Water Pollution Control Plant Research Articles

Seasonal variation in the influence of environmental drivers on nearshore water quality along an urban northern Lake Ontario shoreline

We examined drivers of water quality during 2007–2013 in a region of Lake Ontario influenced by various anthropogenic inputs and natural influences. Nutrient concentrations generally declined from shoreline to offshore, with mean concentrations approaching background after 1 km from shore. N species were an exception to this overall pattern, often with higher concentrations coincident with a mid-nearshore Water Pollution Control Plant outfall (WPCPo). The WPCPo, however, did not appear to be a major contributor to shoreline total phosphorus (TP) or ammonia + ammonium. Shoreline TP variability increased in dry years, while E. coli and conductivity variability increased in wet years. The influence of environmental drivers on water quality differed seasonally. In summer, cross-shore winds causing resuspension appeared to be drivers of elevated nearshore TP and suspended solids (SS), while precipitation, light, and water column stability were related to E. coli. Summer biological activity was evident in higher shoreline total Kjeldhal N contributions and lower NO3 + NO2 and dissolved inorganic N. In fall and spring, TP, SS, and conductivity were elevated within 400 m of the shore, suggesting tributary inputs were an important P delivery mechanism to the nearshore in addition to spring resuspension events. Fall, however, represented a transitional period representing a shift from drivers dominant in summer to those in spring. The analytical approach used here reveals generalizable patterns in nearshore water quality and their drivers and may be applicable to other regions where there is a confluence of varying drivers of water quality to a nearshore region.

A statistical framework for testing impacts of multiple drivers of surface water quality in nearshore regions of large lakes

In nearshore regions of large freshwater ecosystems, complex biophysical processes across large geographic regions, combined with the common logistical challenges of data collection by multiple research agencies and shifting monitoring survey designs over time, present challenges for detecting and managing the influence of multiple sources of nutrients and pollution. We present a statistical framework using linear mixed models (LMMs) to test impact of multiple drivers on nearshore water quality of large lakes. Under this framework, we analyzed a 12-year dataset of water quality variables that were measured from a nearshore region along the Canadian shoreline of Lake Ontario (~86 km2), near Pickering and Ajax. Spatial interpolation showed that almost all water quality parameters decreased in magnitude from the shoreline to the offshore. Two exceptions to this nearshore-offshore gradient occurred in a region that extended ~8 km southwest from the outfall of the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (DCWPCP) where ammonia + ammonium (NH3+4) increased and pH decreased slightly. Other LMMs combined explanatory factors into major groups (geographic proximities to shoreline tributary mouths and stormwater drains [inflows], tributary discharges, discharge or loading from the DCWPCP, and climate factors). These models showed that geographic proximity to shoreline inflows and/or tributary discharges were the most important drivers for most water quality parameters including concentrations of phosphorus, a key variable for regulating proliferation of harmful algae blooms and nuisance benthic algae in the Great Lakes. Air temperature was correlated with decreased phosphorus concentrations and nitrate + nitrite, whereas total precipitation and snow were correlated with increased concentrations of most nutrients except NH3+4, which was negatively correlated with duration of lake ice cover in winter. Our framework highlights how influence of individual nutrient sources can be distinguished from climate factors within a dominant nearshore-offshore gradient in water quality within nearshore regions of large lakes.

Developing a regional recycled water program in Southern California

Abstract The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Sanitation Districts) are exploring the potential of a Regional Recycled Water Program (RRWP) to beneficially reuse water currently discharged to the Pacific Ocean. The program would consist of a new advanced water treatment (AWT) facility at the Sanitation Districts' Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP) in Carson, California, USA, capable of producing an ultimate flow of 581 MLD (150 MGD). The full-scale facility would treat effluent from the JWPCP using an AWT train comprising a membrane bioreactor (MBR), followed by reverse osmosis (RO) and ultraviolet light advanced oxidation (UV/AOP). After MBR-RO-UV/AOP treatment, the treated water would be distributed to groundwater basins in Los Angeles and Orange counties to recharge their aquifers. This program would diversify the region's water resources and significantly contribute to long-term water supply targets outlined in Metropolitan's Integrated Water Resources Plan. A feasibility study for the RRWP was completed in 2016, confirming its technical viability. Currently, Metropolitan and the Sanitation Districts recently completed conceptual planning studies to investigate implementation options for a full-scale program, and constructed a 1.9 MLD (0.5 MGD) AWT demonstration facility. Although large facilities employing membrane filtration (MF)-RO-UV/AOP are currently permitted and operating in California, there are no facilities using an MBR-RO-UV/AOP train. The AWT demonstration facility – the Regional Recycled Water Advanced Purification Center – will build on recent research in Australia and the USA to develop a regulatory strategy to incorporate MBR into a potable reuse advanced treatment train.

