About Us

Our Mission

The mission of the Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District is to provide cost-effective wastewater conveyance and treatment for its member Communities while protecting public health, safety and the quality of the environment.
The District will provide high quality services through continuous improvement of facilities, infrastructure and our employees’ individual and team capabilities, and the diligent collaboration and cooperation with regulatory agencies, community planners, developers and the public.

History

The Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District (HOVMSD) was established in 1974. During its incorporation the District purchased the City of Kaukauna treatment facility to treat domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater from the City of Kaukauna, along with the Villages of Little Chute, Kimberly, and Combined Locks. In 1983, the Darboy Sanitary District transitioned from being a contract customer to joining the District as the fifth District member community.

The original City of Kaukauna Wastewater Treatment Facility was constructed on the current site in 1939. With the inception of the District in the mid 1970’s the treatment facility required expansion to handle up to 6.5 million gallons per day (MGD) from the member communities. Continued growth in the District’s service area along with persistent wet weather flows in excess of 50 MGD; and the need to meet a new ammonia nitrogen effluent limit precipitated the need for further plant modifications. The most recent expansion was completed in 2007 and it included high-rate vertical processes whose footprint would fit onto the constricted 5.5-acre triangular site.

Member community sewerage flows are delivered from sanitary sewer collection systems via the HOVMSD interceptor to the treatment facility located on Thilmany Road in Kaukauna. The collection systems are all separate systems that handle wastewater from rainfall and stormwater flows. The interceptor conveys flow through ten metering stations where the sewage flow is measured and a composite sampler collects representative samples used for invoicing member communities.

The Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District is located on the island behind the Ahlstrom-Munksjo Facility. The facility is governed by a five member Commission appointed by the Outagamie County Executive to five year terms.

The Commission oversees the operation of the Treatment Facility through the District Director, Plant Staff and Operational Personnel who perform the daily operational duties at the Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The Wastewater Treatment Facility is required to meet State and Federal guidelines set forth in a WPDES permit to produce a quality Final Effluent that can safely be discharged into the receiving stream, the Fox River.

The Commission, Plant Staff and Operational Personnel take great pride in the operational process of the Treatment Facility to produce the highest quality of Final Effluent and to protect the environment for future generations.

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Commission

Commission
David J. Casper

President

Email: djc3xx@gmail.com

Bruce M. Siebers

Vice President

Email: bmsiebers@gmail.com

Patrick E. Hennessey

Secretary

Email: phennessey@darboysanitary.com

Kevin P. Coffey

Commissioner

Email: kcoffey238@gmail.com

John W. Sundelius

Commissioner

Email: johnwsundelius@gmail.com

Plant

Plant
Mark Kudwa

Chemist

Email: mark.kudwa@hvmsd.org

John Guadagni

Process Control Technician

Email: john.guadagni@hvmsd.org

Chad Juedes

Maintenance Mechanic/Process Control Technician

Email: chad.juedes@hvmsd.org

Josh Weber

Process Control Technician

Email: joshua.weber@hvmsd.org

Bailey Miller

Process Control Technician

Email: bailey.miller@hvmsd.org

Staff

Staff
Brian M. Helminger

District Director

Email: brian.helminger@hvmsd.org

Chad J. Giackino

Quality Assurance/Regulatory Compliance Manager

Email: chad.giackino@hvmsd.org

Dawn D. Bartel

Office Manager

Email: dawn.bartel@hvmsd.org

Karen T. Brake

Accounts Payable/Asset Coordinator

Email: karen.brake@hvmsd.org

Dustin Jerabek

Director of Operations and Maintenance

Email: dustin.jerabek@hvmsd.org

Our Operations

Influent Pumping with Self Cleaning Wetwell

Three (3) 20” vertical turbine pumps, each rated at 10,000 gpm, are coupled with a 24,000-gallon trench type wetwell. The inlet ramp produces a scouring standing wave across the wetwell floor.

Peak Flow Screening and Pumping

Flows greater than 25 MGD are automatically diverted from the Headworks fine screens, to the Peak Flow fine screen. Four (4) 14-inch refurbished primary effluent pumps (8133 gpm each) were converted to pump peak flows to grit removal and ballasted sedimentation (Actiflo).

Actiflo Building


The Actiflo Ballasted Sedimentation System including two (2) separate treatment trains each consisting of a Coagulation Tank, Maturation Tank, and Settling Tank. Ferric Sulfate and Polymer are added to the Actiflo System Influent to aid in coagulation/flocculation of suspended matter. Sand is also added for ballast, but is not required if Influent Flow is less than 15.6 MGD or 7.8 MGD per Actiflo train.

During dry weather flow of less than 15.6 MGD, the sand is not fluidized. Settled sludge is pumped from the bottom of each train settling tank to hydrocyclones used to separate the sand and primary sludge. The sand is returned to the Actiflo systems and the sludge is discharged to the Gravity Thickener.

Biostyr Cells


The Biostyr Biological Aerated Filtered (BAF) System is an up flow biological aerated filter used to provide removal of residual suspended solids and soluble CBOD as well as nitrification. Eight (8) BAF separate cells are provided and flow is divided evenly between the cells in operation. Cells are automatically brought on and off line based on the demand flow and ammonia loading to the BAF system. It is predicted that during average flow conditions the filters will require backwashing approximately every 48 hours, while under peak flow conditions, the filters will require backwashing approximately every 24 hours. Waste BAF backwash is stored in the Spend Backwash Tank and returned to the Actiflo Influent Channel using two (2) variable speed dry pit submersible pumps.

BAF System Effluent flows by gravity to the Normal Flow Chlorine Contact Tank. Sodium Hypochlorite is added immediately upstream of the Normal Flow Chlorine Tank and also at the Peak Flow Chlorine Contact Tank inlets for disinfection. Sodium Bisulfite is added downstream of the Chlorine Contact Tanks to remove residual chlorine prior to discharging to the Fox River.

Solids Handling Train

Auto-thermal Thermophillic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) produces Class A biosolids with an HRT of 14 days. ATAD Reactors provide nitrification/denitrification of biosolids, and a 60% to 70% reduction in ammonia nitrogen. Together, the system provides 65% VSS destruction and uses less than one half of the footprint required for conventional anaerobic digestion, while using less energy.

Heart of the Valley FAQ’s

Q. What do treatment plants do?
A. Treatment plants remove impurities and pathogens in the water so it can be returned back safely to the environment.

Q. Where does the treated water discharge to?
A. After full treatment is achieved, it is discharged into the Lower Fox River Basin.

Q. What is the average daily wastewater flow ( MGD-Million Gallons/Day) entering the facility?
A. One person uses on average 100 gallons of water per day and there are approximately 58,000 customers along with industrial dischargers that combined produce approximately 6.0 MGD, however the treatment plant can handle flows up to 26 MGD.

Q. Who is responsible for the operation of the treatment plant?
A. Certified operators who are licensed per Wis. State Code with either a basic or advanced Certification. Heart of the Valley MSD requires that every employee involved in the treatment process is state certified.