International Success Stories in Wastewater Treatment and Reuse

MEDAWARE

Outline

Introduction: Benefits and Domains of Wastewater Reuse Success Stories in Mediterranean Region:

Spain: Vitoria and Tenerife Plants Greece: Chalkis Island Plant Italy: Catania Projects Palestine: Dan Region Project Cyprus: Larnaca Plant Other Examples

Success Stories all over the World: Australia: Bolivar Project USA: Monterey, California

Introduction

Best Practices and Success Stories in Wastewater Treatment Systems are:

Systems employing an effective treatment technology leading to a good quality effluent

Systems with high contribution into the overall increase of wastewater reuse in the relevant country

Systems achieving sustainable wastewater treatment and reuse practices

Benefits of Wastewater Reuse

Potential benefits of wastewater reuse are most obvious for the arid areas but the general increasing pressures on water resources all over the world is also making wastewater reuse attractive in other areas.

All these benefits contribute to the

ultimate objective of

sustainable use of water

resources

Uses of Reclaimed Water

Success StoriesSuccess StoriesMediterranean Mediterranean

RegionRegion

The Mediterranean Region: The Need for Wastewater Reuse It is characterised by the low level and

irregularity of water resources, through time (summer drought, interannual droughts) and space (dry in the South).

It includes 60% of the world population with renewable natural resources of less than 1,000 m3 of water/inhabitant/year.

The strong growth in urbanisation, tourism, irrigation and population can only increase tensions on water demand.

Spain: Vitoria-Spain: Vitoria-Gasteiz Gasteiz

North of SpainNorth of Spain

Objectives of the Reuse Scheme A Tertiary Treatment Station was added in

1995 to the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant to obtain a better effluent capable of:

Increasing water supply to Vitoria and Bilbao cities Replacing ecological flows to the Zadorra dams

when they are deficient Irrigating 10,000 ha of agricultural land Protecting the trout fish of the Zadorra River

The Treatment Technology

Secondary treatment (screening, sedimentation, nitrification-denitrification) + tertiary treatment (coagulation-flocculation, sand filters, chlorine disinfection)

Flocculation Chambers Settling Ponds

Sand Filter Washing Sand FilterFilling up

Filtered Water

Chlorination Chamber

Mixing Pumps

Effluent Quality

Parameter Min MaxpH 6.9 7.6

Conductivity 700 1000

Turbidity (NTU) 0.3 1.7

S.S (mg/l) 1 2.5

BOD5 (mg/l O2) 1 8

COD (mg/l O2) 3 20

N-NH3 (mg/l N) 23 30

N-NO3 (mg/l N) 0.1 0.2

PO4 (mg/l PO4) 0.3 1.5

TC (ufc/100 ml) 0 0

FC (ufc/100 ml) 0 0

Dose NaClO (mg/l Cl2) 5 8

SDI (Silt Density Index) 25 to 0.4 60 to 1

Metals (mg/l)

Level

Fe <0.21

Al <0.32

Zn <0.25

Ni <0.07

Cr 0.007

Co 0.009

Cd 0.002

Cu 0.008

Pb 0.0014

Mo 0.0026

Mn 0.076

Effluent Reuse

The Plant will generate 20,000,000 m3/year of treated effluent: 8,000,000 m3/year will be used for irrigation without

cultivations restriction 12,000,000 m3/year will be added to the Zadorra River

ecological flow

The effluent is suitable for drinking water supply!! (illegal at present)

Cost: 0.06 €/m3

Treated Effluent Treated Effluent

Irrigation Irrigation

Spain: Tenerife Spain: Tenerife Santa Cruz de Santa Cruz de

TenerifeTenerife

Plant General Characteristics Constructed between

1995 and 1997 to alleviate the water shortage of the island of Tenerife

Designed for a flow of 90,000 m3/d

Effluent is used to irrigate a crop area located 70 km away from the Plant

Reservoir

Plant

The Wastewater Reuse System

Activated Sludge

15.000 m3

6.7 km

61 km; 0.6 km diameter Gravity Pipe completely filled 50,000 m³; 10 m

deep

250,000 m³; 15 m deep

457,000 m³; 20 m deep

Screening

Aeration Tanks Activated Sludge Tanks

Grit Removal

Gravity Pipe San Isidro Reservoir

El Saltadero Reservoir San Lorenzo Reservoir

San Lorenzo Reservoir

San Lorenzo Reservoir

San Lorenzo Reservoir

Desalination Unit

Sand Filtration Unit

Electrodialysis

Effluent Quality (Influent to San Isidro Reservoir)

