April 2018
MRWA is offering a FREE training class at four locations throughout the state in April and May.
The class: What is All This Data for Anyway? will be taught by Janet Abrahamson of Maine Rural Water Association. The class is sponsored by the USDA Rural Development and approved for 4 wastewater operations Training Contact Hours (TCHs).
The class will review the difference between data obtained for required regulatory analyses and for plant process control. The instructor will provide examples of wastewater data and discuss ways the information can be used to adjust processes for improved operations. Additionally, the class will cover ways that process control data can be used to understand and make improvements to effluent quality, energy efficiency, sludge dewatering, and equipment life.
The class is sponsored by the USDA Rural Development. See the calendar below for times and locations.
NO COST RESILIENCE PLANNING AND ADAPTATION TRAINING FOR DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER UTILITIES
The Maine Water Utility Association (MWUA), Maine Water Environment Association (MeWEA), Joint Environmental Training Coordinating Committee (JETCC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are hosting two free hands-on training sessions for drinking water and wastewater utilities on the Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU)
initiative and CREAT.
The CRWU initiative provides drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities with the practical tools, training and technical assistance needed to increase resilience to extreme weather events. Through a comprehensive planning process, CRWU assists in identifying potential long-term adaptation options for decision-making related to water sector utility infrastructure financing.
CREAT is a risk assessment application that helps utilities in adapting to extreme weather events by increasing awareness of current and future environmental conditions. The one-day training will give participants hands-on training with CREAT, which can help participants examine and identify potential adaptation options to increase their resilience. The trainings will take place on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Brewer, ME, and on Thursday, May 24, in Gardiner, ME.
April 4 - MRWA - Effective Utility Management for Small & Rural Water and Wastewater System Workshop, Limestone, DEP 5 TCH
April 4 - JETCC - Pump Station Operation & Inspection, Portland, DEP 6 TCH, WOB 6 TCH
April 4, 11, 18, 25, and May 2 - MRWA - Class II Treatment & Distribution Water Certification Exam Preparatory Course, Augusta, WOB 20 TCH
April 6 - NEWEA - Operation Challenge Facility Tour & Training Day, Dover NH, TCH TBD
April 11 - MRWA - Tractor-Loader-Backhoe, Kittery, DEP 6 Safety TCH, WOB 6 TCH
April 11 & 12 - NEIWPCC - Wastewater Laboratory Procedures W/Optional NEWEA Exam, Amherst MA, 12 TCH
April 11 & 12 - NEWEA - Joint Asset/Energy Specialty Conference & Tour, Merrimack NH, TCH TBD
April 13 - MEWEA - Spring Conference, Bangor, Variable TCH
April 17 - MRWA - High-Density polyethylene Pipe (HDPE), Gardiner, DEP 4 TCH, WOB 4 TCH
April 18 - MWUA - Trenchless Rehabilitation Technologies, Portland, 4 TCH
April 19 - Smith & Loveless - Pump Maintenance, Ellsworth, 6 TCH
April 19 - MWUA - Trenchless Rehabilitation Technologies, Brewer, 4 TCH
April 20 - MWUA - Trenchless Rehabilitation Technologies, Caribou, 4 TCH
April 24 - JETCC - Introduction to Membrane Filtration Treatment, Oxford, DEP 6 TCH
April 24 - MRWA - High Density Polyethylene Pipe (HDPE) - Real World Applications, Lincoln, DEP 4 TCH, WOB 4 TCH
April 24 - MRWA - What is All This Data for Anyway?, Bethel, DEP 4 TCH
April 25 - Hach Co.
