Behind the Scenes of the Ordinary! I Took a Peek at a Sewage Treatment Plant / Niigata City Central Sewage Treatment Plant

Suddenly, I went to visit a sewage treatment plant.

Huh? Why!? you might be thinking. Haha.

Well, you see, in the co-op's event guide,
it said, "Let's take a look at a sewage treatment plant."
This is... isn't this right up my alley? (Annoying)

I was so curious that I signed up.

Not a water purification plant, but sewage treatment.

If a water purification plant delivers clean water,
then a sewage treatment plant is the unsung hero
that returns dirty water back to nature.

Honestly, I was a little nervous.

Because in my head,
[Sewage = Vacuum truck -> Smelly]
That image was swirling around in my mind.

It didn't have a very clean image...

But even if it is something dirty,
pretending it doesn't exist feels wrong.

It's too irresponsible not to know
about the things that support our lives!

So, I went.

Beyond the toilet!!!
(Not really)

Infiltrating the Niigata City Central Sewage Treatment Plant!

I headed to the
Central Sewage Treatment PlantCentral Sewage Treatment Plantin Oyamatsu, Chuo-ku, Niigata City.

A large, somewhat mysterious site
surrounded by trees.

Every time I passed by, I wondered what was behind the trees.

Actually, this greenery is apparently for odor control.

I... didn't know that!

Built in 1980, this facility
is one of the largest in Niigata Prefecture.

The site area is 17.51 hectares.

That's about 3.7 Tokyo Domes,
or 17 elementary school playgrounds in scale.

It's much larger than I imagined!

Let's look at how a sewage treatment plant works.

Now, let's start the tour!

When sewage flows in,
first, large debris is settled in the primary sedimentation tank,

and then in the "aeration tank",
it takes 6 hours to clean the water.

When you say clean the water, do you add chemicals?
Or do you filter it?
(Why am I talking like a Rakugo performer?)

...Actually,
the answer is—

Microorganisms!

The microorganisms living in the water
apparently "munch" on and decompose the dirt.

I'm sure many of you didn't know about this.

And then, I was guided to the actual aeration tank.

Honestly, I approached it prepared for a bad smell, but...
It wasn't as smelly as I thought!

“The brown color isn't dirt, it's the color of the microorganisms,”

the guide's comment
made me exclaim, “What!?”

So it's not the color of the waste!

Inside that bubbling brown liquid,
tiny, invisible creatures are working busily...

I'd like to introduce some of those little microorganisms here. ↓

They say they adjust the microorganisms
as needed while monitoring the state of the waste.

They eat the waste and turn it into clean water.

I thought to myself, the aeration tank is like a cradle of life.
(A bit of an exaggeration, I know)

Even though we can't see them,
the work of microorganisms is essential to our daily lives.

This is one such example.

Then, they settle the waste one more time in the final sedimentation tank,
sterilize it, and then it's released into the river.

Apparently, this whole process takes 12 hours.

The facility operates 24 hours a day.

At any given time, someone is watching over it,
and someone is working on it.

Isn't that the definition of an unsung hero!!!

I'm so grateful.

...That said, it's huge!
Just the tour itself was quite a workout. lol

Eco-friendly system in operation

What surprised me was the fate of the sludge.

What I thought was just a "clump of filth"
is actually given new life
as raw material for cement or fertilizer.

Furthermore, they even use the methane gas
generated during the decomposition process to produce electricity.

It apparently covers 30 to 40 percent of the facility's power needs.

A sewage treatment plant is
an unexpected self-generating eco-system!

It's amazing.

Amidst all that, I was also struck by the comment
"The emergency power supply lasts for 17 hours."
17 hours means

that even if there's a power outage, we can still flush water for a whole night.

But what happens if the power outage lasts longer than that...?
(The inner voice of a worrier)

Someone is preparing, and someone is watching over it.

There are people who continue to support society behind the scenes.

Inside a facility that might seem plain at first glance,
I felt the immense power of human activity.

One final thing that stayed with me.

"The one thing that even microorganisms can't break down is 'oil'."

It is ideal to wipe off oil stains from home
with paper as much as possible before washing them down the drain.

Even just doing that much
can significantly reduce the burden on sewage treatment.

Flushing it away isn't the end.

There is more to the story after you flush.

A sewage treatment plant is
a place that properly takes care of
the things we have tried to keep out of sight.

But the real creation of clean water
starts from the daily lives of each and every one of us, doesn't it?

From today on, I'll say thank you to the toilet, too.

With heartfelt gratitude to the many heroes
working behind the scenes.

Flushhhhh

Good news for those who couldn't get a clear image just from the photos!

Believe it or not!
There is a facility tour video
of the Niigata City Central Sewage Treatment Plant that I visited this time.

Please enjoy the feeling of taking a tour yourself.

Your 'likes' are my encouragement.

This was Kireimichi!