Parameter Winter Spring-Summer

Winter-Spring

pH 7.74 7.98 7.91

EC (µS/cm) 1,288 1,659 1,585

S.S (mg/l) 8 5 11

COD (mg/l) 48 59 52

N-NH3 (mg/l) 26.3 42.3 23.5

N-NO2 (mg/l) 0.04 0.02 0.03

N-NO3 (mg/l) 0.06 0.46 0.31

PO43- (mg/l) 27 41 30

SO4 2- (mg/l) - 119 91

S2- (mg/l) 2.71 4 2.1

FC (log) 4.1 4.2 4.1

Problem and Solution

Anaerobic conditions build-up in the long pipe that transports the effluent leading to sulphide generation

Fresh water over-saturated with DO started to be injected at 10 km from the pipe inlet nitrification-denitrification process anoxic conditions inhibition of sulphide generation reduction in NH3-N less chlorine requirement for disinfection

Effluent Reuse

Reuse of 7,000,000 m3/year of treated effluent

Irrigation of 775 ha of banana mainly, plus potatoes and tomatoes

Acceptable quality, and studies are ongoing for its improvement using micro and ultra filtration

Cost: 0.45 €/m3

Greece: City of Greece: City of ChalkisChalkis

Plant General Characteristics Constructed in

1994

Reclamation of wastewater started in 1998

Daily flow of 9,000 m3/day

Treatment Technology

Disinfection Process

In 1998, ultraviolet disinfection using two types of UV systems (closed and open type) and chlorination was introduced

The first UV bank produced 55 mWs/cm2. After test, it was decided to increase the total dose of the UV lamps to 120 mWs/cm2

Effluent QualityParameter Average Value

Temperature ºC 21.2

pH 7.14

Redox mV 60

Suspended Solids (SS) mg/l 12

COD mg/l 54

BOD mg/l 9

N-NH4+ mg/l 6.6

N-NO3- mg/l 5.5

N-NO2- mg/l 0.3

Total Phosphorous mg/l 4.0

UV Transmission %T 55.3

Coliform Distribution Per Stage

Effluent Reuse

Reuse of 4000 m3/day of treated effluent for landscape irrigation (280 ha with 100,000 trees and bushes) and industrial use

1994 2000

Italy: Catania Italy: Catania Caltagirone and Caltagirone and

Grammichelle ProjectsGrammichelle Projects

Projects Characteristics

Grammichelle

Developed in 2001 Flow: 1,500 m3/d Activated Sludge + Chlorine

Contact Tank + Tank Storage

Quality: BOD5 < 10 mg/l; COD < 30 mg/l

Reused for irrigating orange, olive trees, crops for caning industry, and vegetables to be eaten cooked

Cost: 0.11 €/m3

Caltagirone

Developed in 2001 Flow: 5,200 m3/d Activated Sludge + Sand

Filtration + Reservoir Storage

Quality: BOD5 < 10 mg/l; COD < 30 mg/l

Reused for irrigating orange, olive trees, crops for caning industry, and vegetables to be eaten cooked

Cost: 0.11 €/m3

PalestinePalestineDan Region ProjectDan Region Project

Tel AvivTel Aviv

Plant and Effluent Characteristics Constructed in

1991-1994 Flow of

120,000,000 m3/yr

Parameter Value

BOD5 mg/l <0.5

COD mg/l 7

FC/100 ml 1

TC/100 ml 1

TSS mg/l 1

TN mg/l 0.4

TP mg/l 0.08

Treatment Technology

Effluent of biological treatment including nutrient removal is spread on sand basins and thus recharged into the groundwater aquifer for additional polishing and long-term storage

Soil Aquifer Treatment Basins

Effluent Reuse

In 1993, 75 out of 87 Mm3 of treated wastewater was recharged and about 100 Mm3 (together with groundwater) was used for agricultural irrigation in Negev of an area of ~ 16,000 ha of field-crops (cotton, cereals, sunflower, etc.), fruit plantations, vegetables, and flowers aimed for export

