Conference Agenda

A stormwater maintenance frequency assessment of a high-rate filter was conducted in a street located in King County Washington from September 2020 to January 2022 (Herrera, 2022). The system had a routine maintenance event followed by hydraulic and sample collection to determine maintenance frequency. The presentation will discuss the study site, sample methods, results and conclusions from the investigation. I will also have an open discussion on visual inspection cues for determining maintenance with horizontal treatment systems associated with road sanding events.

Wireless level and flow monitoring solutions for managing stormwater and combined sewer systems, and near real-time alerting of utilities and consultants of high levels and/or pending CSOs. Data delivered wirelessly to ADS' PRISM web-based software can used for monitoring level only or quantifying flow for purposes of event notification, overflow reporting and overall stormwater management purposes including model development and/or calibration.

Formed in Helena, MT in 1993 the company began installing Cured-in-Place Manhole (CIPM) lining systems in 1997. We have extensive experience with unique and diverse situations, including but not limited to manholes, square structures, deep wetwells and lift stations, culverts, remote installations, and heavy infiltration and deterioration problems. Cured-in-place liners can often be the most practical solution both cost-wise and length of installation time and is almost always the most permanent method. They stop infiltration and provide structural integrity. The multiple layers of fiberglass provide needed structural integrity and the PVC membrane acts as a barrier to H2S gas. It can usually be installed without bypass pumping and in a matter of a few hours. The entire interior of the structure receives coverage. CIP’s intelligently-designed process fortifies existing infrastructure and is certified to last up to 100 years, unrivaled by any product in the marketplace.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of man-made chemicals known to contaminate thousands of drinking water wells across all 50 US states, and countless more around the world. While previously unregulated, PFAS are now the subject of escalating regulatory action by governments around the world due to mounting evidence of their links to health effects such as cancer, immune dysfunction, developmental delays, and more. PFAS have high chemical stability, and consequently they persist and accumulate in the environment and in humans, causing small amounts to have outsized effects over long periods of time. Regulatory framework is chaging daily both municipally and industrially, touching water, wastewater including reuse, air, manufacturing and the solid waste industries.

The session will cover the history of PFAS and how this emerging contaminant came to be such an important issue. It will explore the ever-changing regulatory framework both at a state and federal level including water, wastewater, solid waste and federal drinking water and CERCLA regulations and how they impact the industries. It will explore the pros and cons of both common and innovative treatment technologies. The session will bring to light the questions that should be asked when faced with a PFAS issue. Case studies on successful treatment technologies for water, wastewater and leachate will be highlighted.

New federal regulatory requirements are driving water providers to provide treatment for PFAS. The US EPA and several states are in the process of setting standards for the two most common PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA. This presentation will address critical considerations associated with the planning, designing and construction of PFAS systems including:

• Benefits of Pilot Testing
• Selection of Treatment System Technology including GAC, IX and NF/RO
• Siting Considerations
• Operational Issues with PFAS Treatment Systems
• Design and Construction Schedules
• Capital Costs
• Operating Costs
• Lifecycle Cost of the Project
• Incorporating PFAS Systems into the existing water system

The presentation will include lessons learned on recent projects along with detailed siting, construction and cost data.

This presentation will provide information for administrators, engineers and operators involved in the planning and design of PFAS water treatment systems. The lessons learned during actual PFAS facility design and construction will assist attendees at each stage of their own projects. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the intricacies and implementation of PFAS treatment.

Looking to improve cybersecurity and SCADA system resilience, the cities of Gresham and Medford used a holistic approach to match funding opportunities with their capital projects. With so many funding opportunities, it can be overwhelming to determine where to focus, especially when the newer programs from recently passed legislation are still developing the rules and guidelines. This presentation will give an overview of both agencies’ successes and share lessons learned that will benefit other municipalities.

Federal water infrastructure funding opportunities include Water infrastructure Finance & Innovation Act (WIFIA), Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. There are also state and local utility programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency. In Oregon, funding opportunities includes the Water/Wastewater Financing Program and Special Public Works Fund (SPWF) through Business Oregon; the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program through the Oregon Department of Energy; and multiple renewable energy/efficiency programs through the Energy Trust of Oregon.

Capital program assessments documented eligibility, available funding options, terms/interest rates for loan programs, and local match requirements. Projects were categorized and ranked with regards to funding evaluation criteria, including security, resilience, and renewable energy.

For Gresham, their Digestion and Cogen project has a waste-to-renewable-energy focus, so that effort included an assessment of the various federal and state programs including the new Renewable Energy Generation Tax Credits under the IRA. Applicable funding was integrated into the business case evaluation to guide selection of a renewable energy approach to provide the City with the most value.

For Medford, a formal BRIC grant application was developed requesting $22M for seismic upgrades and backup power to reduce natural hazard risk. They will also apply for additional funding to improve cybersecurity and resilience of the SCADA system.

The City of Tacoma Environmental Services Department (City) maintains over 800 miles of wastewater sewers, 45 pump stations, and two wastewater treatment plants including the 60 MGD regional Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (CTP). In November 2015, a 15-minute power outage at the CTP resulted in a sanitary sewer overflow, discharging untreated sewage to the environmentally sensitive and commercial waters. Immediately after the event, the City commissioned Carollo Engineers to prepare an Electrical System Analysis Study that showed that CTP’s medium voltage electrical infrastructure was past its anticipated design life, did not provide independent redundancy, and could suffer a catastrophic outage leading to dangerous emergency situations threatening plant staff and the environment. The City prioritized and implemented the first level of recommended improvements including operating the plant with split power feeds and eliminating single points of failure at several process areas.

Subsequently, the City decided to build new infrastructure that provides independent electrical feeds, replaces the aged switchgear infrastructure, and eliminates other identified single points of failure. Advertised for construction in March 2020 and substantially completed August 2022, this joint City/Carollo presentation will address how this $33 million Electrical System Upgrade project overcame several key challenges during implementation:

1. Construction throughout a built-out site – includes replacement and centralization of the main plant switchgear, construction of a new electrical building, and routing of over 3,000 LF of concrete encased, medium voltage electrical duct banks.
2. Funding – low-cost loans from WIFIA and SRF programs. Project is one of the first complete WIFIA projects in the nation.
3. Keeping plant operational – planning between contractor, owner, and engineer to implement 74 power and utility cutovers impacting every process at the operating plant.
4. Construction during COVID-19 pandemic – partnership with contractor to keep the project on schedule and budget.
5. Easement negotiations – easement modifications and land acquisition with USACE and private railroad.

Siphons are one of the most difficult sewer pipelines to maintain as they are designed to be continously full of water, often have little redundancy, and typically have very high flow rates. They are also located deep underground as they are designed to carry wastewater under roadways, channels, and water bodies. These factors make maintenance work, such as cleaning and inspections, very difficult and often costly. The construction and operation of inverted siphons will be explained, then an in-depth discussion on methods that can be used to dewater, bypass, clean, and inspect sanitary sewer siphons will be presented. Proactive maintenance best practices will be discussed, along with design ideas to improve the future construction of sanitary sewer siphons.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the construction and typical operation of sewer siphons

2. Explain cleaning methods based on siphon configuration

3. Explain inspection methods for sewer siphons

4. Present design ideas for building better siphons.

Condition assessment of sewer systems is critical to maintaining system structural integrity and functionality and to identifying pipes requiring rehabilitation before they deteriorate past the point of renewal. Inspection of wastewater collection systems is typically completed using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to provide visual inspection of the underground infrastructure. Trained technicians then review the videos, identify defects, and provide a condition rating of each pipe that has been inspected.

The recent development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to advance the state of the practice of sewer condition assessments. AI algorithms are being developed to automatically identify defects from inspection footage. AI can also be used to identify poor quality videos so that the pipes can be reinspected. AI algorithms for defect autocoding have the potential to improve the accuracy of defect coding and reduce the time required to complete defect coding and pipe scoring. However, the use of AI for autocoding defects is not widespread and the benefits have not been documented beyond a handful of pilot studies.

As part of the City of Salem’s Wastewater Collection System Master Plan, the City evaluated the ability of AI algorithms to automatically code CCTV video and obtain sewer condition assessment data. Two CCTV autocoding vendors were chosen for the pilot study. The pilot study included selecting a wastewater basin with available fully coded CCTV data, establishing testing parameters, and comparing the autocoded results to the City’s own coding. Results of the autocoded CCTV videos from each vendor were compared to results provided by the City in the following categories:

1. Recall: AI able to find any defect within one foot (plus or minus) of City defect.
2. Precision: AI able to find same defect within one foot (plus or minus) of City defect.
3. Accuracy: AI matches the same grade level of City defect.

This presentation will describe the approach taken to evaluate if defect autocoding is a viable option for their inspection of their sewer system. Results of the comparison along with lessons learned and recommendations for implementation of AI for CCTV autocoding will also be presented.