- Advanced Wastewater Analysis by Hach Company, Saco, 6 TCH
April 26 - MRWA - High-Density Polyethylene Pipe (HDPE) - Real World Applications, Rumford, DEP 4 TCH, WOB 4 TCH
April 26 - MRWA - What is All This Data for Anyway?, Orono, DEP 4 TCH
May 1 - MRWA - What is All This Data for Anyway?, Sabattus, DEP 4 TCH
May 1 Thru 3 - NEIWPCC - Operation & Maintenance of Wastewater Collection Systems W/Optional NEWEA Exam, Bangor, DEP 15 TCH
May 2 & 3 - NEIWPCC - Wastewater Laboratory Procedures W/Optional NEWEA Exam, Montpelier VT, 12 TCH
May 3 - MRWA - Tractor-Loader-Backhoe, Caribou, DEP 6 Safety TCH, WOB 6 TCH
May 7 & 8 - NEWEA - Stormwater Specialty Conference, Tour, & Workshop, Portsmouth NH, TCH TBD
May 8 & 9 - JETCC - Activated Sludge Process Control, Northeast Harbor, DEP 12 TCH
May 9 - MRWA - What is All This Data for Anyway?, Limestone, DEP 4 TCH
May 10 - NEIWPCC - Biological Nutrient Removal Wikipedia, Portsmouth NH, DEP 6 TCH
May 15 - JETCC - Collection System Diagnosis & Maintenance Series : Part Three - Asset Management, Fairfield, DEP 6 TCH
May 22 - EPA
- Build Resilience to Extreme Weather Events, Brewer, 6 TCH
May 24 - EPA - Build Resilience to Extreme Weather Events, Gardiner, 6 TCH
1. Bacteria are ?
a. The workhorse of the activated sludge process that actually convert the organic wastes into cell matter
b. Dangerous & disease causing and must be eliminated from activated sludge before they contaminate the process
c. Higher life forms used as indicator species to help make process control decisions
d. Very small, mutated viruses
2. Protozoa are single-celled animals that are ?
a. Larger than bacteria
b. Smaller than bacteria
c. Very long and stringy
d. The backbone of floc
3. Protozoa are “indicators” in that they ?
a. Indicate the presence of nematodes and filter flies in a trickling filter or RBC
b. Indicate the degree of treatment
c. Indicate whether filamentous bacteria will be “sheathed” or “bulking”
d. Indicate fungi is a mushroom
4. While some filamentous bacteria are necessary to form the “backbone” of floc particles, excessive filamentous bacteria can cause ?
a. Denitrification in the secondary clarifier
b. Septicity and rising sludge
c. Excessive hydrogen sulfide odors
d. Sludge bulking problems that cause poor settling in the clarifier
5. You are examining the MLSS from a healthy extended aeration plant. The Cell Residence Time (CRT) is 30 days. Since this is an “older” sludge compared to a Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) plant, you would expect to see ?
a. Lots of amoebas
b. Mostly flagellates with some free-swimming ciliates
c. No rotifers or nematodes
d. Large rotifer population
6. If your plant is experiencing a filamentous bacteria problem, it is important to ?
a. Identify the type of filamentous so you can determine the cause of the problem and make changes to reduce the chance of reoccurrence
b. Identify the type of filamentous so you can cultivate the antigen
c. Purchase “scavenger” bacteria to “eat” the filaments
d. Hit the return with a high dose of hydrochloric acid to make sure you get a good kill
7. It is good practice to perform microscopic analysis on the MLSS at what frequency ?
a. Every few hours so incoming operators can see what is going on
b. Only when there is a crisis and you need to make changes FAST
c. Once a week during normal operations and more often when there is an upset
d. About once every 5 years when your MEPDES is about to expire
e. As often as you think you forgot about it
8. It is determined that your plant has a filamentous bacteria problem and will chlorinate the RAS. According to “Practical Control Methods for Activated Sludge Bulking and Foaming” by Michael Richards, effective chlorine dosages for RAS chlorination to control filamentous are usually in the range 1-10 lb/day/1000 lb MLVSS for 2-4 days. You decide to hit it hard with 5 pounds of chlorine/1000 pounds of MLVSS inventory/day for the first day, then lower the chlorine dosage based on microscopic analysis.