Cost: 0,45 US$/m3

Cyprus: Larnaca Cyprus: Larnaca PlantPlant

Meneou AreaMeneou Area

Plant General Characteristics Located behind the International Airport of

Cyprus

Operation started in 1995, and reuse for irrigation purposes in 2000

Design capacity: 8,500 m3/d; In summer: 5,500 m3/d and in winter: 4,500 m3/d

Treatment Technology

Sand Filtration Unit

Sludge Drying Beds

Irrigation Pumping Station

Filter Press

Effluent Quality

Parameter Value Removal Efficienc

ypH 7.5 -

Total EC/100 ml 5 -

Intes. EC/100 ml 0 -

S.S (mg/l) 1.7 99.46

BOD5 (mg/l) 2.6 99.37

COD (mg/l) 56 93.1

N-NH3 (mg/l) 2.4 96.76

N-NO3 (mg/l) 6.9 -

Total N 8.5 90.22

Conductivity mS/cm

3.4 -

Parameter

Value Removal Efficiency

Cl 555 2.97

B 0.8 -

P 0.6 92.04

Cd <0.01 -

Cu 0.01 -

Ni 0.06 -

Pb 1.87 -

Zn 0.35 -

Cr III <0.01 -

Residual Cl 0.2 -

Effluent Reuse

Irrigation of 150 ha of corn and alfalfa at Dromolaxia Village; these started to grow noticeably fast

Irrigation, during the summer season, of gardens, parks and fields owned by hotels, the International Airport and Larnaca Municipality

Cost: 0.5 €/m3

Other Success Other Success StoriesStories

Mediterranean Mediterranean Region Region

Country Name of the Plant

Capacity m3/day

Treatment Technology

Reuse Application

Cost

Jordan Al Samra 150,000 3 trains of ponds: 2 anaerobic, 4 facultative, 4 maturation

Irrigation of 500 ha of olive trees, forest area, fodder crops and non-restricted vegetables for experiments

NA

Morocco City of Drargua

600 Primary treatment (aerobic basins), secondary treatment (sand filters), tertiary treatment

Irrigation of 6 ha of alfalfa, tomatoes, zucchini, corn and grass

NA

Tunisia Cebela 100,000 NA Irrigation of 3,200 ha of cereals (wheat, barley, triticale and hay), golf courses, green belts, hotel gardens, orchards

0.003 $/m3

Turkey Gaziantep 200,000 Primary treatment, secondary treatment (Activated Sludge)

Irrigation of 8,000 ha of edible crops, vegetables and nearby fields

NA

Success StoriesSuccess StoriesNon-Mediterranean Non-Mediterranean

RegionRegion

AustraliaAustraliaBolivar ProjectBolivar Project

Plant Characteristics Developed in 1999-2002

Flow: 150,000 m3/day

Treats urban and industrial wastewater

Serves Adelaide and Gawler-Elizabeth-Salisbury regions in South Australia

Tanks and Lagoons Tertiary Treatment Plant

Treatment Technology

Screening and Grit Removal

Pre-Aeration Tanks

Primary Sedimentation

Activated Sludge

Settlement Tanks

Oxidation Ponds

Dissolved Air Flotation Filtration

Chlorine Disinfection

Aquifer Storage & Recovery

+Sludge Stabilization Ponds

Pre-Aeration Tanks

Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)

Effluent QualityBolivar WWTP Effluent

Parameter Value

pH 6.9

Temperature °C 18.3

EC/100 ml -

DO (mg/l) 6

TSS (mg/l) -

TN (mg/l) 7.8

TP (mg/l) 2.3

TOC (mg/l) 20.1

Conductivity (µS/cm) 1,975

ASR System Effluent

Parameter Value

pH 7.06

Temperature °C 22.7

EC/100 ml 0

DO (mg/l) 0

TSS (mg/l) 1

TN (mg/l) 15.6

TP (mg/l) 0.24

TOC (mg/l) 10.6

Conductivity (µS/cm) 2,470

Achievement of quality required for non-restricted irrigation!

