AWWA WQTC63989

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recognized the need for proactiveand innovative steps to safeguard the water supplies in New Jersey when the state experienced a record-breakingdrought in 2002. Utilizing the State 2005 fiscal year budget, the Legislature made $35 millionin funding monies available from a 1981 Water Supply Bond Fund in 2004. A call for funding proposalswas released to water purveyors, wastewater dischargers and agricultural users throughout the state forWater Supply Demonstration Projects. Due to increasing pressures on potable water resources in itsservice area, Logan Township Municipal Utilities Authority (LTMUA) hired Metcalf & Eddy (M&E) todevelop a proposal to design an indirect potable reuse treatment and injection system to replenish anaquifer system which serves as the primary potable water source for the region. This was also based onan upgrade to the existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) the LTMUA was planning. Based onthe proposal LTMUA received, one of the 23 grants was awarded; a $4.1 million grant for the firstindirect potable reuse (IPR) project in the northeastern US. The treatment train for the AdvancedWater Treatment Facility (AWTF) at LTMUA was selected based on an evaluation of the alternatives,with finished water quality goals set to meet or exceed drinking water standards. The train incorporatedmembrane bioreactors (MBR) which provide a high sludge age and a physical barrier to microbes andorganics; reverse osmosis (RO) to remove dissolved contaminants and provide a second microbialbarrier; and, an advanced oxidation process (AOP) with ultraviolet (UV) light and hydrogen peroxide toprovide final disinfection as well as oxidation of any ultra-low molecular weight compounds. Theproduct will be 750,000 gallons per day (gpd) of water that meets or exceeds drinking water qualitystandards prior to injection. The injected product will blend with native groundwater for approximatelythree years. The proposed treatment train was pilot tested at LTMUA from August through November 2005 toconfirm performance, develop design criteria and build operator understanding of the proposedprocesses. During the pilot testing period M&E conducted extensive sampling for a wide range of waterquality parameters as flow passed through the treatment train. Performance was monitored continuouslyfor each of the treatment processes through pilot plant data acquisition and control systems. Most waterquality parameters were monitored daily. In addition, several large-scale water quality testing programswere performed throughout the study, including testing the treated water for the full range of Primaryand Secondary Drinking Water Regulations and NJDEP's Testing Requirements for Organic ToxicPollutants for discharges to groundwater. It also included sampling by M&E, in partnership with the USGeological Survey (USGS), of both the pilot plant and the existing full-scale WWTP for chemical and invitro analyses of a broad suite of trace organic wastewater contaminants including natural and synthetichormones, household and industrial chemicals and commonly used pharmaceutical and personal careproducts. A description of the proposed system upgrade and the pilot study findings are the primaryfocus of this paper. Includes tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

11/01/2006

Number of Pages:

9

File Size:

1 file , 440 KB