Influences on Water Quality and Abundance of Cladophora, a Shore-Fouling Green Algae, over Urban Shoreline in Lake Ontario

Urban centers border western Lake Ontario, the terminus of the Laurentian Great Lakes, impacting water quality on the shores of this oligotrophic lake. The green algae Cladophora proliferates on the shallow lakebed and fouls the shoreline, presenting an eutrophication concern. The conditions over a typical urbanized shoreline were studied to assess linkages between Cladophora and area nutrient sources. The most pervasive of the mixing areas of varying extent identified using field sensor measurements was associated with the discharge of treated sewage from a Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP). Phosphorus and nitrogen were enriched at times near the WPCP diffuser and also in shallow water along the shoreline. Dissolved nutrients were also measured directly above the lakebed in close proximity to Cladophora. Dissolved phosphorus and inorganic nitrogen were higher in proximity to the WPCP diffuser at times, however, spatial patterns were not as clearly aligned with external inputs as the patterns of enrichment in the water column. Biomass distribution of Cladophora was unrelated to nutrient levels in the water column or at the lakebed. Yet, concentrations of phosphorus in Cladophora, an indicator of nutrient sufficiency, were higher near the WPCP diffuser. This disparity, while possibly an artifact of variable loss rates of biomass among locations, may in part stem from variable water clarity among areas. Abundant dreissenid mussels also potentially obscure the effects of nutrient loading on algal biomass if the sequestering of phosphorus from offshore plankton, suggested by periods of onshore circulation, approaches the extent of external loading. Further study of phosphorus flux at the lakebed is required to establish clear linkages between external nutrient loading and algal growth in order to manage the proliferation of Cladophora over urban coastline.

Automated Dosing of Hydrogen Peroxide Based on Real-Time Hydrogen Sulfide Measurements in an Aerated Sludge Holding Tank and Belt Filter Presses at the Norfolk, Nebraska Water Pollution Control Plant

Automated Dosing of Hydrogen Peroxide Based on Real-Time Hydrogen Sulfide Measurements in an Aerated Sludge Holding Tank and Belt Filter Presses at the Norfolk, Nebraska Water Pollution Control Plant

Mainstream ANITA Mox Pilot Testing at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Mainstream ANITA Mox Pilot Testing at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Drawings

Drawings Rackstraw Downes Click for larger view View full resolution Obsolete Gas Tanks, Bayway, NJ (1996), graphite on gray/brown paper, 20 1/2 × 31 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution Smith Street Station and New Drawbridge Over Gowanus Canal (1999), graphite on tan paper, 23 1/2 × 39 3/4 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution The Music Hall from the Stage (1999), graphite on speckled green paper (three parts), 25 3/4 × 33 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution View East from the Levee, with Old Wooden Railroad Bridge (Presidio, TX) (2008), pencil on tan paper, 11 7/8 × 48 1/8 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution The projects from Park Ave. & 102nd St. (2008), graphite on light gray paper with blue threads, 14 × 42 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution North River Water Pollution Control Plant at 145th Street (2008), graphite on pink paper with red and blue threads, 16 × 40 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution Studio Interior Looking East (I) (2014), graphite on paper with blue and red threads, 16 × 22 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Click for larger view View full resolution Presidio-Beehives Near a Canyon, On Camino Del Rio (2004), graphite on gray cream paper with blue threads, 9 5/8 × 44 1/2 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York. Copyright © 2018 Rackstraw Downes

Peat as Substrate for Small-Scale Constructed Wetlands Polishing Secondary Effluents from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

With the recent development of constructed wetland technology, it has become a mainstream treatment technology for the mitigation of a variety of wastewaters. This study reports on the treatment performance and pH attenuation capacity of three different configurations of small-scale on-site surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCW): T1 (Peat + Typha latifolia), T2 (T. latifolia alone), and T3 (Peat alone) treating secondary effluent from the Amherstview Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) for two treatment periods (start-up period and operational period). The aim of this study was to compare the nutrients removal efficiencies between the different treatments, as well as to evaluate the effects of substrate and vegetation on the wetland system. For a hydraulic retention time of 2.5 days, the results showed that all treatment systems could attenuate the pH level during both the start-up and operational periods, while significant nutrient removal performance could only be observed during the operational period. Peat was noted to be a better SFCW substrate in promoting the removal of nitrate (NO3-N), total nitrogen (TN), and phosphorus. The addition of T. latifolia further enhanced NO3-N and TN removal efficiencies, but employing T. latifolia alone did not yield effluents that could meet the regulatory discharge limit (1.0 mg/L) for phosphorus.