The past decade has seen a wave of research and development of new technologies that allow for “process intensification” – those technologies developed to increase wastewater treatment capacity using less site footprint and/or tankage volume. These intensification technologies will be instrumental in addressing nutrient limitations from treatment facilities discharging to the Puget Sound. Such newer breakthrough technologies include aerobic granular sludge (AGS), mixed liquor densification, membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABR), and mobile organic biofilm (MOB) technologies. Compared to these technologies, the Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge (IFAS) process, considered one of the original process intensification technologies, is now well proven and fully established, having been developed and applied since the 1990s. With the fervor at which these newer technologies are being embraced, the question that has arisen in the industry is this: Is the IFAS process still a viable technology?

This purpose of this presentation is to examine through performance of full-scale IFAS implementations whether the known benefits of IFAS technology (e.g., process robustness, ammonia-nitrogen removal for cold wastewater) outweigh the known drawbacks (e.g., higher aeration demands). Case studies of IFAS facilities are presented, highlighting the advantages and challenges of implementing this technology at four facilities: 1) Bend Water Reclamation Facility in Oregon/USA; 2) Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility in Rhode Island/USA; 3) Twin Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant in Idaho/USA; and 4) Ellesmere Port Wastewater Treatment Works in the United Kingdom. The facilities have all been operating with the IFAS technology for a number of years, allowing investigation into the long-term benefits and limitations of the process. All of the facilities are able to meet their respective nutrient removal goals, providing the warranted capacity and performance requirements. Some of the facilities; however, have experienced higher than expected energy demands – specifically with respect to the seasonal air demand anticipated with the system. The viability of the IFAS intensification technology will be proven, specifically for site-constrained facilities that require improved total inorganic nitrogen removal, in documenting the success of these facilities. The shortcomings, and warranted improvements to the IFAS technology, will also be discussed – using lessons-learned from these projects.

The City of Peterborough Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is an 18 MGD conventional activated sludge plant in Southern Ontario, Canada. The plant consists of 4 aeration trains, originally designed for conventional suspended growth. The trains were converted to a moving media Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) system in 2006 (Plant 1) and 2011 (Plant 2). The system consisted of non-engineered plastic matrix material within metal media retention cages in the first pass of each tank. The moving media system had several operational challenges including media loss, non-uniform dispersion of media, increased hydraulic head loss, screen and diffuser maintenance difficulties.

The City of Peterborough retained R.V. Anderson Associates Limited (RVA) to implement an alternate IFAS system that would address problems with the existing configuration. Various alternatives were evaluated in terms of retrofit requirements, Operations and Maintenance (O&M) obligations, life cycle costs, Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) requirements and other criteria. The selected fixed media IFAS system was the WavTex^TM woven media system by Entex Technologies Inc. (Entex). It included a total of 32 modules, each having buoyant media sheets tethered to 304L stainless steel support frames with integral coarse bubble aeration. This paper/presentation will go into details of the evaluation/selection and operation of the new IFAS system.

The final aeration tank with the new IFAS system was put in service in December 2021. To validate the system performance, testing during cold weather winter, high flow spring, and high temperature summer was required. The performance was monitored for Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN) removal at the rated capacity. The new Entex system was able to consistently meet TAN limits of 6 mg/L (summer) and 10mg/L (winter).

Based on the TAN results, ease of operation, and reduced O&M costs the new system proved to be able to meet the plant’s needs. Further details including testing methods, other parameters tracked, and plant performance will be discussed in this paper/presentation. At the end of this project, the City of Peterborough WWTP was able to install and validate an alternative IFAS system to address O&M issues which also met effluent requirements for the full rated capacity.

You’ve read the management books that tell you a key to your team’s success is empowerment, but what is staff empowerment and how can you implement it? In their research on leadership, Kouzes and Posner identify ‘Enabling Others to Act’ as one of the five practices of exemplary leadership. In this presentation, we will describe what empowerment is, why it matters, and what the benefits are. We will talk about some of the barriers, what happens when something goes wrong, and lay out a guide on how to get started. The presentation will also include other elements of exemplary leadership, such as creating a shared vision that produces a climate for enabling others to act.
We’ll explore enabling your team to act through fostering collaboration, creating a climate of trust, facilitating relationships, strengthening others, enhancing self-determination, developing competence and confidence, and organizing work to build competence and ownership. But what if you do all these things and someone you empower and enable makes a mistake – what do you do then? It’s the moment of truth – reminding ourselves and our team members that this is a journey and that the focus is on learning and long-term improvement in a supportive environment. We will talk about how all of these elements combine to create empowerment that not only delivers greater job satisfaction for you and your team, but they also deliver better business results.

A passionate and consistent workforce is critical to ensuring a “Sound Future for Water” (and the success of other utility and professional industries). Leadership development is an essential component of the success and retention of the water and engineering industry’s workforce. But what else? How do we get there? Engaged employees lead to quality work, collaborative teams, and can result in staff that are eager to stay with their employers, and “at least” within the water or wastewater sector. This presentation will offer insight on the importance of leadership and effective training, what works for actual employees, continual personal and professional growth, career development, and additional topics. This presentation will offer information from two differing, but direct personal primary perspectives: Molly’s insight as a seasoned engineer in the public sector and Kathleen’s experience as a rising professional in the private sector. In addition to their own experiences, they will be conducting a careful survey effort to their colleagues and peers in both the public and private sectors, across gender, diversity, career status, and equity groups, to add to this discussion. We will ask ourselves: What is most important to employee continued growth? How did they develop leadership skills? What factors motivate them to stay? Either at their employer? or in their industry? And even, “What is the biggest challenge in their day-to-day work?” Or, “What do employees feel they need from their work to be successful?” These surveys will be anonymous but collected with meaningful data such as age, career length, gender and race self-identification, and education/experience type. This will help show how these different demographics, personalities, and strengths can be best utilized and fostered in any industry for success. The presentation will provide the audience with insights into what could help lead to the success of the water and wastewater industry's workforce and benefit agencies and employers of all kinds.

Communities across the Pacific Northwest face a diverse set of water resource challenges. From developing additional water supplies to managing wastewater under tightening discharge limits, communities are exploring and selecting water reuse to meet their water resource needs. This session will present case studies from around the Pacific Northwest on how water reuse is being assessed, pursued and the partnerships built to advance water reuse. The session will include short case studies and a moderated discussion with pre-developed questions to provide a robust dive into the technical, economic, and social aspects of assessing and advancing water reuse in a variety of community settings.

This session will provide an update of water reuse news and accomplishments from a national and regional perspective. Attendees will learn about federal advocacy to advance water reuse and the communication tools, peer networking and reuse technical learning opportunities provided by the WateReuse Association. The session will then shift gears to highlight accomplishments and work within the Pacific Northwest to advance reuse through advocacy, legislation, and communications in the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, including the second successful Oregon Water Reuse Summit held in June 2023. Attendees will learn about advocacy, networking and information sharing opportunities for water professionals in the Pacific Northwest.

We all recognize that water is essential to human and environmental health. During our training we master the scientific and technical subjects, but seldom integrate the study of the people impacted by environmental challenges and the technical solutions we design. To promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) we should look beyond our workplace and try to represent with our workforce the communities we serve, to increase the visibility of the critical role of our profession and to uphold the professional canon of holding paramount the welfare of the public.

With this presentation I will share observations about the human component in various water-energy projects, to promote discussion and learn your point of view.

This presentation will provide an overview of social value and environmental justice in the context of our water industry, followed by examples of how the three pillars have been implemented on both a national and local level.

This presentation will review how variable frequency drive use on varying demand loads can reduce energy and CO2 levels. A demonstration on intelligent drives controlling two pieces of rotating equipment will be shown. Specific pump application features such as condition based monitoring for predictive maintenance and de-ragging will be discussed.

Corrosion and odors are a constant challenge for many wastewater treatment systems. Sewer collections systems, manholes, wet wells and wastewater treatment plant headworks are some common problem areas. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is the offending gas that causes pipe and infrastructure degradation, odors, and safety concerns. There are many ways to deal with Hydrogen sulfide from odor scrubbing systems to a host of chemical treatments.

The challenge is to know where the odors are formed, how much chemical to add, and how efficient removal is due to the highly volatile nature of H2S. Traditional treatments rely on very difficult lab testing or inconsistently representative air testing. In-situ, real-time liquid phase H2S monitoring turns out to be a more accurate and predictive measurement as we’ll discuss some real-world data and application of an innovative measurement technology principal.

Wastewater treatment plants are facing a challenging future, trying to meet challenges including odor, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, potential PFAS regulations, and rising capital and operating cost. It is possible to design and operate a facility that meets these challenges by following some simple rules for facility design including:
• Provide significant reduction in biosolids volume.
• Produce energy from the biosolids process to provide surplus energy to run the facility.
• Reduce offensive odors during processing and recycling of the treated solids.
• Allow for flexibility in the treated solids for recycling and reuse.
Thermal Hydrolysis systems are achieving all of these objectives at facilities across North America. The design and results of several facilities will be reviewed and presented.

The inDENSE gravitational sludge intensification technology offering from WWW offers several biological advantages to achieving process control, improved SVI’s, clarifier capacity, enhanced BNR, and granular sludge intensification. This technology is extremely retrofittable to almost any secondary process and is viewed as the least cost per gallon of any sludge intensification offering in the market.

