I've said it before and I'll say it again, Maine's waste water control operators are truly on the frontlines of environmental protection. Too many of us don't know or don't care to know what happens after we flush but it does matter and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, you are on call ensuring Maine's treatments plants operate correctly so our natural resources are protected. Your dedication to this work is one of the reasons why the Maine DEP has been proud to support and participate in public awareness campaigns over the past three and a half years to help solve threats to our environment. The consequences -- overflows, contaminated water and threats to your safety -- of these problems are serious. But we have made progress on informing the public on how to properly dispose of needles or "sharps” and prescription drugs safely and helped kick-off the "Save Your Pipes: Don't Flush Baby Wipes" campaign. The department is helping to lead the way to find innovative solutions to problems you face every day.
You are all too aware that seemingly inconsequential individual actions make a big difference when taken collectively. These problems do make a difference both environmentally and economically. So I've asked the public and I will continue to ask them to think further than the flush.
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The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Bureau of Public Health will be sending a Wastewater Treatment & Collection System Questionnaire this spring to certain municipal and quasi-municipal wastewater treatment plants that have the potential to impact shellfish growing areas. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested the DMR collect this information as part of the FDA’s annual review of the shellfish Growing Area Program’s activities. This information will help to determine if the Growing Area Program is correctly managing shellfish harvest areas near or adjacent to waste water treatment plants and collection systems. The contact person for this questionnaire will be Michelle Mason Webber at the DMR’s Hallowell office. She can be reached by phone (624-6570) or email: michelle.mason@maine.gov.
Dear eDMR User:
Good news. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) successfully deployed eDMR version 1.7.13 into Production on February 20, 2014. DEP staff tested the new version of eDMR and we are happy to report that we will not have to resort to using Paper DMRs.
As of 5:30 PM on February 20, 2014, your link to eDMR v1.6.5 will no longer work.
The new link to eDMR v1.7.13 is: https://portal.maine.gov/edmr
Your eDMR User ID and password(s) you used in the previous version (1.6.5) will work in the new version (v1.7.13). The new version also has the same functions and features you will remember from the previous version (v1.6.5).
Please contact Charlene Moore at (207) 287-9034, or Charlene.b.moore@maine.gov, the eDMR Administrator EdmrAdmin.DEP@maine.gov , or your DEP Inspector if you have any questions concerning the new version of eDMR.
Thank you.
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EPA has recently announced Maine’s 2014 draft allotment of $10,853,000 in federal funding to capitalize the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). These funds, along with the required 20% state match and repayments to the CWSRF are used to provide low interest loans for municipal wastewater infrastructure projects at 2% below the AAA tax-exempt bond rate. Through this program and in partnership with the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, the Department has assisted municipalities and districts with over $720 million in loans. Of this amount, over $29 million has been given to borrowers as an additional subsidy in the form of loan principal forgiveness. In FFY 2014 Congress has again allowed a portion of the capitalization grant to be utilized as a subsidy and Maine’s maximum amount is $885,892. This is up slightly from 2013’s amount of $730,234, but is significantly less than the amount of $7.9 million allowed in 2010.
Regardless of the amount, we are pleased to able to offer what is available to the wastewater communities to promote good environmental projects, sustainability, and energy efficiency. As we have done for the past four years, the Department is requesting applications from municipalities and districts for potential wastewater infrastructure projects and other water quality improvement practices. Application forms have been e-mailed to all POTWs and consulting engineers on our distribution list.
This year the Department will be offering $765,892 in affordability principal forgiveness for projects to assist communities that have a high sewer user cost compared to their median household income, $100,000 as incentive to wastewater borrowers to implement an asset management plan and reserve account, and finally $20,000 in forgiveness to conduct a comprehensive energy audit of their facilities. Applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2014.
In addition to requesting projects for potential principal forgiveness, we are also requesting that any potential borrower of CWSRF funding for 2014 also submit an application. These projects will be listed as potential projects in our Intended Use Plan and are used to help demonstrate to EPA Maine’s need for the capitalization grants that we receive. Knowing of potential projects also helps with our cash flow and investment strategy to properly maintain the fund and provide assistance when needed.
If you have not yet received an application or wish to be on our distribution list, please contact me.
John True, CWSRF Program Manager
207-287-7808
John.n.true@maine.gov
1. If the supernatant from an aerobic digester has high solids content and is returned to the headworks of the system, how will it most likely affect the activated sludge aeration basin?
a. Increase the DO level.
b. Increase the MCRT.
c. Increase the F/M ratio.
d. Increase the removal efficiency.
