1. How Do Wastewater Facilities Address Contaminants in Water
How Do Wastewater Facilities Address Contaminants in Water? Jim Pletl, Ph.D. March 27, 2015

2. Presentation Summary Outline HRSD overview
Clean Water Act primer for wastewater
Pretreatment/pollution prevention
Wastewater treatment
Monitoring
Research
Public education

3. Serving 17 cities and counties 1.6 million people
Fast Facts
Created in 1940
Serving 17 cities and counties
1.6 million people
Total average flow 150 MGD
500 miles of pipelines
112 pump stations
Celebrating 75th anniversary this year
9 major treatment plants, 4 small community plants, ADF is 140 MGD. Total population served is approximately 1.6 million Localities own gravity collection systems and some force mains.

4. Clean Water Act Wastewater Primer
Virginia delegated by EPA to implement permit program
Permit controls discharge based on limits for each standard
Limits and requirements set in legally enforceable permits
Clean Water Act sets penalties including fines and potentially imprisonment
DEQ or EPA enforce the permit requirements

5. Clean Water Act Wastewater Primer
Collect data to determine quality of effluent
Organics (pesticides, PCBs, volatiles, semi-volatiles)
Inorganics (metals, ammonia, chlorine, nutrients, tds)
Pathogen indicating bacteria
Whole effluent toxicity
Compare data to standards and/or limits
HRSD has 52,491 opportunities annually to violate limits, average 1/yr

6. Pretreatment/Pollution Prevention
HRSD has a DEQ-approved pretreatment program
Currently regulate 185 discharges
Permits have legally enforceable monitoring and reporting limits
Permittees perform monitoring and are monitored by HRSD
Provide support to jurisdictions regarding fats, oils and grease; roots in pipes

7. Description of York River Treatment Plant (15 MGD)
DISCHARGE
CHLORINE
SECONDARY
AERATION
PRIMARY
HEADWORKS
DENIT
FILTERS
Description of York River Treatment Plant (15 MGD)

8. Raw and Treated Sewage Characteristics
Parameter
Abbreviation
Units
Raw
Final
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
BOD
mg/L
5 – 10
Total Suspended Solids
TSS
Total Nitrogen TN
5 – 25
Total Phosphorus TP
4 - 6
1 – 1.5
Fecal Coliform FC
No./100 mL
105 – 108
< 10
Enterococcus
Entero
105 – 107
1 – 5

9. Monitoring
Required
permits issued by DEQ for effluent and air discharges
land application of biosolids and incinerator ash regulated
rigid monitoring and reporting requirements
effluent characterized several times each permit cycle
TMDLs

10. Discretionary Monitoring CMAP – chlorophyll, algal blooms
Process – clarifiers, aeration, TN/TP removal
Pathogen source tracking
Solids land application

11. Source tracking – genetic markers
Research
Nutrients
CMAP – identifying bloom species
Link nutrients and blooms – DEQ study
Source tracking – genetic markers
Receiving water modeling, fate/transport
Pathogens – viruses
Analytical methods/sensors – qPCR, PCBs
Mercury - NACWA

12. Research

13. Source tracking – genetic markers “Clean” sampling
Research
Nutrients
CMAP – identifying bloom species
Link nutrients and blooms – DEQ study
Treatment - Anammox
Source tracking – genetic markers
“Clean” sampling
Receiving water modeling, fate/transport
Pathogens – viruses
Analytical methods/sensors – qPCR, PCBs
Mercury - NACWA

14. Parameters for which standards do not exist:
Research
Parameters for which standards do not exist:
Pharmaceuticals
Personal care products
Nanomaterials
Microbeads
Viruses in wastewater/surface water

15. PPCPs, TOrCs, ECs, etc. Research National HRSD
EPA 50 facility effluent study
WERF treatability
WERF receiving water risk and hazard
HRSD
Influent, effluent
150 chemicals, PPCPs, fire retardants, nonylphenols
fluorinated compounds (PFOS, etc.)
Biosolids land application fate and transport study

16. EC analysis (ppb): 3 HRSD Plants
Raw
Final
Biosolids
Removal %
Caffeine
47.1
.035
115.2
99.9
Erythromycin
.172
.084
7.0
51.2
Ibuprofen
16.6
.046
36.6
99.7
Triclosan
2.64
.082
1621.2
96.9
Cotinine
3.15
.021
4.0
99.3

17. HRSD Land Application Emerging Contaminant Study

18. HRSD Land Application Emerging Contaminant Study

19. Boater Education – Norfolk, VB TBT and commercial products
Public Education
Boater Education – Norfolk, VB
TBT and commercial products
Participate in local water quality public events – Elizabeth River Project, Lynnhaven River Now
HRSD Website
STEM, STEAM
Your Flush Counts
This presentation!

20. .

21. Public Education

22. Boater Education – Norfolk, VB TBT and commercial products
Public Education
Boater Education – Norfolk, VB
TBT and commercial products
Participate in local water quality public events – Elizabeth River Project, Lynnhaven River Now
HRSD Website
STEM, STEAM
Your Flush Counts
This presentation!