Riparian wetland conservation: A case study of phosphorous and social return on investment in the Black River watershed

This paper applies a social return on investment (SROI) analysis to the issue of wetland conservation in the Black River watershed of the Lake Simcoe basin in southern Ontario, Canada. Watershed hydrologic modeling applied to wetland loss and restoration scenarios in the study area provides local estimates of the ecosystem service provision related to phosphorus removal. Locally appropriate monetary values are applied to these services to gauge the cost effectiveness of conservation funding at two levels: phosphorous reduction capacity alone and then incorporating a suite of ecosystem services. A SROI analysis indicates that phosphorous reduction services provide a 0.045 ratio of benefits to costs and therefore alone do not justify expenditure on wetland conservation, though they supplement the function of the local Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP). When the SROI includes other ecosystem services the ratio ranges from 3.60 (retention) to 0.15 (full restoration). This example highlights the value of wetlands in providing phosphorous reduction and additional ecosystem services (ES) in a financially viable manner to address watershed eutrophication problems in Lake Simcoe.

Digester Gas Hydrogen Sulfide Control Using a Full-scale Biotrickling Filter at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Digester Gas Hydrogen Sulfide Control Using a Full-scale Biotrickling Filter at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Medically-Derived (131)I as a Tool for Investigating the Fate of Wastewater Nitrogen in Aquatic Environments.

Medically derived (131)I (t1/2 = 8.04 d) is discharged from water pollution control plants (WPCPs) in sewage effluent. Iodine's nutrient-like behavior and the source-specificity of (131)I make this radionuclide a potentially valuable tracer in wastewater nitrogen studies. Iodine-131 was measured in Potomac River water and sediments in the vicinity of the Blue Plains WPCP, Washington, DC, USA. Dissolved (131)I showed a strong, positive correlation with δ(15)N values of nitrate (δ(15)NO3(-)) in the river, the latter being a traditional indicator of nutrient inputs and recycling. Surface water δ(15)NO3(-) values ranged from 8.7 to 33.4‰; NO3(-) + NO2(-) concentrations were 0.39-2.79 mg N L(-1) (26-186 μM). Sediment profiles of particulate (131)I and δ(15)N indicate rapid mixing or sedimentation and in many cases remineralization of a heavy nitrogen source consistent with wastewater nitrogen. Values of δ(15)N in sediments ranged from 4.7 to 9.3‰. This work introduces (131)I as a tool to investigate the short-term fate of wastewater nitrogen in the Potomac River and demonstrates the general utility of (131)I in aquatic research.

A full-scale study of mixing and foaming in egg-shaped anaerobic digesters

Seasonal foaming in full-scale egg-shaped digesters (ESD) at the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant was investigated over a two-year period. The causes and contributors of anaerobic digestion (AD) foaming, namely, Gordonia amarae filaments and mixing effects were evaluated in these ESDs. The seasonal presence of high levels of G. amarae as a primary cause and excessive induced mixing as an important contributor of AD foaming has been established. The induced mixing frequency in the ESDs was gradually reduced and eventually shut off in a series of controlled experimental phases. Total solids and temperature profiles indicated that reducing mixing frequency did not significantly impact digester performance or disrupt the homogeneity of digester contents, although it did reduce the occurrence of foam in the digesters. Excessive induced mixing, a contributor to foaming, increased foam events at G. amarae thresholds above 106intersections/mg VSS in the mixed liquor.

A Full-Scale Demonstration Food Waste and Sewage Sludge Co-Digestion Project at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

A Full-Scale Demonstration Food Waste and Sewage Sludge Co-Digestion Project at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

New York City Environmental Justice Alliance Waterfront Justice Project

This paper reviews key challenges and opportunities addressed by the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance's (NYC-EJA) Waterfront Justice Project, a citywide campaign to promote climate resilience and sustainability in urban industrial waterfront communities of New York City. NYC-EJA is a non-profit membership-driven network linking grassroots organisations from low-income neighbourhoods and communities of colour in their struggle for environmental justice. The Waterfront Justice Project is documenting community vulnerability in the context of climate change impacts, sources of industrial pollution, and demographic and socio-economic trends. This campaign is enabling community-based organisations, environmental justice communities, city planners, local and state government agencies, local business-owners, and other stakeholders to work in partnership to achieve community resilience while advocating for local jobs and promoting best practices in pollution prevention. New York City's waterfront policies ease the siting and clustering of public infrastructure, water pollution control plants, waste transfer stations, energy facilities, and heavy manufacturing uses in six areas designated as Significant Maritime and Industrial Areas (SMIAs). The SMIAs are located in environmental justice communities, largely low-income communities and communities of colour, in the South Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. New York City's local waterfront land use and zoning policies create cumulative risk exposure not only to residents and workers in the host waterfront communities, but also, in the event of storm surge or sea-level rise, to neighbouring, upland communities.