Anaergia’s Omnivore High solids digestion system is comprised of (1) Anaergia high solids OmniMix mixers (with service box) and (2) Anaergia sludge screw thickener, to remove excess water from digester, increase organics loading, and improve VSR. As retrofit, Omnivore triples digester capacity within existing volume, or as new construction, requires 1/3 the footprint and significantly reduces CAPEX.

Traditional Anaerobic Digestion processes can create undesirable challenges at WWRFs. Nitrogen recycle from dewatering can have a significant impact on the overall loading to the facility and Phosphorus released under anaerobic conditions can negatively impact dewatering performance. These problems increase chemical and energy costs and create many operational challenges.
By adding an Acid Phase Digester before and an Aerobic Reactor after the Anaerobic Digester, some significant improvements in plant, digester and dewatering performance can be realized. These proven processes are well- established and employed (often independently) at several facilities but, when they are used in concert with the addition of a recycle loop, the solids process effectively becomes sidestream nutrient removal. Managing these nutrients in solids processes that are optimized for the desired biology has other side-effects including decreased H2S production, reduced odor and more robust digester performance.

The V-Bank System for carbon vessels have been around a long time, but airflows in projects are rising as projects become more ambitious. The V-Bank system is the most efficient system for maximizing airflows, footprint and ease of change out.

Rising concern of Perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) contamination of our ecosystem has sparked interest in this pollutant as it pertains to water and waste management. While PFAS sources are numerous, it is widely believed that firefighting foam and extensive industrial uses are common pathways for PFAS compounds to proliferate into our ecosystem.

There is a pressing need to develop and validate advanced treatment technologies that can destroy PFAS in a variety of substrates. Supercritical water oxidation or SCWO for short, is one such advanced physical-thermal process that relies on the unique reactivity and transport properties of water above its critical point of 374 °C and 218 atm. At these conditions, organics are fully soluble in supercritical water, and with the addition of oxygen, all organics rapidly and completely oxidized to form carbon dioxide, clean water, and inorganic salts.

In an attempt to better understand the physio-chemical destructive mechanisms, and the fate and transport of PFAS compounds undergoing oxidation, a one (1) wet ton per day scale SCWO system was employed to study the elimination efficiencies of this process treating three distinct PFAS waste substrates from three different sources. The three wastes include (1) lime stabilized sludge from a municipal wastewater resource recovery facility; (2) aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) from a DoD facility; and (3) spent ion exchange resin from a ‘pump and treat’ water treatment facility.

The studies examined both targeted and non-targeted PFAS compounds, including PFOA and PFOS. These two compounds are the most studied PFAS due to their high toxicity and being most prolific in our ecosystem. SCWO, on average, was able to eliminate 99.95% of PFOA and 99.99% of PFOS across all waste substrates, and greater than 99.9% elimination of all other PFAS compounds combined.

Non-targeted PFAS was accounted for using laboratory scale verification of the fluorine mass balance. No hydrogen fluoride was found in the effluent gas, and all the fluorine from the destroyed PFAS was accounted for as fluoride in the effluent water.

The studies produced valuable data and design parameters to support design and deployment of SCWO for real world applications.

Many wastewater agencies are facing the dual challenge of trying to address PFAS within the treatment plant and facing limitations in biosolids disposal options. This presentation will address both of those challenges and give attendees a solid understanding of how PFAS enters wastewater, accumulates in biosolids, and can potentially be destroyed by different techniques that are being evaluated. We will specifically discuss PFAS characterization studies that have been done to-date in wastewater treatment plants and new innovative studies where Brown and Caldwell (BC) is partnering with utilities to better understand PFAS destruction using thermal processes. This presentation will highlight recent work that is underway at Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW), which has the only operational large-scale biosolids pyrolysis systems in the country. Because the fate of PFAS through pyrolysis is not well understood, BC has partnered with SVCW to perform special studies aiming to provide a comprehensive picture of the fate of different PFAS species, precursors, and transformation products through the biosolids pyrolysis processes. This work will provide valuable insights into the level of PFAS transformation and/or destruction within the pyrolysis system. Because thermal treatment is the only technology currently available to utilities to destroy PFAS, this research aims to characterize the extent of destruction and support the development of scientific data documenting their positive environmental impact.

For this study, parallel samples will be processed through SVCW’s pyrolysis reactor and a bench-scale pyrolysis reactor coupled with a thermal oxidizer at operating conditions resembling SVCW’s process. Samples of the dewatered biosolids, dried biosolids, biochar, and gas emissions will be collected for PFAS analysis, including targeted, non-targeted, and total organic fluorine to fully characterize PFAS fate through the system. Results of this study will demonstrate whether current sampling and analytical approaches approximate a mass balance for specific compounds while identifying others previously unknown. Testing is scheduled to take place this summer and results from this study may be ready to discuss prior to the presentation.

As utilities strive to perform efficiently while maintaining compliance with fewer resources, the importance of a reliable SCADA system in today’s cyber security environment has increased dramatically over the last ten years. Major upgrades to these critical systems is driven by component obsolescence, evolving industry standards, demand for new features, and requirements for increases in system resiliency and cybersecurity. System upgrades often include improvements to programmable logic controllers (PLCs), SCADA HMI graphic systems, communication infrastructure, network and computer systems, and even facility improvements to construct secure server and control rooms.

Implementation of SCADA improvements in existing operating process systems not only requires careful planning, design, and significant investments in material, construction, software programming labor, and field testing, but also educating managers and elected officials. In today’s environment, additional challenges with long material lead time and price inflation add complexity to management of project budgets and schedules.

Clark Regional Wastewater District (Vancouver, Washington) used a multi-phase, multiple-year, programmatic approach to perform SCADA system upgrades at the Salmon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The initial project replaced the plant’s obsolete PLCs with a new state-of-the-art Allen-Bradley ControlLogix platform. The second phase constructed network improvements, including replacement and reconfiguration of the plant’s aging fiber optic cable, construction of dedicated and secure server and control rooms, and implementation of new network and computer systems. A final project phase is replacing the plant’s existing SCADA graphics with a new Inductive Automation Ignition platform, including configuration of all new graphics. Each phase provided updated system documentation to support long-term O&M. The work required significant planning for scope development, budgetary approvals, and implementation phasing, but the outcome has been overwhelmingly successful. The utility is currently working on projects to upgrade SCADA systems at their other wastewater facilities to apply the approaches from their Salmon Creek Treatment Plant as a uniform standard.

As data volumes and reporting requirements increase, municipal wastewater utilities are faced with a rapidly changing technology landscape. A comprehensive data management master plan (DMMP) can provide strategic guidance for utilities grappling with core data topics such as governance, architecture, quality, security, integration, and analytics.

Development of a data management master plan can be a time-consuming process that delays integration of systems and delivery of business intelligence products. This presentation identifies practical approaches to efficiently developing a DMMP for utilities covering a broad spectrum of technology readiness levels. The key to selecting the right approach is to calibrate the process to match the utility’s needs and capacities.

A traditional structured process will typically feature identification of data sources, ownership, responsibilities, data maintenance workflows, quality requirements, and governance policies. This is followed by the design of a data architecture that ensures data integrity, security, and accessibility while meeting the end user’s analytical, reporting, and dissemination needs. The design should consider both existing and planned data repositories and associated software tools, and often features a platform evaluation component. Finally, a DMMP includes a roadmap for recommended data system improvements that provides sufficient time for procurement, development and testing and considers options for phased or incremental development focusing on priority reporting needs first. On the human side, the roadmap should include training, change management, introduction of field computing tools, streamlining of workflows, and stewardship.

Utilities seeking to accelerate the delivery of improvements to daily planning, operations, and reporting may consider a streamlined approach in which data system integration and analytical tool development proceeds concurrently with data management master planning. This approach is more tangible for system stakeholders as it focuses on the delivery of functioning data tools rather than the codification of abstract principles.

This iterative and collaborative approach is particularly suitable for utilities that have multiple core enterprise data silos but lack a comprehensive data analytics platform. By leveraging commercial off-the-shelf software and platforms, data from these enterprise sources can be transformed and stored in managed, curated, and reliable datasets. These datasets can then serve a wide array of downstream needs.

Reliably assessing the condition of buried pressurized sewer force main pipelines is one of the last remaining (and technically arduous) practical challenges for collection system managers. The failure modes for these assets can be complex and the consequences severe. This presentation will share how, as part of their proactive asset management strategy, the City of Portland, Ore. has begun a systematic approach to inspect all 100+ of the force mains in their system. The discussion will focus on the two key efforts of both building a framework in which all the assessment data may be used to calculate business risk to the City, and deploying the full suite of field investigation technologies presently available in the marketplace. To be successful, first the risk-based framework needed to be capable of distilling inspection data from multiple vendors, sources, and methods into meaningful insights for the likelihood of failure in different scenarios. The objective was to provide a framework by which the force main risk could be objectively compared (in “apples to apples terms”) to the risk posed by other assets in the City’s portfolio. Secondly, when it came to the field deployment of inspection tools, because most older force mains were constructed before inspection technologies were available, success depended on anticipating the necessary site-civil, pipe-mechanical, and operational/logistical updates needed for each investigation. This presentation will cover both these aspects of the program and provide two different perspectives: that of the municipal system owner responsible for overseeing the effort and ensuring that it addressed the resources and needs specific to the City; and that of the condition assessment service provider responsible for the execution of the program and analysis of the inspection data. Concepts for asset management best-practices related to force mains will be presented; as well as practical metrics for cost and schedule associated with implementing a force main field investigation program. The session will be geared towards collection system asset managers, operations & maintenance specialists, and conveyance engineers.

