Friday October 7, 2022, I was contracted by EOM to assist their wastewater manager with operating the

Port Wentworth Water Reclamation Facility. I was asked because of my knowledge and experience since
I not only worked with Choate construction during construction in 2010 but I also operated the facility
for 8 years as a city of Port Wentworth employee.
The Port Wentworth Water Reclamation Facility was designed and built to provide wastewater
treatment and a source of reclaimed water which would allow the city to grow.
My first impression of the PWWRF was one of disbelief. When I left in January 2019 the plant was clean
and orderly and although there were a few deficiencies at that time it does not compare to the
neglected state I found it in.
The following is a list of major components that were out of service:
1. One of the effluent pumps was missing, this is critical in case of increased flows to the plant
during rain events. If the one pump that is currently in service fails, then there will be no way to
send water to the river.
2. The plants reuse water system was out of service and all process water was from the city water
supply. Both reuse pumps were out of service. The reuse water system is important to the plant
process and also the future growth of the city.
3. SBR1 was out of service and left to settle with no mixing or air. Mixing and aeration will keep
the basin fresh and prevent it from going septic.
4. The Digester was out of service and going septic. I was able to open actuator valves in the
blower room and send much needed aeration to it.
5. The digester mixer motor was missing.
6. The digester blower was out of service because the digester level was allowed to rise above the
air header allowing sludge to flow into the blower. If the digester level is not kept below the air
header sludge will enter the blowers.
7. Air to the two SBR’s in service was provided by two blowers simultaneously without the critical
on-off times. This will damage the diffusers. Only one blower at a time should be providing air to
a basin. There was also a lack of a sufficient sludge blanket in the basins. This is caused by over
wasting.
8. Blower number 2 was out of service.
9. The diffusers in the SBR’s that deliver air to the basins need to be replaced. This should be done
every 2 years.
10. The dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, and pH probes were missing. These probes are
vital to the efficient operation of the plant.
11. The new automatic bar screen was out of service. The manual bar screen is in use and needs to
be cleaned every few hours to prevent a spill.
12. The new vapor scrubber was out of service.
13. The influent sampler was out of service.
14. The parshall flume was covered up with installation of the vapor scrubber. The flume is a
secondary flow metering device that is required by the permit.
15. The headworks influent distribution vault is full of sand, grit, and rags. This problem was first
discovered during the headworks repairs performed in 2016 or 2017. A total of 60,000 pounds
of sand was removed from this vault. This sand was septic and causing problems for the
process and was a major source of H2s. Repairs to eliminate this problem were postponed by the
city manager, Philip Claxton. A solution to this problem was presented by BRW
construction.
 16. The belt press was out of service. A quote to rebuild the belt press was presented in 2018. This
work has not been performed and the press needs a total rebuild. If the belt press is not put
back service within a few weeks, the city will need to rent a portable press to get rid of the
solids building up in the digester.
17. The Ultra-violent disinfection system was down to only two banks. Lack of service was evident.
Expensive UV parts and old bulbs were laying everywhere in the area. Hazardous mercury is in
the UV bulbs and should be handled and disposed of properly.
18. The Pump, Filters, and UV control room is a controlled environment but both HVAC units were
out of service. Old parts and trash were cluttering the room.
19. The turbidity pump was missing, and the turbidity analyzer was out of service.
20. I did not get a chance to look closely at the Aqua-disk filters. I noticed that new filter cloths were
on site. Filter cloths should be replaced at least every five years and should be done according to
the manufacturer's instructions.
21. The oxygen generation system was out of service. Oxygen was being fed to the O2 Speece cone
from portable O2 bottles. This would work except the side stream pumps are not running
automatically. The side stream pumps send water to the Speece cone where oxygen is mixed
with the water steam before mixing with the effluent flow which carries oxygenated water to
the Savannah River. This process is vital to the permitting of the PWWRF.
Overall, the plant was dirty, unorganized, and not maintained to high standards of the former Port
Wentworth operators from 2011 to 2019. With more than half of the major components out of service,
in need of repair or replacement it’s only a matter of time before the facility will suffer a major spill or
repeated violations.
I would be glad to meet with city officials to discuss my findings and answer any questions.
Sincerely,

Joseph McIntosh

Joseph McIntosh | Wastewater Manager

Water Utility Management

Office 912-352-9339
Mobile 912-755-0534
Address 28 Abercorn Street, Savannah, GA 31401
Email Joey.McIntosh@waterga.com www.WaterGA.com

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