Shelton CT Operations Assistance

I began working for Maguire Engineers and the Shelton Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) by doing a preliminary operations review on May 16, 2009. After preparing a written report and reviewing my findings with the WPCA several weeks later, it was decided to have me spend a few months working with staff on some solutions to the ongoing operational problems. The major challenges facing the WPCA and the staff was unpredictable nitrogen removal and uncontrolled cost relating to the operation of the facility. After having spent a full month of working directly with the staff, which included 9 days on site so far, the following challenges were identified:

• Recycle loads from the sludge thickening process were overloading the plant with BOD and TN
• Odors associated with sludge handling were creating a nuisance in the neighborhood and needed to be controlled
• Numerous issues related to the SBR operation were identified including air flow meters that were not reading correctly, clogged decant valves from accumulated debris, and poor biomass quality related to widely fluctuating F:M.
• Consumable costs related to supplemental bacteria, polymer use and enzymes were becoming a burden for the WPCA

As a result of the initial findings, the highest priority item was to get the sludge thickening operation under control. The waste sludge holding tank was typically operated at over half full and without the ability to aerate the tank, anaerobic conditions were created which impacted sludge thickening efficiency, odors and filtrate quality. The sludge holding tank was emptied and now the staff keeps the tank empty daily. This significantly reduced the BOD and TN loading on the SBR's and allowed the staff to eliminate one of four SBR's from operation. Odors have also been reduced significantly.

It was apparent the SBR's had accumulated large amounts of debris (screening) as a result of the headworks barscreen being out of service for several months. The WPCA funded the cleaning of the SBR's which is now in progress. When the first of four SBR's were cleaned, twelve out of fifty decant valves were fouled with hair and rags. This contributed to the poor performance of the SBR's . Once the SBR was emptied, the decant valves were cleaned, all mechanical equipment was inspected and tightened and the SBR placed back on line. The remaining three SBR's will be cleaned over the next month and the plant will continue in three SBR mode going forward.

As a result of these changes to the operation of the plant it is expected the WPCA will save significant dollars on power, consumables and avoid paying nitrogen fees to the State. Once I have some firm figures, I will post the anticipated cost savings.

Membrane Replacement Project Successful

On June 16, 2009, the team of Great Blue Heron Management and Applied Water Management replaced four GE Zenon ZeeWeed hollow fiber membrane modules at the Outdoor World Vacation Resort in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The wastewater treatment facility, operated by Great Blue Heron Management, was in need of replacing membranes that had been in operation for over five years. Typical membranes of this type might have had a longer life span however this facility is not equipped with a pretreatment tank. Consequently, the bioreactor accumulates debris, hair and rags that shorten the life of the individual strands through a process called delamination. In essence what happens is the rags force their way inbetween the membrane strands which puts stress on them causing them to stretch, delaminate and ultimately break. Once the strands delaminate or break, you begin to pull suspended solids into the permeate which results in compliance problems.

The entire process required about ten hours from start to finish. Once the installation was complete the membranes were tested for vacuum and permeate flow and both were within a very good range for new membranes. The wastewater facility should be able to produce excellent quality effluent for the foreseeable future!

Here, Steve puts the finishing touches on the new membranes just prior to testing. Thanks to the Applied Water Team of Aram, Steve and Roger for their work on this project. Thanks also go out to the owners representatives Donna and Don!

BioMag Pilot Plant Facility

We've just completed managing all aspects of a full scale pilot of BioMag technology by Cambridge Water Technologies at Upper Gwynedd Township Wastewater Treatment Plant in Pennsylvania.



The goal of the pilot was to prove that BioMag would allow the existing 6 MGD facility to treat sustained wet weather flows of up to 12 MGD while maintaining permit compliance particularly with regards to suspended solids capture in the secondary clarifiers.




The pilot was constructed by Interstate Water and Wastewater Specialists in three weeks and officially kicked off on March 18, 2009. The plant was separated into a control section and BioMag section in essence creating the potential for each side to treat 6 MGD for a total plant flow of 12 MGD. During the first month both sides treated similar flows while the system was charged with magnetite.

Once the magnetite to biosolids ratio reached a desired level, several high flow tests were conducted for 8 hr periods culminating with a 24 hour test all greater than 6 MGD. Total suspended solids averaged less than 10 ppm and the sludge blanket was maintained less than 3 feet during the testing. Cambridge Water Technologies, EERM (Environmental Engineer and Management Associates - owners consultant) and the owner were excited about the results and all parties are considering it a success. The final report will be published in the very near future.



I have the opportunity to meet some great folks on this job. Thanks go to Lee Honeywell and his staff for making my stay in Upper Gwynedd a pleasure. Also thanks to Ed Gillette and his staff for setting the bar high enough to make me sweat!

Next on the BioMag Pilot world tour are several possible eastern US cities and towns. Stay tuned......

Welcome to the Great Blue Heron Blog

In an industry that is constantly changing with evolving technologies and regulations, it's important to keep updated on the latest happenings in your local and regional plants and facilities.

This blog is designed to give water and wastewater industry professionals an idea of some of the more interesting technologies and challenges our company faces on a day to day level.

We also hope to educate and inform our clients, partners and website visitors of some of the new advancements we are providing, as well as ways to work with older, established systems to make them more efficient.

We look forward to your comments and feedback!

- Roy