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) Columbia Blvd Wastewater Treatment Plant (CBWTP) was first constructed in 1952 and continues to expand. Many process pipes and plumbing systems are original to the plant’s construction and had become forgotten brethren of CBWTP. Prior to this project, most pipes had not been inspected internally during their lifetime or assessed for their condition and remaining useful life (RUL)​. The CBWTP has experienced an increase in pipe breaks in the recent years causing process areas to be shutdown, creating a detrimental impact on plants operations and a sharp increase in financial expenditures​. Frequent breaks and leaks have also taken significant a toll on the operations and maintenance staff who are continuously patching piping systems to ensure reliable operations of the treatment plant.

BES condition assessment program has engaged with Kennedy Jenks consultants to prioritize, inspect, and assess plant process piping to move BES towards proactive management of its pipe assets. The primary goal of this project is to identify BES’s risk exposure due to these aging pipe assets to enable tailored and sustainable long-term replacement/ rehabilitation strategies.

This presentation will outline the vision and catalysts for this project, along with sharing success stories and how other utilities can adopt similar programs. Attendees will learn about developing a truly integrated asset management solution, from identifying pipe assets, managing these process piping assets in CMMS, developing GIS, 3D scanning and modelling tools, applying risk and prioritization tools, using advanced condition assessment technology and conducting this with careful coordination with plant scheduling restraints. Finally, the presentation will focus on the aspect of creating a cultural change in managing assets, one that proactively inspects piping systems and avoids unforeseen breaks and leaks through effective risk communication long after the team members have moved on.

Partial denitrification (PD) is being considered as a potential alternative to partial nitrification (PN) for generating nitrite. This is due to the difficulty of suppressing nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) at low mainstream temperatures and nitrogen levels. The Partial Nitrification/Denitrification/Anammox (PdNA/PANDA) process is an innovative way to remove ammonia from the mainstream by partially nitrifying it to nitrate, while leaving some residual ammonia in the post-anoxic phase. In this phase, the residual ammonia and nitrite generated by PD are removed via Anammox. The moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) are often used as a tertiary polishing process for biological nitrogen removal (BNR) to meet the permissible total nitrogen (TN) limit of 3 mg/L. However, this requires large amounts of external organic carbon for denitrification. By replacing conventional BNR with PdNA/PANDA, energy savings and chemical savings of up to 60% and 80%, respectively, are projected. While PdNA/PANDA has been used to reduce carbon and aeration demand in mainstream biological nitrogen removal, its applicability in tertiary processes with low influent nitrogen loading (TN < 7 mg/L), frequent storm-related loading fluctuation, and stringent effluent TN limit (< 3 mg/L) has not been explored. Additionally, previous PdNA/PANDA studies have only been performed in lab- or pilot-scale systems. This presentation will highlight the experience and lessons learned from two pilot-scale PdNA/PANDA systems from two different utilities (Fairfax VA and Everett WA), and some ongoing works that effectively demonstrate full-scale mainstream deammonification via PANDA while meeting stringent nutrient limits. The major insights from pilot-scale studies are: 1. the PdNA/PANDA system can achieve effluent TIN limit of 3 mg/L at the design HRT/load/flux; 2. practical savings ranging from 20% to 30%; 3. feed forward methanol feeding control strategy can provide means for achieving stable PdN; 4. optimizing the influent NO3/NH3 ratio is the most critical step for successfully PdNA/PANDA. The major insights from the full-scale study are: 1. startup without seeding can be achieved in under 3 months while still meeting very low TN and ammonia limits; 2. chemical savings of approximately 30% are in line with pilot-scale studies.

The purpose of this presentation is to share the commissioning and start-up (C&SU) approach, execution and lessons learned of the first Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP) built in Texas, and the second largest THP system in the United States, designed to process 375,750 dry lbs/day.

The Trinity River Authority’s (TRA) Central Regional Wastewater System (CRWS) serves 1.4 million customers in Dallas metropolitan area, with a treatment capacity of 189 MGD. CRWS’s Phase III B Solids Management Improvement Project includes replacement of the current lime stabilization treatment process with THP and anaerobic digestion. The goal of the Project is to significantly reduce the volume of biosolids produced and improve the classification from Class “B” to a Class “A” biosolid, which can be land applied or sold as fertilizer.

The biosolids treatment conversion from lime stabilization to THP and anaerobic digestion required both processes to operate in parallel. Due to the volume of equipment, impact to existing operations and risk associated with the activity MWH, in collaboration with TRA operations, developed a C&SU phased approach to facilitate the transition. The goal of the phased approach was to mitigate unknown process risk and minimize the impact to TRA’s daily operation. One example of risk mitigation occurred during Pre-THP Process Startup phase. Upstream of the THP system, there is a series of pre-dewatering equipment needed to be optimized with process fluids prior to introduction to the THP system. During process start-up the C&SU team identified the centrifuges were rotating backwards, despite extensive factory acceptance testing, field inspections, and water startup with the equipment vendor. This issue could only have been identified when process fluids were introduced into the system. If the team had not completed Pre-THP Process Startup the equipment reconfiguration would have impacted THP startup and Digester ramping, risking the loss of biomass following Digester Seeding.

Throughout the Pre-THP and THP startup, the team worked through numerous challenges to troubleshoot and optimize the systems. This presentation will explain how the team resolved each challenge and share lessons learned, resulting in the successful C&SU of the pre-dewatering equipment and THP system.

To thine own self be true

Leaders develop when adversity is turned into learning opportunities. Knowing yourself is essential: what is your passion; what are your goals; what are your guiding principles?

Many leaders in operations and maintenance positions have achieved leadership roles due to sheer perseverance and an ability to turn adversity into opportunity. They have relied on educational experiences that come in the form of hard knocks, setbacks, and exhaustive overachievement. It is these experiences, when viewed as opportunities, that provide for growth. Norman Lear once said, “Everywhere you trip is where the treasure lies” (Bennis 149). This is the focus of the panel discussion.

The discussion will focus on those trips and how to turn them into treasure. How the trips may provide for personal growth and eventually leadership recognition whether formal or informal. Warren Bennis stated, “More leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together" (Bennis 42).

The panel will offer suggestions to help anyone struggling with adversity, to persevere with optimism, and progress toward career goals. Finding a support team that can offer different perspectives and insight into our blind spots is beneficial. The point is that the better we know ourselves, “To thine own self be true”, (Shakespeare, Hamlet 1.3), increases the opportunities we are presented.

Living your passion, demonstrating integrity and consistency, being curious and doing the right thing, especially when no one is looking, are an important foundational qualities that can be relied upon as you move forward toward achieving your goals.

While education builds skill, life builds character, it behooves us to nurture both.

Citations

Bennis, Warren G. On Becoming a Leader. Basic Books, a Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2021.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Dover Publications, 1992.

The topic will be presented by a diverse panel of four individuals from various cities, roles, and perspectives, who have worked their way up the career ladder to positions in leadership. Primary contributor of the abstract is Pamela Randolph. Current panelist are Pamela Randolph, Caitlin Dwyer, and Heather Earnheart.

The water and wastewater industries in Oregon are experiencing a shortage in treatment plant and distribution/conveyance operators. According to the EPA, this shortage is anticipated to only worsen in the next ten years, as approximately one-third of drinking water and wastewater operators will be eligible for retirement. This issue is compounded by fewer and fewer young people entering the field.

The recent closure of an Oregon Community College Water/Wastewater Training Program will intensify this issue in the Pacific Northwest, and the fact that several new water treatment plants will be coming online in the coming years will only increase the need for experienced water/wastewater sector staff. This prompted a number of local utilities, consultants, and an Oregon community college to create a working group to focus on solutions to this shortage with the ultimate goal of creating a more robust water workforce in the Pacific Northwest.

The Drinking water Regional Internship Program (DRIP) is currently focused on implementing or exploring the following strategies:

• Outreach to increase awareness of water industry careers and boosting recruitment. A website was created through Regional Water Providers to highlight water operator careers: https://www.regionalh2o.org/work-in-water.
• Non-credit or other new course opportunities through other community colleges.
• Developing remote training opportunities around the state through an Oregon Community College.
• Additional grant proposal to create the paid internship program to those currently following the water works career path or for those who just might be interested in a career in water envisioned in DRIP.
• Developing a state-approved apprenticeship program.
• Monitoring grants related to any of the opportunities.
• Overall group updates/coordination.

The presentation will discuss the actions to date, partnerships formed, grants applied for, and the group’s plan moving forward. The lessons learned and other accomplishments of the group may encourage the regional wastewater industry to join the DRIP group and creating a water/wastewater industry collaboration for a workforce pipeline!

Advancing water reuse requires considerable community outreach and engagement. This session will highlight effective water reuse communication engagement efforts with real case examples. Attendees will gain tools and strategies to effectively engage with their communities about projects that span complex science, engineering, and financial topics. This will include examples of building an engagement plan, translating complicated ideas into resident-focused language, and finding ways to make engagement relevant to the audience.