Effluent Reuse

Irrigation of 3,500 ha of vegetables across the Northern Adelaide Plains through Virginia Pipeline Scheme (see Green area on photo)

Watering of plant lawns and gardens

Cleaning and flushing of equipment inside the plant

Cost: Construction 53 Million AU$ and Operation 0.12 AU$/m3

USA: CaliforniaUSA: California

Wastewater Reuse in California Wastewater reuse has been practiced

since 1890 Historically, agricultural reuse has

been practiced Over the last decade landscape

irrigation in urban areas and groundwater recharge have been increasingly practiced

Major Wastewater Reclamation Systems

Wastewater Treatment Plant Name Reclaimed Water Delivery m3/d

San Jose Creek 67,101

City of Bakersfield 56,875

Whittier Narrows 53,648

City of Modesto 48,630

Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area Facilities 46,284

Pamona 32,435

Laguna 31,560

Michelson 29,536

City of Bakersfield 26,447

City of Tulare 21,114

Lancaster 18,539

South Tahoe 17,184

Total 449,355

Types of Crops Irrigated

Food Crops Non-Food Crops

Apples Grapes Alfalfa

Asparagus Lettuce Christmas trees

Avocados Maize Clover

Barley Peaches Cotton

Beans Peppers Eucalyptus trees

Broccoli Pistachios Flower seeds

Cabbage Plums Hay

Cauliflower Squash Maize

Celery Sugarbeets Sod

Citrus Wheat Vegetable seeds

Other trees

Monterey Wastewater Reclamation Study for Agriculture (1980) A pilot tertiary reclamation

plant (employing two parallel tertiary treatment units) was added to Castroville 1500 m3/day-WWTP

Dechlorination of final effluent was practiced till 1983 and was stopped afterwards

The objective is to study full-scale farm practices using reclaimed municipal wastewater

Pilot Study Details

Two 5-ha experimental plots were used in the lower Salinas Valley: On one plot, artichokes were grown On the other, a succession of broccoli,

cauliflower, lettuce and celery

The plots were intended to provide data on crop response to two variables: Irrigation water type (T22 effluent, FE effluent,

well water) Fertilization rate (33%, 66%, 100%)

Pilot Study Results: Treated Effluent Quality Salinity in the reclaimed effluents was a

bit high, but not so high as to cause soil permeability problems

Coliform levels of reclaimed effluents met the most stringent of the California Wastewater Reclamation Criteria

The reclaimed effluents had levels of heavy metals an order of magnitude lower than the metal input from impurities in commercial fertilizers

Pilot Study Results: Plant Tissues

Analysis of plant edible tissues showed that there was no difference, between plants irrigated with reclaimed effluents and plants irrigated with well water, in the level of:Heavy metalsTotal and Faecal Coliforms

Pilot Study Results: Crop Yield Celery and broccoli crops gave higher yield with the

reclaimed effluent irrigation Yields of lettuce and celery showed interaction of

water type and fertilization: reclaimed wastewater irrigation improved yields in unfertilized plots but had little effect on plots receiving fertilizers

Artichoke yields were similar with all three irrigation water types

Reductions of up to 33% of fertilizer application were possible when reclaimed wastewater is used

Other Pilot Study Results

No leaf damage due to residual chlorine (that’s why dechlorination practice was stopped in 1983)

No difference in plant appearance for all 3 types of irrigation water

Cold storage tests showed no unexpected deterioration of produce

The shelf life of produce irrigated with reclaimed wastewater was sometimes superior to that irrigated with well water

No adverse impacts in terms of soil or groundwater quality degradation

No health problems with project personnel

Monterey Regional Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Plant In 1992-1997, Monterey

Regional Water Pollution Agency and Monterey County Water Resources Agency developed two projects:

A Water Recycling Facility at the Regional Treatment Plant

A distribution system including 45 miles of pipeline and 22 supplemental wells

The Plant employs the Title 22 (T22) treatment technology

Effluent Reuse

The project produced 8,000 m3/day of reclaimed wastewater distributed to farmlands in the Northern Salinas Valley for food crops irrigation

Technicians perform frequent water quality tests to monitor the system

During rainy season, excess water is safely discharged 2 miles away in the Monterey Bay

Maintenance of Digester Cogeneration Facility

Secondary Clarifier Chlorine Contact Basin

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