Advanced Wastewater Treatment Capabilities For California Toxics Rule Constituents And Other Trace Toxics: Evaluation Of Research Needs

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Advanced Wastewater Treatment Capabilities For
California Toxics Rule Constituents And Other
Trace Toxics Evaluation Of Research Needs
CVCWA Technical Advisory CommitteePresenter
David K. TompkinsApril 27, 2007
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Background
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Study Initiation

• Five CVCWA Members Formed Steering Committee
  (2005)
• Prepared Scope and Issued RFP
• Reviewed Proposals, Interviewed, Selected Team
• Funded the Study
• Initiated Work (early 2006)

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Study Team

• CVCWA Steering Committee
• David K. Tompkins, City of Vacaville
• Stan R. Dean, Sacramento Regional County
  Sanitation District
• William Lewis, City of Yuba City
• Arthur J. OBrien, City of Roseville
• Keith Smith, City of Davis
• Research Team
• West Yost Associates
• Jeff Pelz
• Kathryn Gies
• Chris Malone
• Melanie Carr
• Bruce West
• University of California at Davis
• George Tchobanoglous, PhD, Professor Emeritus
• Thomas Young, PhD, Professor
• Temitope A. Ogunyoku, Graduate Student,

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Purpose of the Study

• Document which wastewater treatment trains are
  capable of reliably meeting human health and
  aquatic life-based CTR permit limits at the point
  of discharge, without dilution

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Status Report Progress To Date

• CVCWA Special Projects Group Initiated The Study
• To win grant funding, first need
• Documentation that available research is
  inadequate
• Assessment of the applicability of available data
• Considered an aggressive and focused data
  mining effort
• Adopted a more cost effective approach based on
  seeking and analyzing the low hanging fruit
• Solicited effluent water quality data from
  dischargers
• Conducted formal literature review
• Prepared White Paper to demonstrate and define
  the research needs

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Status Report Current Activities

• White Paper accepted by CVCWA Board in January
  2007, released to general public
• Initiate solicitation of grant funding for
  research
• Assemble Technical Advisory Committee

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White Paper Objective

• Identify and demonstrate research needs to fill
  existing
• data gaps
• To accomplished the objective
• Review published research findings to assess the
  adequacy
• Obtain and analyze readily available data from
  operating treatment plants to determine the
  adequacy of data
• Assess effluent concentration variability for
  constituents and process trains, where data is
  adequate

Key Document adequacy or inadequacy of readily
available data, and identify efforts to be
completed through grant-funded research
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White Paper Overview
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Study Approach Reliability

• California Water Code (13385) states that any
  exceedance is a violation (100 compliance)
• EPA guidance defines an allowed frequency of
  exceedance 1 exceedance every three years, on
  average
• EPA guidance translates to 99.9 compliance
• For the study, performance reliability is defined
  as 99.9 compliance

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Study Approach Constituents

• Trace Inorganics
• Aluminum
• Chromium (hexavalent)
• Chromium (total)
• Copper
• Cyanide
• Iron
• Lead
• Manganese
• Mercury (total)
• Methyl Mercury
• Nickel
• Selenium
• Silver
• Zinc

• Trace Organics
• Bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (Bis-2)
• Bromodichloromethane (BDCM)
• Bromoform
• Chloroform
• Diazinon
• Chlorpyrifos
• Dibromochloromethane (DBCM)
• Lindane (gamma-BHC)
• N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
• Tributyltin

• These were selected because they are common (or
  anticipated), difficult effluent limits triggered
  by human health and aquatic life-based water
  quality objectives.

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Study Approach Treatment Trains
Secondary Treatment
Conventional Activated Sludge w/ Nitrification
Conventional Activated Sludge Nitrifying/Denitrifying
Extended Aeration Activated Sludge (any configuration)
Pure Oxygen Activated Sludge
Tertiary Treatment Title 22 Unrestricted Reuse(a) w/ Nitrification/Denitrification
Granular Media and/or Cloth Media Filtration with Chlorine Disinfection
Granular Media and/or Cloth Media Filtration with UV Disinfection(Primarily for evaluation of THMs, NDMA, and cyanide)
Membrane Bioreactor
Wetland Polishing / Maturation
Advanced Treatment
Reverse Osmosis with Microfiltration (MF/RO)
Granular/Powdered Activated Carbon
Nanofiltration
Electrodialysis
Ion Exchange
UV Oxidation
Precipitation
(a) Refers to filtration capabilities only and
does not imply the facility complies with all of
the requirements promulgated under Title 22.
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Study Approach - Data Analysis

• Effluent concentrations for conventional
  constituents are log-normally distributed
• Study approach assumed non-conventional pollutant
  variability can also be described using a
  log-normal distribution
• For log-normal data, probability plots are
  effective in displaying frequency of compliance
• This type of analysis also allows the examination
  of several different criteria simultaneously