In this presentation, staff from the WateReuse Association will provide updates on important federal legislation and regulatory activities that impact water recycling throughout the Pacific Northwest. We will cover the latest legislative developments related to federal appropriations, PFAS, and other important items. We will also provide an update on Executive Branch actions, including the federal Interagency Working Group on Water Reuse, the National Water Reuse Action Plan, PFAS and Build America, Buy America regulations, and the Administration's implementation of federal water recycling programs.

Embracing water reuse requires people to shift their mindset about clean water. This session will highlight innovative and creative water reuse demonstration projects that have occurred in the Pacific Northwest and nationally. From recycled water beer to a recycled water supplied public wading pool, attendees will learn about how demonstration projects can be leveraged to change public attitudes and grow support for water reuse. From small, low-budget projects to large projects, attendees will gain new ideas about how demonstration projects can grow public support for water recycling and clean water services more broadly.

Bar Screens are often thought of as an inefficient means of screenings removal. However, spending a bit of time design optimizing the channel configuration can go a long ways to removing pesky items in the waste stream like wipes.

This course will cover the basics of Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process including how to design, operate and troubleshoot. MBR effluent meets the class A recycled water and are reused in multiple application around the world. It also meets extremely low Nitrogen and Phosphorus regulations, which makes the MBR technology a viable option in multiple applications.
Kubota will provide couple detailed MBR project case studies in the Northwest.

AWC has nearly 25 active DAF plants in the PNW. The technology has been so prolific here because it is perfect for treating the kinds of surface waters we have, which are laden with fine solids, organics and algae. Few other technologies can meet potable water quality requirements with such high recovery, low operating costs and as little waste. This presentation will dive into the details of the DAF's performance at these many operating facilities and will highlight an active project in Wrangell, Ak where a DAF plant is finally being built nearly 7 years after piloting confirmed DAF was the best technology for the job.

The Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) system uses vertically oriented conveyor belts that grow algae on their surface. As the algae grow, it consumes nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater while it uses sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to rapidly grow algae biomass.

The algae produced during this process can be harvested and used to make fertilizers, bioplastics, and biofuels providing an additional revenue stream alongside an already more economical system.

The City of Pasco, WA is currently implementing the RAB system at its Process Water Reuse Facility following anaerobic digestion.

Veolia's ZeeLung MABR technology allows existing facilities the ability to increase or even add nitrification if the facility does not already nitrify in a simple and cost-effective manner.

On-site hypochlorite generation (OSHG) systems for disinfection have seen an increased adoption rate in the last decade as water and wastewater utilities continue to grapple with the onerous complexity of risk management plans (RMPs) in the case of gas chlorine disinfection and the operational or cost challenges of using bulk 12.5% sodium hypochlorite for disinfection. OSHG systems which have been utilized in North America since the early 1990’s use electricity to convert simple table salt (sodium chloride) into 0.8% (8,000 ppm) bleach or sodium hypochlorite.

A digital twin nutrient controller running a hybrid model fed with live and historical data is being developed, piloted and evaluated through The Water Research Foundation (WRF) project 5121: Development of Innovative Predictive Control Strategies for Nutrient Removal. For ease of reference, the project team has named the controller ODIN - Operational Decision-making Intelligence for Nutrient Control.

The hybrid controller combines the strengths of machine learning with mechanistic modelling. It uses both live data from SCADA as well as historical and current laboratory data. Its components include data tools, a raw sewage soft sensor, machine learning based autocalibration of the mechanistic model at its core, machine learning based forecasting, and a machine learning based emulator of the mechanistic model. This generic structure is being used to develop and pilot nutrient controllers for four full-scale facilities in an advisory mode. The research team has been very focused on not only the technical aspects of ODIN, but also the User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX), which Clean Water Services (CWS) has been leading.

The first pilot site (four total) of the ODIN controller will be the CWS Durham facility, located in Tigard, Oregon. Durham (24 MGD average treated flow) must meet a stringent seasonal monthly median effluent phosphorus limit. Primary clarifier alum addition is used to manage phosphorus loads to the aeration basins doing enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Currently, primary clarifier alum feed is controlled to maintain an operator entered mg/L alum dose. Therefore, the phosphorus load to the aeration basins varies day to day. The ODIN controller will recommend a daily alum dosing set point to maintain an operator entered target phosphorus load to the aeration basins. Initial results have so far shown to be promising, as well as providing several potential additional benefits around dynamic flow and COD/TKN 15-minute predictions in the raw sewage.

This presentation will cover both technical and human adoption aspects of the ODIN pilot test at the Durham facility. The design approach of the UI/UX to facilitate adoption of ODIN by Durham staff will be reviewed and lessons learned, both technical and cultural, will be provided.

The Puget Sound Nutrient general permit (PSNGP) requires dischargers to submit a nitrogen optimization plan and nutrient reduction evaluation or AKART evaluation (NRE) to Ecology. Through the Association of Washington Cities, Jacobs is preparing both the NOP and NRE to meet permit requirements for more than 25 dischargers.

This presentation will summarize progress on the work to date, give costs (capital, operation and maintenance and dollars per pound removed) from the discharger community as well as estimated sewer rate and environmental justice impacts for both optimization and nitrogen removal. The presentation will outline the pathway forward to a summary Puget Sound regional nutrient study, provide lessons learned in optimization and nutrient reduction evaluation from the plant assessment performed to date, possible future uses of the data being gathered to support sound decision making on nutrient management going forward.

Many WRRFs do not have consistent or sufficient VFA content available in the influent wastewater because of a low organic content or seasonal variability of the influent characteristics. The lack of influent VFA content has driven facilities to modify plant operations to generate their own VFA, utilizing embedded carbon, ensure consistent EBPR and maintaining low effluent phosphorus concentrations.

This presentation reviews two WRRFs that recently upgraded their traditional anaerobic selectors to inline fermentation reactors to produce VFA and improve EBPR.

In November 2021, South Granville Water and Sewer Authority in NC upgraded their anaerobic selector to an intensified fermentation tank by alternating a short mixing cycle with a long non-mixed deep anaerobic cycle. The generation of additional VFA lead to the proliferation of PAOs, which stabilized the EBPR process, resulting in lower and more consistent effluent total phosphorus. In addition, the plant realized a 90% reduction in mixing energy demand for the anaerobic reactors. In November 2022, having gained confidence in EBPR process, the plant initiated a plan to lower the alum feed rate 10% each month, and continues to monitor performance and lower the alum to further optimize savings.

The Warren, MI Water Recovery Facility performed a similar upgrade in 2021. The system maintained exceptionally low ORP, generated excess VFA, and utilized a unique mixing regime to transport VFA throughout the reactor without disturbing the fermentation process. In addition to achieving consistently low phosphorus effluent, well below the 1 mg/L requirement, the facility also reduced ferric consumption by 73%.

While generating VFA in the fermentation blanket is important, it is equally important to transport VFA to the PAOs throughout the reactor. The unique approach used by both plants included an update to the control logic to switch from continuous mixing to intermittent mixing. This new mixing approach operates cyclically, with complete mixing events occurring every 8-12 hours, and intermittent low-energy pulses occurring hourly during the unmixed phases. The periodic gentle pulses of low energy mixing from the fermentation blanket are used to transport excess carbon to the bulk liquid providing availability to PAOs throughout the anaerobic reactor.

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is a critical component of modern wastewater treatment strategies to protect aquatic ecosystems and capture valuable nutrients. However, EBPR process instability can create challenges for meeting stringent effluent phosphorus limits. Previous work has shown that monitoring phosphorus uptake kinetics can provide an early warning of instability events. While these methods provide a useful indicator of the functional health of the EBPR system, they do not always elucidate possible mechanisms responsible for instability events. Accordingly, we compared microbial population dynamics and their gene expression during periods of stable and unstable EBPR operation.

MLSS samples were collected from the Rock Creek Advanced Water Resource Recovery Facility during both a process upset and a stable period in 2021. Relevant process performance data at the time of sampling was also recorded. Nucleic acids were extracted and sent for shotgun metagenomic (MG) and metatranscriptomic (MT) sequencing. Metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) were assembled from the MG data to allow for more complete identification of the microbial community. Good quality draft MAGs served as the references to determine relative abundance and gene expression rates from the MG and MT data, respectively.

Bioinformatic analysis highlighted two novel microbial populations (strain 1 and strain 2) that were very abundant across both MT and MG datasets. Both were distinct members of the Accumulibacter genus based on analysis of their respective MAGs, including genes for polyphosphate accumulation as well as volatile fatty acid (VFA) metabolism and PHA synthesis. Further, strain 2 appears to be capable of denitrification. Gene expression for VFA uptake and carbon metabolism appeared depressed in the unstable samples relative to the stable samples, while stored phosphorus utilization activity remained somewhat stable. This could be due to decreased total VFA load during the upset event. Chain elongation activity also dropped substantially, further indicating insufficient carbon availability. Overall, gene expression profiles during the upset are supported by process data.

This presentation will offer an introduction to the use of genomics for process stability, followed by a case study describing key EBPR-related populations at Rock Creek and the response of these organisms to a process upset.

