Back in 1861, two surveyors camping in the wilderness of what is now Huron County, Mich., found a badly damaged axe. The site became known as Bad Axe Camp.
Today, the city of Bad Axe is home to 3,400 people and a well-run wastewater treatment plant. But success didn’t come easily. Built in the 1940s and upgraded in 1955 and 1984, the 610,000 gpd activated sludge plant was run down and nearing the end of its service life by 1997. Operators were having trouble handling BOD and ammonia loads.
“Our ammonia and BOD limits were tight, and the plant was prone to