2. The concentration of dissolved oxygen that may be held in water
a. Increases as temperature increased
b. decreases as temperature decreases
c. is independent of temperature
d. increases as temperature decreases
3. The type of solids that is the most difficult to remove using a standard biological treatment process is.
a. Organic dissolved
b. Inorganic dissolved
c. Organic suspended
d. Organic dissolved
4. You have a positive displacement pump that delivers 245 gpm against a head of 75 feet with an overall 84% efficiency. If you pay 12.8¢ per kwh for electricity, how much will it cost you to run the pump 15 hours per day for a year?
a. $2,615
b. $2,887
c. $4,482
d. $8,765
The spring wastewater Treatment Plan Operator exam will be given on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Applications will be due in the JETCC office by Friday, March 28, 2014. They should be postmarked by Monday, March 24, 2014.
March 20, 2014-in Bangor - Optimizing Activated Sludge Systems with Solids Flux Analysis - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
March 25, 2014-in Boothbay - Managing Fats Oils & Grease in the WWCS - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
March 25, 2014-in Presque Isle - Corrosion Control and Coatings - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
March 25, 27, April 1, 3 & 8, 2014 - Class II Water Treatment and Distribution Water Certification Preparatory Course - Sponsored by MRWA – Approved for 12 hours
March 26, 2014-in Ellsworth - Corrosion Control and Coatings - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
March 26, 2014-in Richmond and other remote locations - Introduction to Wastewater Treatment - Sponsored by MRWA – Approved for 6 hours
March 27, 2014-in Portland - Corrosion Control and Coatings - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
April 1, 2014-in Kittery - PVC Valves Connections & Joining - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
April 1, 8,15 & 29, 2014 - in Bangor-Basic Wastewater Treatment - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
April 10, 2014-in Augusta - Data Collection to Establish GIS - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
April 23, 2014-in Waterville - Hands On Laboratory Tests - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
April 30, 2014 in Norway - Creating an R & R Schedule and Fostering Regional Utility Collaboration Tests - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
May 6, 2014-in Portland - Hands On Laboratory Tests - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
May 8, 2014 in Calais - Creating an R & R Schedule and Fostering Regional Utility Collaboration Tests - Sponsored by JETCC – Approved for 6 hours
Note: JETCC stands for Joint Environmental Training Coordinating Committee - P.O. Box 487, Scarborough, ME 04070-0487, Tel: 207-253-8020 – www.jetcc.org
MWUA stands for Maine Water Utilities Association - 150 Capitol Street, Suite 5, Augusta, ME 04330, Tel. 207) 623-9511 - www.mwua.org
MRWA stands for Maine Rural Water Association – 254 Alexander Reed Rd, Richmond, Maine 04357, Tel: 207-737-4092 – www.mainerwa.org .
1. (c) High solids in the supernatant will add food to the system, which will increase the F/M ratio.
2. (d) Colder water can hold more dissolved oxygen.
3. (b) Activated sludge systems remove dissolved organic solids by absorbing that material into the cells of the organisms in the sludge. Organic and inorganic suspended solids are removed by physical settling in the secondary clarifiers. There is, however, no biological or physical removal of dissolved, inorganic solids.
4. (c) Horsepower required = (flow in gpm ´ head in feet)/(efficiency ´ 3960)
Horsepower requires = (245 ´ 75)/(0.84 ´ 3960) = 5.5 hp
1 hp = .746 kW: 5.5 hp = 4.12 kW
4.12 kw ´ 15 hr/day ´ 365 days/year = 22,557 kWh
22,527 kWh ´ $0.128/kWh = $2,887.30
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Type 1863 is a relatively short, non-motile, irregularly bent filament with no branching. The filaments sometimes coil giving it the appearance of almost being branched. Cells are oval-shaped rods and lack a rigid trichome. There are indentations at the septa. Filaments are found extending from the floc surface and free in the bulk solution. The filament staining is Gram negative, but can be Gram positive and Neisser negative. Neisser positive granules may occur. 1863 is usually easy to identify due to its appearance as a ‘chain of sausage-like cells. This filament occasionally is observed as a cause of foaming, typically when there is a high F/M ratio or at MCRT’s of less than 2 days. The foam is usually white-grey and is easily collapsed.
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