Safeguarding the Snake River with ProFlex Check Valves

Duckbill check valves from Proco Products drive Ontario, Oregon’s upgraded wastewater diffuser system

As the Snake River meanders more than 1,000 miles across the U.S. Pacific Northwest, its westward surge that separates Oregon from Idaho passes a crucial milestone: The City of Ontario. Ontario, located in eastern Oregon’s Malheur County, operates a roughly 2-mgd wastewater treatment plant that discharges into the Snake River.

Like many wastewater plants of its size and setting, the Ontario facility operates a lagoon-based system for its effluent discharges. In recent years, as Ontario’s population continues to grow and as environmental regulations become stricter, the treatment facility must more efficiently mix and dilute its effluent due to the amount of ammonia that leaves the facility and enters the Snake River. For that reason, the facility sought to upgrade its existing, single-port outfall with a focus on efficient river mixing to ensure continued compliance with regulatory standards.

Proco Products, Inc., in cooperation with CONSOR Engineers, LLC, and Ballard Marine Construction, answered the call by developing an innovative, multi-port diffuser system for Ontario that capitalizes on Proco’s ProFlex™ Style 710-E Flanged Duckbill Check Valves. The new system began operations on November 1, 2023.