Abstract Title

The Industry Misunderstanding of Low-Pressure Sewer: Flow Study and Analysis of Gravity vs Low Pressure Collection Systems.

Presentation Description:

FUDKnox serves 100,000 people in East TN. The collection system consists of 600 miles of line, 200 of which are low pressure sewer with 4000 low pressure pumps. After multiple years of sewer rehabilitation in the gravity system it became apparent that the lower pressure system was operating on a much more efficient and economic schedule due in part to almost nonexistent I/I. FUD Knox determined to validate what the finance and operational staff were observing through an analysis of sections of the gravity and low- pressure piping. A consultant was retained to evaluate flow data and operations cost.

FUDKnox has a comprehensive flow monitoring program that keeps 75 flow monitors deployed in the collection system. In 2016 flowmeters were installed at predetermined areas in both the gravity and low-pressure systems. Information collected for 12 months insured data from multiple rain events was captured. All operations cost were captured for the same time frame. At the end of the 12-month period all information went through engineering analysis and a technical report published.

The compiled information was even more surprising that suspected. During multiple heavy rain events, I/I was almost nonexistent in the 4 low-pressure subbasins where flow meter was installed and monitored. In the gravity subbasins that were analyzed, I/I was detected and had a direct effect on the wet weather peaking capacity at the wwtp.

KEY TAKEAWAY

The theme for the 2023 PNCWA Conference is “Catalyzing A Sound Future for Water”. One definition of catalyze is to cause an action or process to begin. The author of this abstract was once a Program Manager for a large consulting firm with an expertise in sewer rehab programs and consent order compliance. Low-pressure was never considered a viable solution because of no understanding of its functionality. Based on the number of service providers across North America that have contacted FUDKnox to better understand our low-pressure methodology, it appears the application of low pressure as a solution is gaining traction.

For over 50 years, pressure sewer systems powered by grinder pumps have emerged as an effective solution for septic tank replacement sewer projects.

A pressure sewer system consists of a network of small diameter pipes that are pressurized to move wastewater from individual homes or buildings to a central collection point, typically a treatment plant or a larger sewer system. Grinder pumps, which are installed at each individual property, are used to break down solid waste and pump it into the pressurized pipes.

One of the key applications of pressure sewer systems is in “septic-to-sewer” projects. In these projects, an established community has chosen to enhance environmental and public health quality with a wastewater collection system. Beyond the technical advantages of pressure sewers, the practical and logistical simplicity of deploying the system often results in a more affordable and sustainable solution for the community. Specifically, the footprint of pressure sewers is much smaller than alternatives like gravity sewers or septic tank effluent pumping (STEP) systems. Furthermore, the constructability of pressure sewers enables minimal disruption to the local communities, avoids damage to private property and existing vegetation, and returns valuable land back to the community.

This presentation will highlight the benefits and best practices of grinder pump pressure sewers in these septic-to-sewer projects. These best practices are the results of lessons learned over the last several decades of working in similar projects in the Pacific Northwest, across the United States, and across five continents. Examples of these best practices in action will be shared through various real-world projects and case studies.

At the conclusion of this session, the attendees should recognize the benefits, differentiators, common missteps, and keys to successful septic-to-sewer projects. By demonstrating these factors, the audience should gain an appreciation for how stakeholders can leverage pressure sewers and how the benefits of pressure sewers will be a catalyst to facilitate more septic-to-sewer projects as we collectively seek to improve environmental quality of life.

The Northwest has embraced watershed planning for over twenty years as a useful way to prepare for and implement strategies to improve the health of waterways while effectively managing limited budgets and staff resources.

Now, there are new challenges facing watersheds that Parametrix has begun to integrate into watershed planning and will discuss in this presentation.

Parametrix has worked with multiple jurisdictions to develop integrated watershed plans and long-term growth management studies. Parametrix has worked with 20 plus communities on integrated watershed planning from large to small.

As part of our planning process, we will discuss how to address long-term management of existing municipal systems while also plotting courses for future land use development and responsible growth. Parametrix will discuss how to set goals; determine strategies; and define actions and funding strategies for risk management, environmental stewardship, climate change, and compliance with stormwater regulations as the population of a watershed grows.

This presentation will discuss key elements common to integrated watershed planning, including:

- Land use planning that is compatible with watershed protection targets

- Watershed prioritization and identifying key water quality issues within watersheds

- Systems for scoring and ranking needs to prioritize elements within a capital project plan

- Equity and social justice

- Retrofitting and neighborhood redevelopment

- Green infrastructure evaluation and code review

- Solutions to existing flooding problems

- Asset management and prioritization of existing infrastructure

- Managing project milestones to support public-agency grant funding

- Public awareness and involvement

- Utility rate analyses for different funding scenarios and levels of service

Parametrix will also discuss several innovative approaches that have proven successful across these different plans:

- Developing a stormwater management vision and mission, identifying measurable outcomes for each plan element, and discussing risks early on

- Straight-forward ways to address the impacts of climate change in existing design requirements

- Basin-specific water resource protection standards

- Updating development standards, including infill, redevelopment, new site development, and water quality retrofits based on a more integrated understanding of potential impacts

- Use of key habitat-quality metrics to help prioritize protection and development efforts

Nestled within Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum is the Arboretum Creek, which flows northward into Lake Washington's Union Bay. As with many urban streams, this creek was suffering from the impacts of deforestation, underground piping, urbanization, and flow diversion that started more than 100 years ago. In the 1920s, several hillside springs were diverted into the combined sewer system that ultimately now contribute to historical combined sewer overflows at the Montlake Cut. The nonprofit group Friends of Arboretum Creek (FOAC) has advocated for and led Arboretum Creek restoration efforts for several years. This presentation will share the development of partnerships and plans to restore the natural hydrology of the Arboretum Creek watershed by reconnecting two of the major springs with Arboretum Creek while also addressing localized flooding and treating stormwater runoff from a major arterial. The location of the headwaters is rich with history and community interest, including being an Olmstead Brothers park, the site of UW Arboretum collections and Japanese Gardens as well as a complex array of asset owners to coordinate across. This meant that the design requires close collaboration with partners to achieve not only water quality improvement but also enhance these valuable community resources.

Through funding by King County Wastewater Treatment Division with support and collaboration from the Seattle Parks Foundation, FOAC is developing design plans to collect runoff from the two springs as well as upstream urban runoff and convey the flows to the Arboretum Creek headwaters. These flows will be managed through a treatment train with easy-to-maintain upstream presettling and a subsurface treatment wetland, and ultimately arrive at the creekbed through hyporheic discharge. But wait, there’s more! The treatment wetlands will also be optimized to treat overflows from the adjacent Japanese Garden koi pond to address nutrients reduction. The presentation will highlight elements of the innovative design and summarize the collaboration and funding opportunities with partners to maximize benefits while integrating with the Washington Park vision and enhancing the horticulture collection within the park.

The WAVE is focused on providing opportunities in the water industry to students and emerging professionals from diverse backgrounds. This program includes a five-part workshop series which focusses on the career paths within the water/wastewater industry, networking, skills development, employment opportunities, and conference preparation. This year, PNCWA has fifteen participants in the program and each participant will present on their experiences and what it’s like entering the water industry from their perspectives.

The body of research, public concern, and general media coverage relating to contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is growing rapidly throughout the United States. This session will describe general trends in current research related to CEC occurrence and composition that is most relevant to water and wastewater professionals. Commonly detected CECs in regional water will be described including wastewater, reuse water and stormwater. Using published academic studies and regional studies and sampling, attendees will learn about CECs that might be of most concern to common regional uses of reuse water. Attendees will come away with a greater understanding of CECs, their presence in wastewater, stormwater and natural waters, the pathways CECs enter the environment, and risks and concerns associated with CECs in the environment.

The RWP seeks to address multiple drivers impacting Boise’s local water supply and resilience including regional growth and capacity needs, climate change, water scarcity, equity and affordability, regulatory compliance, and city-wide sustainability goals. As the RWP addresses these challenges and opportunities, it will demonstrate long-term stewardship over its water resources and build resilience in the face of uncertain futures. Over the next several decades, the RWP will advance the construction of new recycled water facilities, the development of new partnerships, and the adoption of new policies that will work toward the following common program outcomes:

• Increase the WRS system capacity by managing flows and loads through new recycled water facilities.
• Increase the resilience to climate change and water scarcity by diversifying water supply through the production of recycled water.
• Demonstrate regulatory stewardship by anticipating future regulatory needs.

The City of Boise AWT started operation in the Spring of 2023 and will operate for the next 18 months. The pilot is designed to pilot provide information in six key areas including:

1. Transparency in water quality data.
2. Development of financial data.
3. Increased stakeholder confidence.
4. Develop and train workforce.
5. Support regulatory approvals.
6. Develop data to inform design criteria.

The pilot started operation in April 2023 and will be operating for the next 12 to 18 months. The presentation will include information on the startup process, Operation, and how the pilot will help inform the six key areas.

