Riviera Utilities Wastewater System serves approximately 3,300 residential and commercial customers in the City of Foley. The wastewater is directed to and treated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Waste Water Treatment Plant has a has a capacity of 2.0 MGD and is an oxidation ditch plant. The resulting aerated water is then dispelled into Wolf Creek. Riviera Utilities Water Department meets all state (ADEM - Alabama Department of Environmental Management) and federal(EPA - Environmental Protection Agency) requirements.

How is Wastewater Collected?

  Wastewater from domestic household use and from industrial use is collected through a series of pipes known as collectors. These collectors then convey the wastewater to large conveyance lines known as interceptors. It is these interceptors that eventually convey the wastewater to the treatment plant.

How is the Wastewater Treated?

  A process referred to as activated sludge treats wastewater collected from within the City of Foley. The process is a biological process, which means the waste is treated by living organisms. Untreated wastewater contains many varying organisms. Some are potentially harmful to humans while others are very beneficial for the treatment process and are not harmful to humans. With the activated sludge process the treatment plant operators operate the process so those beneficial organisms are utilized in the treatment process.

  The beneficial organisms present in the wastewater require the same things that humans require for survival. They require food, water, and oxygen. The food is present in the wastewater as organic waste. There is plenty of water available, and there are small amounts of oxygen. Operators at the treatment plant create the proper conditions for these natural processes. Under the proper conditions created, the waste is used as food by the organisms and converted to a more stable material that can be removed from the water and disposed of safely as a soil conditioner. The water is then discharged after disinfection with chlorine and aerated to the Wolf Creek.