If the MLVSS is 2200 mg/L and the A.T. volume is 0.6 MGD, what is the chlorine feed rate in lb/day to achieve a chlorine dosage of 5 lbs/day/1000 lb MLVSS? How many gallons/day of hypo would you need?
The formula for chlorine feed rate, lb/day:
Chlorine feed rate, lb/day = desired chlorine dosage lb/day/1000 lb MLVSS.
1 gal of 12% hypochlorite solution contains approximately 1 lb of chlorine
Rebecca Beam has accepted another position within the DEP and will no longer be the NetDMR Coordinator. Until that position is filled, please contact your inspector or Judy Bruenjes at judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov or call 207-287-7806 for NetDMR questions. If you cannot reach Judy and you require immediate assistance, please contact Sterling Pierce at sterling.pierce@maine.gov or call 207-287-4868.
Remember that if you forgot your CDX Password or user ID, you can reset it yourself on the CDX login page by clicking “Forgot your password?” or “Forgot you User ID?” You can always call the CDX helpdesk at 888-890-1995 for further assistance.
Previous articles have discussed legacy blank DMRs that were put into facility’s accounts when we were first starting with NetDMR in 2016. Make sure not to enter these by accident! Every few months a facility mistakenly submits a DMR from the wrong year, then we have to correct the problem. This entails going back to resubmit the DMR from 2016 that had originally been sent by eDMR, and resubmitting, usually late by now, the 2018 DMR they were trying to submit in the first place. So make sure you check the year before submitting your DMR to avoid this problem.
As staff members come and go at an organization, either due to job change or retirement, it is a good idea to plan ahead for DMR submissions. Allow several weeks for the transition to get new CDX/NetDMR users on board, and departing staff removed from the Signatory role. And remember, users should only use their own accounts and not sign into someone else’s account!
With the March 1, 2018 renewal deadline passed for “even-numbered” certificate holders, we are now focused on the March 1, 2019 renewal deadline for “odd-numbered” certificates. It sounds like a long time away, but why not get your Training Contact Hours (TCHs) early? There are many opportunities for wastewater training classes (see calendar above), many of these are FREE. So consider getting your TCHs early! Take your time to pursue classes, conferences, and seminars that interest you and fit into your schedule and budget.
Make sure the training is approved by DEP before you attend the session. Both online and in-house training are eligible for approval. Just provide the information listed in the Proof of
training form found on the JETCC website (under Certification & Exam Forms) and submit before the training for DEP approval.
Contact judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov, or call 207-287-7806 if you have any questions.
The EPA Study 38 packages were emailed to in early March. If you did not receive it, you can download a copy from the EPA website, Study
38 link. Please make sure to acknowledge receipt to me by email at judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov.
This year DEP added 22 new minor facilities to DMR-QA. Some the facilities are new to the program while others had participated in the past. They were notified of their participation in September, 2017 to allow time for budgeting purposes.
For those new to the program, the EPA’s Discharge Monitoring Report - Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) program is an annual study required by all major and selected minor MEPDES permitted facilities under Section 308 of the Clean Water Act. DMR-QA evaluates the analytical ability of in-house laboratories to perform self-monitoring testing required by a facility’s MEPDES permit. The program helps ensure the quality of DMR analyses submitted by permittees to the DEP.
DMR-QA involves performing laboratory Proficiency Testing (PT) of analytes that are routinely tested in your in-house lab for MEPDES permit compliance, such as BOD, TSS, Residual Chlorine, etc. It does not cover tests performed by a commercial lab. Page 6 of the EPA package lists the Proficiency Testing (PT) labs where you can purchase your DMR-QA samples.
DMR-QA is a “check” of your laboratory’s overall ability to obtain accurate results for testing submitted as part of your state MEPDES permit. Failure to obtain satisfactory results means there is some problem with lab instrumentation, chemical reagents, testing procedures, technique, glassware contamination, water purity, etc. The test results indicate where a lab needs to make changes or modifications in order to achieve accurate test results.
