If Tim Woodward weren’t such a hard-charger, he might not be superintendent of the award-winning Turkey Creek (Ind.) Regional Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant.
His first love was baseball, but when he barreled into second base on a steal attempt in college and broke his ankle, his dream of playing in the major leagues ended with three steel pins inserted to keep the bones together.
So he turned to wastewater treatment, an industry he had known since he mowed grass at the local utility as a 14-year-old worker on the old CETA federal-government-sponsored temporary employment program. Today, he couldn’t be happier.
“All I really wanted was a job I liked,” says Woodward. “When baseball didn’t happen, it was wastewater. I’m really happy with what we’re doing here.”
His staff shares his enthusiasm. “Tim sets a good example,” says chief operator Ryan Curtis. “He’s straightforward — no rigmarole.”
Laboratory manager Jane Bauer agrees: “Tim has the right attitude and keeps everybody in the plant on board. That makes our jobs easier.”
Critical resource
Woodward became a full-time member of the wastewater profession in 1987 as a staffer at the treatment plant in his hometown of Roann, Ind. Eventually, he moved on to the Town of Cromwell as plant manager and earned his water and wastewater certification.
Then, in 1990, when the Turkey Creek regional authority was formed and built a new plant to treat wastewater from the homes and businesses around popular Lake Wawasee, he joined that new staff as laboratory manager. After eight years, he was promoted to assistant superintendent. In 2007, he became superintendent of wastewater treatment and water treatment, as well as wastewater collections.
“This is a big district,” he says proudly. “We have more than 32 miles of sewers, and the 1,890 connections around the lake occupy some of the most expensive real estate in the state.”
The plant is a Class 2 activated sludge facility with a pair of oxidation ditches (Lakeside Equipment Corporation). Average flow is 250,000 gpd in winter and 400,000 to 600,000 gpd in summer and on holiday weekends.
Septic systems around the lake receive raw sewage. Septic tank effluent enters the district’s collection system and flows by gravity or through force mains to the treatment plant. The loop of 4- and 12-inch pipes, installed in 1990, surrounds the lake, a 3,000-acre natural body of water and the major recreational site in Kosciusko County, northwest of Fort Wayne.
The plant’s role in protecting water quality is critical: Lake Wawasee is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the Midwest. Vacationers from Chicago and Indianapolis visit to enjoy boating, swimming, and sightseeing. The Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals family residence is a landmark. Numerous marinas and sailing clubs occupy the shoreline.
The lake is a glacial and spring-fed with 3,060 acres of surface area, and depths to 77 feet. The largest lake in Indiana, its watershed encompasses more than 23,000 acres. Water clarity is exceptional, partly through the vigilance of the local community and the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, a nonprofit group concerned about the region’s water quality.
