern Montgomery County, will be able to serve new households and businesses, said Montgomery County Environmental Services director Matt Hilliard.
“When you wake up and make your coffee, you turn on your water, and water comes out. That’s our department working for you,” said Hilliard.
Many of the contractors used in the project are Miami-Valley based, such as Ulliman Schutte of Miamisburg, Shook Construction of Moraine, and Hi- Mark Construction Group of Middletown, according to county officials.
Montgomery County Environmental Services has 80,000 households and businesses that are connected to its sewer line, and the county’s water system serves more than 220,000 people.
The pretreatment and pumping facility at Dryden Road has been operating since 1977. Infrastructure and equipment there had reached the end of its useful life and was costly to maintain, officials said.
The completion of the SMART project follows the opening of Montgomery County Environmental Services’ new laboratory located in the Montgomery County administrative building in downtown Dayton earlier this year.
Workers at the lab test county water to determine if its compliant with state-determined rules for quality.
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