Pilot-Scale Evaluation of ANITATM Mox for Centrate Nitrogen Removal at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Pilot-Scale Evaluation of ANITA^TM Mox for Centrate Nitrogen Removal at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Comparison of Internal Combustion Engines and Microturbines for Cogeneration at the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, San Francisco, CA

Comparison of Internal Combustion Engines and Microturbines for Cogeneration at the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, San Francisco, CA

Iodine-131 in Sewage Sludge from a Small Water Pollution Control Plant Serving a Thyroid Cancer Treatment Facility

Iodine-131 (half-life = 8.04 d) is the most widely used radionuclide in medicine for therapeutic purposes. It is excreted by patients and is discharged directly to sewer systems. Despite considerable dilution in waste water and the relatively short half-life of I, it is readily measured in sewage. This work presents I concentrations in sewage sludge from three water pollution control plants (WPCPs) on Long Island, NY. Iodine-131 concentrations ranged from 0.027 ± 0.002 to 148 ± 4 Bq g dry weight. The highest concentrations were measured in the Stony Brook WPCP, a relatively small plant (average flow = 6.8 × 10 L d) serving a regional thyroid cancer treatment facility in Stony Brook, NY. Preliminary radiation dose calculations suggested further evaluation of dose to treatment plant workers in the Stony Brook WPCP based on the recommendations of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards.

Behavior of medically-derived 131I in the tidal Potomac River

Iodine-131 (t1/2=8.04d) is administered to patients for treatment of thyroid disorders, excreted by patients and discharged to surface waters via sewage effluent. Radionuclides generally behave like their stable analogs; therefore, medically-derived 131I is useful as a transport-reaction tracer of anthropogenic inputs and the aquatic biogeochemistry of iodine. Iodine-131 was measured in Potomac River water and sediments in the vicinity of the Blue Plains Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP), Washington, DC, USA. Concentrations measured in sewage effluent from Blue Plains WPCP and in the Potomac River suggest a relatively continuous source of this radionuclide. The range of 131I concentrations detected in surface water was 0.076±0.006 to 6.07±0.07BqL−1. Iodine-131 concentrations in sediments ranged from 1.3±0.8 to 117±2Bqkg−1 dry weight. Partitioning in the sewage effluent from Blue Plains and in surface waters indicated that 131I is associated with colloidal and particulate organic material. The behavior of medically-derived 131I in the Potomac River is consistent with the nutrient-like behavior of natural iodine in aquatic environments. After discharge to the river via sewage effluent, it is incorporated into biogenic particulate material and deposited in sediments. Solid phase sediment profiles of 131I indicated rapid mixing or sedimentation of particulate debris and diagenetic remineralization and recycling on short time scales.

Anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and primary clarifier skimmings for increased biogas production

The objective of the study was to identify the impact of co-digesting clarifier skimmings on the overall methane generation from the treatment plant and additional energy value of the increased methane production. Biogas production from co-digesting clarifier skimmings and sewage sludge in pilot-scale fed-batch mesophilic anaerobic digesters has been evaluated. The digester was fed with increasing quantities of clarifier skimmings loads: 1.5, 2.6, 3.5 and 7.0 g COD equivalent/(L·d) (COD: chemical oxygen demand). Average volatile solids reduction of 65% was achieved in the scum-fed digester, compared with 51% in the control digester. Average 69% COD removal was achieved at highest scum loading (7 g COD eq/(L·d)) with approximate methane yield of 250 L CH(4)/kg COD fed (4 ft(3)/lb COD fed). The results show that scum as co-substrate in anaerobic digestion systems improves biogas yields while a 29% increase in specific CH(4) yield could be achieved when scum load is 7 g COD eq/(L·d). Based on the pilot-scale study results and full-scale data from South East Water Pollution Control Plant and Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant the expected annual energy recovery would be approximately 1.7 billion BTUs or nearly 0.5 million kWh.

Wet Weather Filtration Facility for Maintaining Water Pollution Control Plant Treatment Quality

Wet Weather Filtration Facility for Maintaining Water Pollution Control Plant Treatment Quality Author(s)Patrick HaneyLarry SlatteryJoe HusbandOmar MuhammadSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Oct, 2013ISSN1938-6478DOI10.2175/193864713813716679Volume / Issue2013 / 7Content sourceWEFTECCopyright2013Word count13