Biological Nutrient Removal: Efforts to Clean
Chesapeake Bay Impact Municipalities

 

Recently there has been a lot of discussion by the DEP regarding BNR. Can you explain to me what that is and why it is needed?

The impairment is caused by the amount of Nitrogen and Phosphorous that are entering through point (a source of pollution attributed to a specific physical location, such as a treatment plant) and non-point (a source of pollution not clearly identifiable, such as parking lots, streets, and farmlands) source discharges.

Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed contributes half of the fresh water to the Bay. In efforts to clean up the Bay’s growing problem of nutrient pollution, the Chesapeake Executive Council and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection organized the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy, which outlines ways to reduce nutrient and sediment within Pennsylvania’s waterways.

In efforts to clean up the Bay’s growing problem of nutrient pollution, the Chesapeake Executive Council and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have developed the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy, which outlines ways to reduce nutrients and sediments within Pennsylvania’s waterways to increase health and vitality for communities while maintaining rural farming. Pennsylvania entered into an agreement with the other states that contribute flow to the Bay and made a commitment to help remove the Chesapeake Bay from the federal Clean Water Act’s list of impaired waters by 2010. Beginning as early as June 2005, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will be mandating that municipalities with public wastewater systems must take the appropriate steps needed to reduce nutrient loads within the Susquehanna watershed.

Most treatment plants use a process which does not remove the nutrients to the desired levels. In many cases, BNR will require an enhancement to these processes.

Generally people think of nutrients as essential. How can nutrients become pollutants?

Although nutrients are essential to all plant life within the Bay, an excess of these same nutrients can be harmful and is called “nutrient pollution.” Excess Nitrogen and Phosphorous create excess plant and algae growth which consume oxygen and prevent sunlight from reaching vegetation in the Bay. As this occurs, the habitat is changed, and fish and other species are forced to move to other more suitable areas.

What should municipalities know about DEP’s BNR initiative?

The Bay is a valuable natural resource which warrants preservation. Pennsylvania is critical to this effort, as 50 percent of the fresh water to the Chesapeake Bay flows from the Susquehanna River. While the Bay has been monitored for years, it was hoped that the renovations to wastewater treatment facilities would improve the quality of the Bay. However, that is not the case. There needs to be more done to conserve this vital resource.

On the other hand, complying with DEP’s new standards will be costly and will most likely result in new investment into the community. Proper planning and approaches need to be taken to ensure improvements are completed in the most cost effective manner.

Are the goals set out by DEP attainable, and what type of equipment is required to meet the initiative?

Present day technology exists and has been successfully demonstrated in enough applications to confidently establish DEP’s goals of reducing the amount of nutrients discharged from point source discharges. Typically, improvements will require enhancements of the biological treatment systems to meet the initiative. Most facilities are capable of some form of Nitrogen conversion. However, they are not capable of Nitrogen and Phosphorous removal. In these cases, likely scenarios range from construction of an addition to construction of new systems.

Are there additional costs to perform BNR, and has funding been established to help offset the costs?

Costs to perform BNR will vary, depending on the size of the treatment facility. The requirement to reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorous impacts treatment plants larger than 400,000 gallons per day. Some facilities can achieve the limits with changes in operation, limiting the associated costs. Those not capable will have major costs for upgrades.

The Chesapeake Bay Commission estimates that it will take about $3 billion to achieve the water quality improvements outlined in Pennsylvania. A combination of federal, state, and local governments, as well as private sector funds are required. Given the current economic conditions, it is clear that the extra money for this effort does not exist at this time. The bottom line net effect is the potential to more than double current user fees.

How is LDG prepared to assist municipalities required to implement BNR?

We will work to educate our clients about the regulations and how they will impact their facilities and provide assistance in finding funding for these objectives. Municipalities should undertake a planning effort to investigate the cost of upgrading their facilities. We do that by investigating facilities and analyzing them to determine what is required and the cost to achieve BNR.

During the investigation, we look to determine the capacity of the existing system to perform BNR and provide a longer-term expansion/ upgrade plan for the facility in order to provide treatment through to the year 2025.

Our knowledge of the proposed regulations, proven success in securing competitive grants and loans to finance projects, expertise in wastewater treatment facilities operation and design, and teaming efforts can help municipalities determine the most cost effective approach.