In the old days, coal mining sustained the economy of Pittsburg, Kan.
Today, the abandoned mines contribute to serious infiltration and inflow that can push volume at the city’s 3 mgd wastewater treatment plant to 14 mgd and beyond. Rainwater floods the old pits and mine shafts, forcing it into the sewer system, much of it clay pipe construction.
But the wet-weather flows have not overwhelmed the treatment plant, operated by superintendent Mike Brown and his staff of six. In fact, using old technology and plenty of ingenuity, they created an effective wet-weather plan that has kept the plant in compliance, with