DMR-QA only covers testing that you routinely perform in your lab for MEPDES reporting. It does not include analyses performed by outside (commercial) labs, such as metals testing or Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET). It does not include tests you may perform solely for in-plant process control.
While performing DMR-QA testing, make sure you follow approved procedures as listed in 40 CFR part 136 regulations and applicable guidance. Use the same personnel and equipment as you would for routine MEPDES permit compliance monitoring tests. And don’t share results with other labs!
Please contact Judy Bruenjes if you have any questions, judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov, 207-287-7806.
The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. Copyrighted material. Reprinted and edited with permission from Environmental Leverage, www.environmentalleverage.com
I always hear the term “higher life forms”. What exactly does that mean? Do I need to be checking this? How do I use this information together with my other data to make process changes at my wastewater plant?
While single cell bacteria are the “workhorses” that convert organic wastes into cell material (floc), your biomass will contain other microorganisms collectively known as “higher life forms” or “indicator organisms”.
These are organisms slightly more advanced than simple bacteria. By monitoring the higher life form population, you can draw numerous conclusions regarding the overall health of a biological system.
The only way to observe these higher life forms is through routine microscopic analysis. It is the number one tool to evaluate how well you are running your wastewater plant and should be performed at every plant. Weekly analysis is usually sufficient during normal operations, with more frequent observations during upset conditions.
Higher life forms indicate how well you are beating the time and numbers game. Do you have sufficient bacteria in your system to handle the incoming BOD loading? Is there a problem lurking that is not yet apparent at the plant? Are you having an upset? Higher life forms are the last to come and the first to leave during upset conditions.
Once you begin observing these higher life forms on a routine basis through microscopic analysis of the MLSS, you will become familiar with your plant’s microbiology populations and how it responds to external conditions. This will allow you to make preemptive process control changes to protect bacterial health before conditions worsen. Remember, an operator is a “bug farmer” and any tool that allows the operator to “keep the bugs happy” will help with treatment plant operations and good quality effluent.
The type and relative abundance of higher life forms tends to be very plant specific. What looks normal in one plant may not be normal for another. Your plant may be designed only as a pretreatment facility, so it may only have a young system with free swimmers or flagellates. A typical municipality with activated sludge, on the other hand, may get rotifers and worms. Microscopic analysis will help you learn the specific characteristics of these organisms in relation to your own facility. It will provide useful information to allow operators to make minor process changes to help the facility run more efficiently.
As the biological system matures or stabilizes, the type and relative abundance of the higher life forms will change. Let’s look at the types of organisms versus the Cell Residence Time (CRT), often referred to as biological sludge age.
As the system is first starting out, in addition to bacteria, you will develop Amoebae. As your system gets a little older, you may start to develop flagellates. Free swimming ciliates are the next type of indicator organisms. These still indicate you have a pretty young to medium sludge age. As the system ages (higher CRT), stalked ciliates and Suctorian come next. Rotifers are next in the line of sludge age and indicator organisms. Worms are the last in the line of typical higher life forms present in wastewater. And no, higher life forms do not morph. An amoeba will never change into a rotifer, ever.
Next month we will take a closer look at each of the categories and how they correlate to the sludge age in your biological system.
1. A
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. D
6. A
7. C
8. 55 gal/day of hypochlorite
Using the Pounds formula, calculate the MLVSS inventory under aeration:
2200 mg/L X 8.34 X 0.6 MGD = 11,009 lb MLVSS
Calculate the chlorine feed rate = (Chlorine dosage X MLVSS, lb)/1000 lb MLVSS
= (5 lb chlorine X 11,009 lb MLVSS) /1000 lb MLVSS/day = 55 lb chlorine/day
Since 1 gal of 12% hypochlorite contains approximately 1 lb of chlorine, you would need 55 gal/day of hypo.
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