Large-Scale and Commercial Treatment Systems

Large-Scale and Commercial Treatment Systems
Advanced system used to service rural Australian school

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Remediators used to reduce high-strength waste

Problem: The Merton Custard Shoppe in Merton, Wisconsin, had a septic system designed and installed to treat the wastewater from its new operation. Within a year of operation the system was tested for BOD, TSS and FOG to confirm the system was functioning as designed. The data revealed that the effluent flowing to the distribution field was considered high-strength rather than low-strength as designed. The owners were issued a corrective action letter by the local county health department. Because of the required site work and equipment, the upgrade to meet the code requirements was nearly $40,000.

Solution: The owners contacted Aero-Stream. Because of the design of the proposed equipment, the existing tanks could be used with no modifications. Four Pro Line Plus M Remediators were ganged together and installed in the second chamber of a 1,750-gallon two-chamber tank.

Result: The installation was completed in less than two hours for a total project cost under $10,000. The system was processing 900 to 1,000 gpd of wastewater, and yielded a 71 percent reduction in BOD5 and a 76 percent reduction in TSS. The system now operates with a Six Sigma process that is below the maximum limit by 79 percent for BOD5 and by 29 percent for TSS. 262/538-4000; www.aero-stream.com.


Providing treatment solutions for noncompliant camp system

Problem: Stony Glen Christian Camp in Madison, Ohio, had an NPDES treatment system that was in noncompliance, and septic odors were a persistent nuisance. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency required an equipment upgrade for compliance. Goals included low maintenance and operating cost, with the ability to handle variable hydraulic flows of 500 to over 4,000 gpd combined domestic and kitchen waste, with NH3 reduction from levels of 140 mg/L, treatment equipment in two locations, and meeting NPDES performance limits.

Solution: Existing septic tanks were converted into biological reactors for first-stage primary treatment, using IMETTM bioreactors for high strength and NH3 reduction. Influent alkalinity was increased to aid in NH3 reduction using Anua Puralinity modules. Time-dosed pump stations transfer treated effluent to 36 Anua Puraflo peat fiber biofilters. The center camp system required 28 Puraflo modules and the A-frame camp system required eight Puraflo modules for peak-season hydraulic loading. Secondary treatment is provided by surface sand filtration, re-aeration and UV disinfection through Salcor 3G units. Programmable control panels and Ethernet/IP connections allow use of SCADA for remote management.

Result: System design requirements were fully achieved and along with other facility improvements provide an environment for year-round camping and retreat opportunities for participating churches. 336/547-9338; www.anuainternational.com.


Fixed-film media system helps restaurant comply with effluent objectives

Problem: A yacht club and marina restaurant in Ontario, was exceeding effluent objectives of 10 mg/L cBOD and TSS with its existing aerated septic system.

Solution: Nine stands of ClearPod fixed-film media were incorporated into the main aeration chamber of an existing 3,170 gpd treatment system to improve performance and meet/exceed effluent objectives. Prior to the installation, effluent levels were averaging 15.7 mg/L cBOD and 40.6 mg/L TSS. The fixed film is designed to be easily integrated with new or existing systems and provide maximum utilization of new or existing aeration.

Result: With no excavation or new tanks required for the ClearPod installation, effluent levels met or exceeded the objectives, obtaining an average concentration of 3.6 mg/L cBOD and 5.2 mg/L TSS. Removal of these solids improved hydraulic conductivity in the leachfield and extended the life of the system. An out-of-compliance system was brought into compliance for significantly lower capital cost than replacing a single tank in the system. 819/598-7153; www.clearpodwater.com.


Units help reduce effluent nitrogen levels at school

Problem: A school in Ontario, Canada, had an undersized wastewater treatment plant that was not meeting the Provincial Ministry of the Environment total nitrogen effluent criteria for subsurface discharge. Incoming flow was measured at 1,850 gpd with an ammonia concentration that ranged between 175 to 311 mg/L.

Solution: Modifications were made to treat the increased flows and to facilitate nitrification/denitrification processes to reduce TN. The design concept included the addition of ECOPOD-N units from Delta Environmental to the existing system to provide tertiary treatment, including further BOD/TSS reduction, nitrification and denitrification. The first unit is operated in an aerobic mode. The second is operated in an anaerobic mode to facilitate denitrification. The third is operated in an aerobic mode to provide polishing of the effluent. The units are fixed-bed biological reactors. A carbon feed is added to the anaerobic unit to provide a carbon source for the denitrifying bacteria. The system recirculated 100 percent of plant effluent discharging from the ATU units back to the initial anaerobic septic holding tanks.

Result: With a combination of the ECOPOD-N’s ability to reduce total nitrogen along with some simple process modifications, test data shows the system is able to consistently reduce TN below the Ministry’s criteria of 5 mg/L. 800/219-9183; www.deltaenvironmental.com.


Treatment solution provided for office complex bordering nature preserve

Problem: Consolidation of two corporate campuses in Pennsylvania required a new parking garage to be constructed over the existing treatment system and drainfield. The site overlooks a nature preserve with hiking paths and an environmentally sensitive waterway running through it. The increase in flow required a new permit to be issued, which allowed for no net increase in nitrogen released into the environment, but a doubling of the people served. Aesthetics and sound were a major concern to the client, the township and environmentalists. Stringent regulations through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection required high-quality effluent with nitrogen discharge standards of 10 mg/L prior to discharge to the drainfield.

