Production Department
How does water get from our dams and reservoirs to you - and then get collected to be treated and returned to the environment? All that work is done by WSSC Water's Production Department.
How does water get from our dams and reservoirs to you - and then get collected to be treated and returned to the environment? All that work is done by WSSC Water's Production Department.
The Production Department provides continuous operation and maintenance of WSSC Water's water supply dams, reservoirs, water filtration plants, water distribution facilities, wastewater collection facilities, water resource recovery facilities, biosolids management programs, and laboratories. The department is comprised of Water Resource Recovery Facilities, Facilities Maintenance, the Laboratory Division, the Water Quality Division, the Systems Control Division, and the Production Support Division.
Meet our Production Department Director
The Seneca/Damascus/Hyattstown Water Resource Recovery Facility is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Commission's wastewater treatment and pumping facilities in Montgomery County: the 26 million-gallons-per-day Seneca WRRF, the 1.5 million-gallons-per-day Damascus WRRF, the 15,000 gallons per day Hyattstown WRRF, and 23 remote wastewater pumping stations throughout the County. The quality effluent returned to receiving streams consistently meets or exceeds all discharge standards. The biosolids produced in the treatment process are used to fertilize agricultural land in accordance with state and federal regulations.
The Piscataway Water Resource Recovery Facility produces effluent that meets all discharge standards, beneficially uses the biosolids produced in our processes and operates pumping stations to collect and transport wastewater without overflows.
The Western Branch Water Resource Recovery Facility, which serves southern Prince George's County, is one of WSSC Water's largest water resource recovery facilities, with a design capacity of 30 million gallons per day. It produces a quality effluent that meets or exceeds all discharge standards while safely disposing of biosolids generated in our processes.
The Parkway Water Resource Recovery Facility produces a quality effluent that meets or exceeds all discharge standards, beneficially utilizes the biosolids, and operates pumping stations to collect and transport wastewater without overflows.
This division is responsible for providing specialized in-house electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, welding, machining, and engineering support for all of WSSC Water's Production Facilities. It also manages specialized maintenance services and directs asset management strategies for the entire Production Department.
This division directs the overall strategy for process control initiatives and projects. It designs, develops, implements and troubleshoots process control and related database systems. The division also investigates and justifies control system modifications to reduce costs while increasing product quality and reliability.
The Production Support Division (PSD) performs a variety of Department-wide functions. We administer the Computerized Maintenance Management System, and coordinate asset management strategies across all WSSC Water facilities. We also produce facility Asset Management Plans, and facilitate the Production Department training program.
The Biosolids Management Division focuses on receiving the biosolids from all WSSC Water’s WRRFs and producing an exceptional quality Class A product suitable for beneficial reuse all while producing renewable energy.
Our mission is to provide the highest quality analytical data to WSSC Water and other organizations for the benefit of public health and environmental quality. The division depends on highly qualified, well trained, and dedicated staff members to operate and maintain a state-of-the art MDE certified environmental laboratory.
The Potomac Water Filtration Plant is the larger of the Commission's two water treatment plants. It delivers approximately 120 million gallons of water per day to the distribution system but is capable of treating more than 280 million gallons daily. The Potomac WFP Superintendent is responsible for the facility's Solids Handling Facilities, Main and High Zone Pumping Stations, two Intermediate Pumping Stations, and one of the largest UV disinfection systems in the country.
The Patuxent Water Filtration Plant delivers approximately 57 million gallons of water per day to the distribution system. In addition to this facility, the superintendent is responsible for the Rocky Gorge Pumping Station, the Sludge/Reclaim Pumping Station, the Patuxent Finished Water Pumping Station and the T. Howard Duckett Dam.
This division ensures the production and distribution of safe water for the public. It's responsible for regulatory compliance and coordination, water quality emergency response, water quality surveillance, response to stakeholder and customer inquiries on water quality issues, and proactive planning.
The Systems Control Division operates the water distribution and wastewater collection systems, unstaffed facilities, and the Control Center.