UTAH

Background

Plain City experienced tremendous growth over the last decade, and the 300,000 gallons/day wastewater flow was beginning to exceed permitted levels of 30mg/L for BOD in a 6 cell, 36 acre lagoon system. After receiving a proposal for an $8M mechanical plant, Plain City investigated competitive alternatives.

Solution & Results

In 2008, WCS proposed that 50 Bio-Domes be placed in an “alley” utilizing a hanging curtain to ensure that all water flowed past the units as a polishing step in a secondary pond. The proposal was accepted and the entire installation, including the curtain, cost less than $150k.

Once the 50 Bio-Domes were installed, Plain City was able to achieve BOD compliance using just 3 of their 6 ponds, which provided significant additional capacity for future growth. The chart above illustrates the relative removal rates for BOD between the poo-gloo zone and the normal facultative lagoons. Additionally, Plain City has seen a significant decrease in their TSS levels as a result of the Bio-Domes ability to disrupt algae blooms. The image to the right illustrates this.

Customer Feedback

The community is happy with their system, particularly the fact that they’ve been able to shut down 3 of the 6 lagoons and still remain in regulatory compliance.

Background

During 2009-10, WCS investigated various air cycling regimes for Bio-Domes in a test tank located at Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility (CVWRF) in Salt Lake City to optimize conditions for maximum phosphorus uptake and release. Results from CVWRF pilot test tank show a removal of about 2 mg/L, indicating the possibility of better P removal in lagoons with refined operational techniques (water flow and air cycle management). The CVWRF test was conducted with the equivalent surface area of one Bio-Dome at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 days.

Solution &Results

WCS proposed a scaled implementation at Wellsville starting with 35 Bio-Domes for initial research purposes. After the 35 units were installed in late 2009, field data indicate the Bio-Domes were removing about 0.25 mg/L of P from the water prior to discharge. Wellsville decided to increase the number of domes from 35 to 75 and installed the additional 40 in June, 2011. The chart below shows the effluent concentrations taken quarterly from 2007 to the end of 2011.

Customer Feedback

Don Hartle is extremely pleased with the improved discharge levels and worked closely with WCS to expand the installation in 2011. You can see a video of the expansion at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/WastewaterCompliance?feature=grec_index#p/u/3/lRBKRuFfS3c