16 DECEMBER 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® An Upgraded Wastewater Treatment Plant for SURF Adapted from Information by the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) SURF recently completed a significant renovation of its wastewater treatment facility in South Dakota, paving the way for many more years of pristine water flowing into local streams. For almost four decades, a collection of large cylinders, each comparable in size to a semitruck trailer, has been slightly turning in pools of moving water at SURF. Known as Rotating Biological Contractors (RBCs), these cylinders play an essential role in the wastewater treatment process at SURF. Inside the RBCs resides a specialized group of microbes that effectively decompose pollutants in the water passing through the plant. This system has served both the former Homestake Mine and SURF, successfully treating tens of billions of gallons of water since its inception in the 1980s. However, this year, the RBCs will be decommissioned to make way for more advanced water treatment technology. The innovative biotechnology used at SURF for water purification originated in the Black Hills nearly half a century ago. In the 1970s, chemists from the Homestake Mining Company identified a specific set of microbes capable of breaking down the contaminants present in mine tailings and the underground water pool. Homestake was a pioneer in utilizing these microbes for water treatment, leading to a global revolution in wastewater management that saw technology being adapted and improved over time. SURF is set to replace the outdated RBCs with a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR). Instead of relying on large rotating cylinders to support microbial life, the new system utilizes tens of thousands of small plastic disks that swirl through aerated pools, creating an effect akin to massive bubbling hot tubs. The construction process faced various challenges, including the careful decommissioning of the existing system and the excavation necessary for the new setup. “This has been a challenging project, and it’s turned out very successful. We had a huge job in removing the old RBCs and then safely excavating down to put this new MBBR basin in place. There were absolutely zero injuries during the construction of this MBBR plant,” said Todd Hubbard, a Senior Mechanical Engineer at SURF who led the construction of the MBBR. With the upgraded system soon to be operational, SURF is well-equipped to uphold rigorous water quality standards well into the future. “This plant allows us to meet all of our discharge permits and discharge it down to Whitewood Creek, which is a cold-water fishery. So, water treatment is very critical and crucial to protect this waterway,” said Hubbard. “Anybody that goes down to the creek and decides to drop a line and do a little flyfishing, those trout will be there for them in the decades to come.” Photo courtesy of Stephen Kenny WTR See us at Booth 2915 Groundwater Week 2025 in New Orleans [Overheard] Husband: I’m going clubbing tomorrow. Wife: Yes Dear, just don’t throw your back out again. [Listener is aghast!] Husband: It wasn’t my fault I slipped last month when the course got rained on just before my tee time!
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