Solution: The chosen system begins with a full day of flow equalization in front of an 18,000 gpd MTS-IFAS system from Hoot Systems with energy-saving variable-frequency drives, paired with dissolved oxygen sensors that deliver only the amount of air necessary to accomplish the level of treatment. The system includes the Hoot Advanced Nitrogen Reduction System to ensure nitrogen performance prior to discharge to a four-zone drainfield.

Result: The system was installed cut into a hillside, and is not visible from either the campus or down in the preserve. A building was erected to house blowers, controls, chemical feed and provide a space for the operator to wash up. The site has accomplished the goals of the client and protected the environment. 888/878-4668; www.hootsystems.com.


Chambers provide reduced carbon footprint and aquifer recharge at biological field station

Problem: Blue Oak Ranch Reserve is a field station and ecological reserve owned and operated by the University of California. Proposed facility renovation including new housing construction and a large utility infrastructure building required the design of a wastewater treatment system that would protect the surrounding environment and recharge the aquifer.

Solution: A wastewater recharge system designed by Biosphere Consulting and installed by Battle Mountain Excavation accommodates the calculated peak usage design flow of 3,280 gpd and includes 231 Quick4 Plus high-capacity chambers from Infiltrator Water Technologies in a shallow system installation. Wastewater is dispersed in two leachfields. The first serves the faculty residences and student cabins, and is a combination of gravity flow and pressurized (pump up) trenches. The second is a conventional gravity flow system. The systems have septic tanks as primary treatment with the soils providing final treatment and polishing of the effluent prior to it returning to the local aquifer.

Result: The chambers were installed in trenches with minimal invasiveness and site disruption. The specification of recycled products for the wastewater system resulted in a reduced carbon footprint compared to labor-intensive mined aggregate, which met the research station’s sustainability commitment. The decentralized wastewater treatment system design also met the goal of completing the water cycle and replenishing the local aquifer. 800/221-4436; www.infiltratorwater.com.


Biofilm reactor provides treatment at craft brewery

Problem: Cartwright Springs Brewery was looking for a solution for treating high-strength wastewater generated by its newly constructed microbrewery located in a rural area of Pakenham, Ontario. The wastewater was a combination of all the streams: the yeast and mash dump (high strength, low pH), wash water (low strength, high pH) and domestic wastewater from the pub. The combined flow after seven days of equalization was estimated to be
628 gpd.

Solution: After extensive sampling performed by Cartwright’s engineering firm on similar installations, the Ecoprocess moving-bed biofilm reactor from Premier Tech Aqua was chosen. In compliance with the Ontario Building Code, the objective-based design suggested that the combined streams be pretreated with Ecoprocess MBBR to primary domestic effluent (BOD 100 to 180 mg/L) and then discharged by gravity to a leaching bed. The chain of treatment therefore included a balancing tank, septic tank, MBBR units (two stages), final clarifier with sludge management and leaching bed. To benefit from lower electricity rates, the treatment unit integrated a smart control strategy operating mainly at night, whenever the incoming wastewater flow was lower than the one set for the design.

Result: The system has performed well. The BOD concentration at the inlet varies between 1,500 and 2,500 mg/L and the laboratory results show a steady removal rate of 99 percent. 800/632-6356; www.premiertechaqua.com.


Advanced system used to service rural Australian school

Problem: The 110-student Benaraby State School in Australia operates an onsite wastewater system, as connecting to the nearest town’s sewer system is not an option. In 2007, school administrators did a design report for an onsite system to replace their current system of a 2,642-gallon storage tank that required pumping and hauling the effluent off-site. They estimated the cost at $170,000 not including about $30,000 in annual maintenance fees. Due to the high cost, the system was put on hold and subsequently never installed while they looked for different cost-effective options.

Solution: In 2014, the school looked for alternative systems and analyzed the Advanced Enviro-Septic system from Presby Environmental as an option for the school because it was quoted significantly below $70,000 with no maintenance and operation cost or no quarterly servicing. The 674 gpd AES system is 51 feet wide and 27 feet long.

Result: The system saved the school significant money with the low up-front and maintenance cost. The system in total cost significantly less than the 2007 quote. The school also no longer has to pump the effluent and haul it offsite. 800/473-5298; www.presbyenvironmental.com.


Units help winery meet BOD concentration compliance

Problem: Winery process waste typically has extreme variation in load and BOD concentrations, and low pH. French Road Cellars on the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan had all those problems. With just a 1,500-gallon septic tank discharging to two open-bottom leach tanks, it didn’t take long to fail.

Solution: SludgeHammer installed its ABG units and Medusa air diffusers, pH monitoring and buffering equipment, along with a second treatment tank and restored percolation in the leach pits. But the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality still had problems. The footprint of the leach units meant that the pounds BOD loaded on a per-acre basis greatly exceeded 50 pounds BOD per acre per day. This could result in anaerobic soil conditions under the leachfield, causing solubility of heavy metals and potential groundwater contamination. Since the technology is modular, adding extra treatment was straightforward. The leach tanks were sealed with concrete to provide extra storage. SludgeHammer added extra treatment and a Pagoda vertical lamellar clarifier to bring the effluent quality to where subsurface drip irrigation became possible. French Road had no room for leach trenches, but the hill behind the winery was perfect for a 2,000-square-foot dripfield.

Result: The latest sampling with a BOD of less than 100 mg/L showed that the load was now only 11 pounds BOD per acre per day at their 500 gpd load, well below the DEQ limit, bringing the system into compliance. 800/426-3349; www.sludgehammer.net.



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