Many utilities are considering or embarking on monitoring programs for contaminants of emerging concern to respond to community concerns about presence of these chemicals in water supplies, including recycled or reclaimed water. However, proceeding with monitoring is a daunting task. Selecting which chemicals to monitor, finding analytical labs to process samples, interpreting and communicating results are challenging tasks. This session will feature a facilitated panel discussion between professionals that have built and implemented CEC monitoring programs. Panelists will provide a brief overview of their work on CEC monitoring and share lessons learned and best practices relating to all aspects of CEC monitoring.

The world of wastewater treatment can be intimidating at first – it’s so much more complicated than it seems from the outside. If you’re new to wastewater and working at a wastewater or water reclamation facility you are probably familiar with the treatment that your facility does. But what about all the other facilities? Are they all using the same system that you know (and love)? Probably not, each facility is a little different so that they can efficiently and successfully treat the influent they receive. This talk will discuss some basic types of treatment systems so that you can breakdown and categorize a new, unfamiliar facility.

Using examples of facilities here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ll cover some of the common wastewater treatment systems, including the Activated Sludge Process (ASP), Membrane Bioreactors (MBR), Moving Bio Bed Reactor (MBBR), and Lagoon Treatment. The components of each treatment type will be described so that you can easily identity a system. Then the different systems will be compared in terms of cost, flow capacity, energy use, footprint size, and nutrient removal. This will allow you to not only identify a facility type but understand why that system was selected. Learning about different treatment systems is a great way to ease into wastewater (not literally) and to understand which technologies could be added to your facility efficiently and economically.

Floating thick mats of scum and grease combined with the increased presence of wet wipes has made lift station maintenance a costly line item. Many manhours are spent by personnel busting scum layers just to gain access to duty pumps. A simple pump modification added to wet wells in four different cities resulted in the total elimination of scum mats and significantly reduced the frequency of pump clogging. This short booth presentation will present the simple modification implemented.

KSB’S patented Amarex ARX submersible pump with D-max technology was specifically developed for reliable operation and high efficiency, even when faced with the challenge of processing modern day ‘flushable materials’, and difficult contents such as long, fibrous materials, heavy solid concentrations, and other materials found in today’s municipal and industrial waste streams

Highly efficient compressed gas mixing technology for optimized biological treatment, nutrient removal and tank/channel mixing that reduces energy consumption, simplifies maintenance, and optimizes process conditions, enabling highly scalable and flexible operations.

Clean Water Services (District) provides sanitary and stormwater services to over 600,000 people in Washington County, Oregon. The District owns and operates four water resources recovery facilities (WRRFs) that discharge to the Tualatin River. In 1988, the Tualatin River basin was the subject of one of the Nation’s first basin-scale Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL). The TMDL established criteria for ammonia and phosphorus throughout the watershed that were incorporated into permit limits. However, population and industrial growth in the Tualatin River watershed, changes in the water flow management, and adaptive management principles have influenced water quality dynamics and motivated the update of the phosphorus TMDL. In addition, the District uses alum as part of the water treatment process to meet the stringent phosphorus limits, but EPA recently established an aluminum water quality standard for Oregon that makes alum use no longer viable at current levels. Therefore, to continue our mission to protect the Tualatin River and to comply with both aluminum and phosphorus water quality criteria, the TMDL needs to be reviewed. The Oregon DEQ is committed to priorities other than the Tualatin River phosphorus TMDL and ammonia criteria. To respond to this an uncertain compliance conditions the District in collaborations with DEQ in collaboration with DEQ, the District is developing the modeling and scenarios to understand and update the phosphorus TMDL using a highly detailed and well calibrated CE-QUAL-W2 water quality model for nearly 83 miles of the Tualatin River developed by Portland State University and the District. This model simulates a variety of scenarios to understand the assimilative capacity of the river for phosphorus as a function of flow rate, the impacts of various nutrient and temperature management strategies on the water quality of the river, the impacts of changes in dam operations and river flows over the last 30 years, and the potential effects of various changes to the TMDL on Lake Oswego and downstream waterbodies. This presentation will showcase the scenario development and findings as well as the lessons learned to date when working to update an existing TMDL with new data and modeling techniques

Excess nutrient discharge into receiving waters can pose a serious threat to human health and aquatic life. Nutrient enrichment of receiving streams can lead to depletion of dissolved oxygen resulting from eutrophication of the water body. DO deficits reported for portions of the Southern Puget Sound have raised concerns regarding nutrient loads discharged to the water body. While both point- and non-point sources could contribute towards these, domestic effluents, wastewater treated to secondary standards (limited N and P removal) have been identified as significant contributors.

Additionally, as population growth continues to place burdens on our existing water supplies, utilities are forced to cope with poor quality and limited quantity of potable water supplies. Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) are recalcitrant chemicals that have tendency to bioaccumulate and are not fully removed by conventional treatment. On one hand, WRRFs are being challenged to meet increasingly stricter effluent limits and rely on advanced treatment; in parallel, water scarcity has driven utilities to embrace Integrated One Water Approach to be water-supply resilient. Although treatment technology selection in potable reuse is primarily governed by WRRF’s ability to meet strict nutrient limits (N, P), co-management of nutrients and CECs in water treated across robust multi-barrier treatment schemes can be an added benefit.

This presentation will focus on lessons learnt from two case studies that highlight two different co-management approaches. The first study (WRF 4790) was aimed identifying hotspots for pollutants (conventional and emerging) and implementing holistic co-management approaches to tackle non-point (agricultural run-off and urban stormwater) and point-sources (wastewater treatment) to improve the health of the Potomac River watershed.

The second case study is on HRSD’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) program. The drivers for advance treatment in Eastern Virginia include depletion of groundwater resources, water quality concerns in the Chesapeake Bay, sea level rise and wet weather concerns. The benefits of advanced (non-RO based) multi-barrier scheme (ozone-BAC-GAC-UVAOP) to meet strict nutrient limits (TN= 5 mg/L, TOC= 4 mg/L) and treat CECs will be discussed.

Biological phosphorus removal (BPR) is a powerful method to meet effluent phosphorus requirements. At Clean Water Services (CWS), BPR is capable of producing effluent ortho-phosphorus concentrations below 0.1 mg/L, however at times, the performance degrades and effluent phosphorus concentrations can exceed 2 mg/L. Previous CWS work has shown measurements of the phosphorus uptake rate at the end of the aeration, which we’ve termed the residual phosphorus uptake rate (RPU), correlate well with BPR stability. Higher RPU rates correspond to more stable BPR and decreases in RPU can predict impending increases in the secondary effluent orthophosphate concentration. Because phosphorus uptake in some phosphorus accumulating organisms is driven by the amount of stored polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), it was hypothesized that the health of the BPR process is related to the biomass’ ability to store excess PHA, allowing them to better manage variable loading conditions. CWS has recently optimized a PHA analysis method, allowing us to investigate this hypothesis further and to ask wider questions into the behavior of the BPR process.

For approximately 6 months, the PHA content of the biomass has been measured with each RPU batch test. Contrary to our original hypothesis, there does not appear to be a consistent relationship between RPU and the total amount of PHA in the biomass. We have therefore started characterizing the relationship between phosphorus uptake rate and PHA content at other locations along the basins. A more clearly defined relationship was identified between uptake rates measured early in the aeration basin and the polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV) concentration. We continue to explore the dynamics of phosphorus uptake and PHA content along the length of the aeration basins to build a better understanding of the relationships and variability that may be observed.

PHA data can provide further information into the behavior of the BPR process and suggest shortcomings in our understanding of key operational parameters. This paper will present the current status of the CWS PHA research and investigate other factors that may be influencing the interrelationship between phosphorus uptake rates, PHA storage and PHA utilization.

Stringent nutrient limits can be achieved while also providing for energy efficient process operation. The secondary upgrade at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant (BITP) owned and operated by LOTT Clean Water Alliance in Olympia, Washington is a prime example. Upgrades to the instrumentation, aeration system, and controls associated with ammonia-based aeration control (ABAC) enabled staff to implement low-DO simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. This resulted in improved effluent quality, approximately 50% lower methanol use for nitrate polishing, and reduced aeration demand in the second aeration step. This presentation will describe the upgrades and how they can achieve extremely good nitrogen removal in the first stage of treatment, reducing loading to the second stage as an example for how similar success can be achieved at other plants in the area.

The BITP has stringent total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) limits of 3 mg/L in spring through fall, as well as total maximum daily load limits which are potentially more restrictive, depending on flow. Before and after the recent upgrades, treatment was accomplished with a 4-stage Bardenpho process. Prior to the upgrades, the first anoxic and first aeration zones were in separate tanks and aeration was controlled on a per-treatment-train basis. The upgrades combined the first anoxic and aeration stages into the old aeration tank, including new swing zones to adjust aerated volume, significantly reducing the energy required for mixed liquor recycle and reducing the treatment volume. Additional instrumentation and control were added to the new process, including influent and mid-train ammonia probes as well as dissolved oxygen (DO) probes and airflow control in each zone.

These changes provided the operators great flexibility and insight into the control of their process. Come learn how the staff put the improvements to use as they dialed down the oxygen supply using ABAC control, adjustable recycle ratios, and the swing zones. Eventually, the process moved into simultaneous nitrification denitrification (SND) giving further reductions in energy and methanol use in the second stage. Effluent TIN was maintained at 1.5 mg/l or less throughout.

