Economic Development

The Town of Ehrhardt’s wastewater collection system serves the majority of the population within the Town Limits. In 2000, the Census reported a total population of 614 residents. The Town of Ehrhardt serves approximately 139 wastewater customers, of which 122 are residential customers and (17) are non-residential customers. Approximately eighty-seven percent (87%) of the customers connected to Ehrhardt’s existing wastewater collection system are residential customers.

Ehrhardt’s existing wastewater collection system is the smallest public wastewater system in Bamberg County and consists of about eight (8) miles of gravity wastewater lines. Additionally, the system has two (2) pumping stations and approximately three (3) miles of associated force main. The wastestream consists primarily of domestic wastewater and is collected from most of the Town of Ehrhardt. An approximate depiction of this service area can be found in Exhibit W.

The Town of Ehrhardt owns and operates a WWTP located about one and a half (1 ½) miles southwest of the Ehrhardt Town Hall. The location of the existing WWTP is shown in Exhibit X. The Town recently completed the construction of improvements to the WWTP to comply with SCDHEC requirements. The SCDHEC had updated its computer modeling of hydraulic flows within Savannah Creek. As a result of this modeling, more stringent limits were set on certain effluent characteristics and on the total volume of treated wastewater effluent that could be discharged to the creek. The Town had been discharging its treated wastewater effluent to Savannah Creek under NPDES Permit No. SC0042099. With the more stringent effluent limits imposed by SCDHEC, upgrading the WWTP and land applying the treated effluent to the adjacent fields was recommended as the most viable and economic option. According to an article published in The Times and Democrat, a copy which is located in Appendix L, the Town of Ehrhardt received a $600,000 grant from the USDA-RD, a $500,000 grant from the SCDOC, and a $100,000 grant from the State Budget and Control Board for this project. In addition, the Town of Ehrhardt borrowed $50,500 to supplement these grant funds for construction of the new WWTP.

The new WWTP is located on the same site as the old WWTP and now utilizes the old aeration basin as an effluent storage basin. The wastewater treatment process begins with raw wastewater entering the bar screen chamber. The WWTP also includes a dual power level, multi-cellular aerated lagoon which features three (3) cells for treatment. The effluent from the aerated lagoon is disinfected in the chlorine contact chamber prior to being routed into the effluent storage basin or conveyed directly to the land application fields via the effluent irrigation pumps. Treated effluent in the storage basin is also applied on the land application fields via the effluent irrigation pumps. A schematic depicting the treatment process of the Town of Ehrhardt’s WWTP is presented in Exhibit Y, and an aerial photograph of the WWTP is presented in Exhibit Z.

Unlike the other purveyors of public wastewater service in Bamberg County, the five (5) largest wastewater customers of Town of Ehrhardt include four (4) residential customers and the local elementary school. These wastewater generation rates are based on customers that are served both water and wastewater by the Town of Ehrhardt. The customers and the average daily generation rate are tabulated in Table 3.3.3-1.

Table 3.3.3-1 Town of Ehrhardt-Five Largest Wastewater Customers

General information to characterize the WWTP’s performance was obtained from the SCDHEC through Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR’s). The DMR’s represent general characteristics from October 2006 through June 2007 since upgrades were completed on the WWTP. General characteristics of the influent wastestream, including flow, five (5) day Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Soils (TSS) are tabulated in Table 3.3.3-2.

Table 3.3.3-2
Town of Ehrhardt’s WWTP - Influent Wastewater Characteristics

The average of the monthly average wastewater flows to the Ehrhardt WWTP over the nine (9) months tracked was approximately 19,000 GPD and the average of the monthly peak flows was approximately 20,100 GPD. With a capacity of 60,000 GPD, the Town of Ehrhardt would have a surplus capacity of approximately 41,000 GPD at average flow conditions.

Additionally, according to the SCDHEC’s DMR’s, the effluent wastewater characteristics from the Town of Ehrhardt’s WWTP include BOD, pH, TSS, and Fecal Coliform and that data is tabulated in Table 3.3.3-3. The wastewater effluent is applied to approximately 12.6 acres of associated land application fields adjacent to the WWTP.

Table 3.3.3-3
Town of Ehrhardt’s WWTP - Effluent Wastewater Characteristics

The Town of Ehrhardt has surplus capacity for treatment of wastewater which would enable it to support the extension of service into surrounding areas. The current ND Permit No. 0083135 can be found in Appendix K, and the limits associated with land application are summarized in Table 3.3.3-4.

Table 3.3.3-4 Town of Ehrhardt’s WWTP
Permitted Effluent Wastewater Characteristics

The Town of Ehrhardt is currently meeting all requirements that have been set forth by the SCDHEC associated with the WWTP.

At present, the Town of Ehrhardt does not have any known current plans, planning studies, or PER’s for future wastewater improvements that have been submitted to SCDHEC for approval.

The Town of Ehrhardt has developed a Rate and Fee Schedule based on wastewater flow volumes. Out of its current 139 customers, the Town has approximately 122 residential customers. Accordingly, approximately eighty-seven percent (87%) of their customers are residential customers. Table 3.3.5-1 is a summarized version of the Rate and Fee Schedule which indicates the charges that wastewater customers will incur.

Table 3.3.5-1 Town of Ehrhardt - Wastewater Rate and Fee Schedule

Regardless of the total volume of wastewater that may be generated, customers are charged a base monthly service fee of $15.00 and charged an additional $3.00 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater generated.  Under the assumption that an average wastewater customer generates 5,500 gallons per month, the average monthly water bill for the Town of Ehrhardt would be $31.50.

The annual financial audit for the Town of Ehrhardt was not disaggregated between the water and wastewater revenues and expenses. For additionally information refer to Section 2.3.6.