From the moment of its completion decades ago, Greers Ferry Lake became one of the region’s most desirable destinations. But its scenic slopes and thin mountain soils demanded an innovative solution to handle the sanitary waste of its popular resort community. A favorite watery playground in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Greers Ferry Lake, is located in the north-central portion of the state, which is about 75 miles north of the capital in Little Rock, two hours south of Branson, Missouri, and three hours from Memphis, Tennessee. The lake was formed by Greers Ferry Dam which was completed in July 1964.

The 40,000-acre lake accommodates boaters and the fishing is superb throughout the year. Its pristine waters hold record stocks of game fish, such as rainbow trout, walleye, channel catfish, largemouth bass, white bass, and bream. Capitalizing on its popularity, the building of Fairfield Bay along the north shore began in 1965 as a resort and retirement community mostly as a summer destination. Since that time, it has evolved into a 16,000-lot development with 2,460 permanent residents and thousands of seasonal visitors. The resort offers two top-flight golf courses, tennis and fitness centers, a shopping district, a full-service marina, horseback riding, hiking trails, geological wonders, camping, lake cruises, and accommodations, plus great water sports. There is even a Harris Cup professional miniature golf course.

But Fairfield Bay is also sited in a mountainous area, with elevation changes of approximately 650 feet with three major drainage basins. Add to that equation shallow clay soils, and you have the formula for challenging wastewater issues. “We’ve got a real depth-to-rock problem here” says John Tyer, Utilities Manager for Fairfield Bay Community Club. “There’s only about three to four feet of soil before you hit bedrock in most places.”

Pressured for a Decision
As the community’s build-out progressed through the 1960s, septic system failures became more prevalent and bad installations led to major problems. In 1977 a moratorium on septic permits was threatened by the state unless a remediation process was approved. It was immediately apparent that central sewer was the only viable option. The community borrowed on the good experience of a sister community, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, which had good luck with pressure sewer systems. It selected Environment One (E/One) as the supplier of sewage grinder pumps due to prior experience at other Fairfield communities, installation costs, versatility (the amount of head they could pump), and the ease of repairs.

At the Heart of the System
The low-pressure sewer system is simple, environmentally sensitive, and economical. At each home site, an E/One sewage grinder pump is installed into the ground, with an access lid for service. These compact pumps – smaller than a washing machine – process the waste into a fine slurry and pump it under pressure into pipes that lead uphill or horizontally to a sewer main. Because of the pressure generated by the pumps, they are able to lift sewage nearly 150 feet vertically, or more than a mile and a half horizontally.  

“With our shallow soil, a pressure system is actually less expensive than a gravity system, because it uses contour-hugging small diameter pipes buried just below the frostline,” Tyer says. The grinder pump tank is made from tough, corrosion-resistant high density polyethylene (HDPE), features capacities of up to 500 gallons, and can accommodate flows from 700 to 6000 gallons per day. The pump is automatically activated. Because it runs infrequently and for very short periods, its annual electric energy consumption is typically that of a 40 watt light bulb.According to manufacturers, E/One grinder pumps require little or no preventive maintenance and boast an average mean time of 10 years between service calls. If service is required, its one-piece core eliminates the need for in-field troubleshooting and servicing — the pump core can be quickly pulled out and replaced.  

Other Benefits
The E/One LPS is a closed system and resistant to groundwater infiltration and runoff, which is a problem in the region for traditional gravity systems. And the system is nearly invisible, with no manhole covers. The pump lids are at ground level and easily camouflaged by simple landscaping such as flowers or plants. Because the pipes are smaller than traditional 24-inch mains, the installation is kinder and gentler to the terrain.To accommodate access to existing lines during build-out at Fairfield Bay, Flo Hot/Wet taps were used to install the grinder pumps to the pressure system, which eliminated cutting into “hot” pressure sewer mains.

A redundant check-valve was located next to the tap. This facilitated the ability to repair service lines and components without backflow. Today there are 1,886 homes with approximately 1,591 connected to sewer, of which 600 are on pressure. The homeowners own their grinder pumps and are responsible for power and repair costs. Wastewater Corporation, a subsidiary of Fairfield Bay Community Club, owns, operates and maintains four sewage treatment plants and 16 major lift stations. They boast an onsite laboratory, which runs wastewater samples for EPA NPDES reporting. The corporation also installs and services all 600 E/One grinder pumps. 

Wastewater Corporation has a staff off eight full-time employees, including two full-time treatment plant operators, two maintenance workers for the plants, lift stations, and grinder pumps, and one dedicated worker for all grinder pump service and repair. There is always one maintenance worker available on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This organization follows strict repair protocol, and keeps detailed records of each installation, repair, and each pump by serial number. 

It’s In The Numbers
The most powerful recommendation, according to Tyler, is performance. “From 1977 to present, we’ve serviced these 600 pumps; a total of 951 repairs, 89 core replacements, out of a total 10,765 pump years of operation. The mean time between service calls is 11.3 years. That’s years!

”Over the course of the past 30 years, E/One has supplied Fairfield Bay with two series of grinder pumps. From 1977 to 1995, a total of 420 “200 Series” pumps were installed, and from 1996 to 2007, a total of 180 of the newer 2000 Series pumps were installed.  

Partners in Progress
“We have total cooperation with quality control. E/One and Fairfield Bay have had an excellent relationship during the past 26 plus years,” Tyler said. The spirit of cooperation continues in the design of the company’s newest grinder pump, the Extreme series, according to Tyler.

“All of the large-scale users got a voice in the design of this latest pump, and we appreciated that, because we all want a pump that’s bulletproof.”  SLDT