Utilities have been investigating new technologies to diversify their end products from water reclamation facilities (WRRFs) due to strict regulations around land application of biosolids and recent concerns on presence and accumulation of poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids. Water above 374°C and 22.1 MPa becomes supercritical, a special state where organic solubility increases, and oxidation processes are accelerated. Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) is a promising technology that converts organic material (biosolids) to inert gases, minerals and water.

SCWO has been recently shown to destroy hazardous substances such as halogenated compounds including PFAS. Studies showed a greater than 99% reduction of the total PFAS identified in a targeted compound analysis, including perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (Krause et al, 2022). As a destructive technology, SCWO is proposed as an alternative to incineration and other combustion processes and could be a permanent solution for PFAS-laden biosolids or solid matrices. However, additional investigation of reaction byproducts: water, solids and air emissions need to be conducted for a complete assessment of SCWO’s potential as a safe and effective technology.

Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) teamed with 374Water, Hazen and Sawyer, and Merrell Brothers to demonstrate this technology at their site. The demonstration unit was developed based on a Research and Development (R&D) unit installed at Duke University which has a capacity of one wet tons per day. The demonstration unit has capacity of 6 wet metric tons per day and manufactured by 374Water Inc., ready to be installed. The design of the demonstration project is completed by Hazen. The research team, including OC San, 374Water, Hazen and Sawyer, Yorke Engineering, Alliance Testing worked together to develop a rigorous test plan to support permitting, design and operations. This presentation will focus on the findings from the research unit located at Duke University and the test plan prepared to identify the emissions from SCWO process. It will also discuss the challenges and advantages of the technology. The information will benefit utilities that seeks sustainable solution for their biosolids management considering recent concerns on PFAS compounds.

King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s (WTD) West Point Treatment Plant (West Point), adjacent to Discovery Park on Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington, receives flows ranging from 60 to 440 million gallons per day (mgd). West Point treats combined wastewater produced by a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Solids are treated using BFP thickening, anaerobic mesophilic digestion, and centrifuge dewatering to produce Class B biosolids beneficially used through the King County Loop™ program.

Digestion at West Point is approaching capacity constraints and major assets are aging. Solids capacity solutions must address a broad range of needs and challenges, including affordability, equity, reliability and resiliency, on a highly constrained site footprint.

The study was executed in a systematic manner using a combination of economic and non-economic analyses. A vision statement developed collaboratively by the consultant/WTD team established project goals and informed decision-making criteria. Our team first evaluated the universe of solids handling options to determine the best method of addressing capacity constraints at West Point. Technologies included digestion pre-treatment, anaerobic digestion, dual digestion, composting, chemical stabilization, thermal drying, and thermal decomposition. Technologies were screened using a pass/fail analysis applying criteria such as technology maturity, end uses, technology footprint and state of the industry. A short-list of technologies passing the pass/fail step were carried forward for subsequent evaluation.

Six alternatives were retained, each including anaerobic digestion as the core stabilization process. Alternatives were categorized based on desirable outcomes each might achieve (e.g., maximizing existing assets, Class A biosolids requirements, emerging contaminant risk mitigation, or nitrogen site impacts). Capital costs, life cycle costs, carbon footprint, impacts to construction sequencing, process reliability during construction, etc. were evaluated. Secondary technical, environmental, and social evaluation criteria were developed and applied in a series of workshops using collaboration tools such as electronic polling and interactive sensitivity analyses. The interactive sensitivity analyses allowed the team to change criteria weights, to pose risk scenarios and see their outcomes, to better understand different priorities across the organization, and ultimately to reach consensus.

Many US cities have aging sewer infrastructure that was built prior to environmental regulations and the development of modern urban transportation networks and associated population growth. As a result, many pipes were built in ravines, streams, and low-lying areas that were subsequently filled and built upon. As these systems age with existing challenging maintenance access, now is the time to evaluate and build more resilient sewer systems that reduce environmental, maintenance, and public safety risk. This presentation will discuss the challenges and benefits of simplifying an aging sewer network by abandoning part of an urban sewer system and reversing the flow of an existing sewer pipe.

The City of Portland identified several thousand feet of combined sewer pipe in north Portland for rehabilitation due to mortality risk, hydraulic capacity risk, and operation and maintenance risk. Some of these sewers are located 20-50 feet below ground in an urban park crossing arterials, highways and abandoned rail. Results from an alternatives analysis proved the hydraulic feasibility of abandoning most of the difficult to access pipes within the park and reconstructing the upstream pipe to reverse the direction of flow within the City’s right-of-way. This creative solution avoids significant community disruption, reduces interagency coordination, and provides better access for future maintenance.

Reconnecting service laterals and catch basins to the reversed mainline presented the biggest challenge to flow reversal. In some sections, the proposed invert elevation is as much as 10 feet above the existing invert elevation. Additional topographic survey and potholing was needed to confirm the feasibility of reversing flow without pumping. Despite the complexities of flow reversal, this solution offered an overall benefit to the City of Portland and rate payers by simplifying maintenance and reducing the overall risk within the system.

King County’s Mercer and Enatai Interceptors were built in the 1960s and extend over 14,000 feet from northern Mercer Island into the Enatai neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington. The interceptors receive flows from North Mercer Pump Station, as well as the City of Mercer Island and City of Bellevue sewer systems. Some parts of the system are reaching the end of their useful lives, and future peak flows are projected to soon exceed the system’s capacity.

The new $58 million Mercer Enatai project includes two upgraded pump stations and a 4-mile sewer alignment that passes underneath residential streets, a major arterial, a regional bicycle and pedestrian trail, a navigable waterway, the Enatai hillside, a swim beach and park, and an environmentally-sensitive wetland. The numerous and varied stakeholders needed to be appropriately engaged with the right information at the right time, and in a way that is meaningful for each stakeholder group.

To uphold King County’s goal of being a good neighbor, the project team worked collaboratively, utilizing traditional outreach methods such as open houses, fliers, community events, and small group meetings. The team also used less common methods such as “walk and talks,” bike rides, online open houses, digital presentations, and targeted outreach for specific populations. The Covid-19 pandemic required a quick shift to virtual engagement.

This presentation will review the entire toolbox of outreach methods the project team used during the different phases of the project, and share thoughts on the lessons learned, varying degrees of success, and potential future approaches to engage communities on projects from cradle to grave.

Professional development is widely expected and encouraged in the engineering industry, especially related to technical standards, the latest process equipment, keeping up with regulations, etc. Often overlooked in professional development is leadership. Learn how Consor has embarked on professional leadership development for our water staff through the Venturi program. The cohort is called “Venturi”, because a Venturi increases velocity while reducing pressure—applicable also to a group of leaders who work together. As our emerging leaders gain momentum through the program, they pull others along with them through greater knowledge-sharing and mentorship. Our second Venturi cohort began in late 2022, and as leaders, we continue to learn and evolve with our cohort. It is inspiring to see the individuals who have completed the program, and those who are just beginning their journey, grow leadership skills that are often absent in academic curriculum, such as self-awareness, networking, and business planning. Join us to hear from the director of the Venturi program about the development process that goes into each Venturi cohort, and takeaways from the program from a Venturi graduate and a current Venturi leader.

Regulations for recycled water have historically been driven from a state level which leaves a regulatory framework that is unique for each state. From a regulatory standpoint water reuse will be discussed from the regulating in the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Additionally, other states will be participating to discuss their considerations and differences from the Pacific Northwest. The rules and considerations for protection of public health and the environment from each state’s perspective will be discussed along with questions from the moderator and the audience.

Clean Water Services is onboarding several methods to quantify viral removal, deactivation, and disinfection through our wastewater treatment facilities. Coliphages are viruses specific to E. coli that are commonly used as surrogates for human pathogenic viruses due to their similar fate and transport through wastewater treatment facilities as well as in the ambient environment. The US EPA is continuing the process of developing coliphage as fecal indicators for recreational water quality criteria. Coliphages are thought to be equal to the EPA’s currently recommended bacterial indicators when detecting fecal contamination, while providing more direct indicators of viral abundance in treated wastewater than bacterial methods. The current EPA method for quantifying coliphage is laborious and time-consuming, with sample processing requiring several days from starting preparation until final data becomes available. Optimized molecular methods are far faster and higher throughput, greatly reducing staff time required for monitoring and reducing time for data delivery from a scale of days to hours.

The goals of this project were to (1) onboard the EPA method for quantifying coliphage (EPA 1643, culture-based plaque assay) in our Water Quality Laboratory, (2) develop a multiplex droplet digital PCR-based molecular method to quantify coliphage based on published quantitative PCR methods, and (3) identify an optimal viral concentration method to aid in quantifying viruses in dilute samples (e.g., plant effluent). We will share our data on different viral concentration methods to prepare plant effluent for molecular analysis, and describe the influence that the initial viral concentration method may have on final viral quantification. The plaque assay and molecular methods will be used through the spring and summer of this year for influent and effluent characterization.

This presentation will detail the process of onboarding two different viral detection methods: the plaque assay and the molecular method, and a comparison of the data. This work is anticipated to be of interest to facilities looking toward viral detection methods in anticipation of future regulatory limits.