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Participating Dischargers

• 67 responded with interest and intent to
  participate
• Data received from 46 separate dischargers
• 30 data sets were applicable to the white paper
  analysis
• Other data could be used later (e.g., treatment
  trains represented by only a single participant)

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Participating Dischargers

• Central Marin Sanitation Agency
• City of Atwater
• City of Brentwood
• City of Burbank
• City of Colusa
• City of Corning
• City of Galt
• City of Lodi
• City of Los Angeles
• City of Manteca
• City of Patterson
• City of Roseville
• City of San Jose Environmental Services
• City of Santa Rosa
• City of Stockton, Municipal Utilities Department
• City of Thousand Oaks
• City of Turlock
• City of Vacaville
• City of Williams

• Ironhouse Sanitary District
• Irvine Ranch Water District
• Jamestown Sanitary District
• Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
• Marin County Sanitation District
• Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency
• Novato Sanitary District
• Ojai Valley Sanitary District
• Olivenhain Municipal Water District
• Padre Dam Municipal Water District
• Placer County Sewer Maintenance District No. 1
• Placer County Sewer Maintenance District No. 3
• Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District
• San Bernardino County Water Sanitation
• San Joaquin County
• Selma - Kingsburg - Fowler County Sanitation
  District
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• South Tahoe Public Utility District
• Union Sanitary District

Thank You!
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Treatment / Constituent Data Sets

• Data was adequate to develop combined effluent
  data sets for the following
• Conventional activated sludge with nitrification
  (3 dischargers)
• Activated sludge with nitrification/denitrificatio
  n Granular Media and/or Cloth Media Filtration
  with Chlorine Disinfection (16 dischargers)
• Granular Media and/or Cloth Media Filtration with
  UV Disinfection (4 dischargers)
• Readily available data was not sufficient for
  other treatment trains
• Data was adequate to evaluate 22 different
  combinations of treatment process and effluent
  constituent concentration

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Probability Plot Example 1
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Probability Plot Example 2
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Data Problems

• Stair-step distribution
• Predominantly non-detect data
• Extreme values
• Multiple data populations within a category

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Stair-Step Distribution
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Predominantly Non-Detect Data
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Extreme Values
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Multiple Populations
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Multiple Populations
Discharger Number Minimum Value µg/L Maximum Detected Value µg/L (a)
148 lt 1 3.1
103 2.31 5.85
119 1.54 5.4
147 1.1 6.6
133 4.5 11.4
132 lt 3 8.8
139 2.7 7.7
130 lt 3 14
122 lt 2 14
128 lt 3 25
127 lt 3 31
125 lt 3 lt 40
126 lt 3 lt 40
129 lt 1 lt 40
131 lt 0.04 47
137 lt 10 64
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White Paper Findings

• Published research does not address compliance
  with current standards
• Analytical issues strongly affected the ability
  to develop a rigorous data analysis
• Even in the absence of analytical problems,
  compliance is affected by many factors in
  addition to the type of treatment process

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Major Conclusions

1. Significant, focused data collection effort will
   be needed.
2. It will be necessary to evaluate sources of
   observed variability in existing data.
3. Probability plot methodology is useful for
   predicting the probability of compliance, but
   compromised by poor or insufficient data.

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Major Conclusions

1. Readily available data is of insufficient quality
   and quantity for most constituents and processes.
2. No conventional activated sludge treatment system
   using chlorine disinfection, with or without
   filtration, can reliably achieve end-of-pipe
   compliance with human health-based water quality
   objectives for THMs.

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Recommendations

• Conduct a focused data compilation and analysis
  effort
• Data from existing advanced treatment plants
• Evaluate the data using the methods identified in
  the white paper
• Conduct detailed field studies at
• Existing full-scale treatment plants with
  treatment trains that appear to be successful at
  meeting the criteria
• Pilot-scale advanced treatment trains

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Advanced Wastewater Treatment Capabilities For
California Toxics Rule Constituents And Other
Trace Toxics WaterReuse Foundation
Opportunities
CVCWA Technical Advisory CommitteePresenter
David K. TompkinsApril 27, 2007
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WateReuse Foundation

• Two Current Opportunities
• Unsolicited Research Program
• MBR Effluent Quality / Technology Investigation

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WateReuse Unsolicited Research Program

• Mission Promote applied research serving
  water reuse and desalination community
• Two to four projects
• Up to 175,000 maximum per project
• 25 minimum in-kind and/or cash contribution
  (water/wastewater agencies encouraged)
• WateReuse publishes final report

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WateReuse Unsolicited Research Program

• Preproposal Submitted (February 20)
• Committee selects a short-list (June 15)
• Full Proposals Due (July 27)
• Selection (August - September)
• Award (September 28)

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WateReuse MBR Investigation

• Desktop Study
• Effluent Quality Investigation
• CVCWA White Paper Approach

The CVCWA White Paper demonstrates understanding
of the issues to be encountered and a strong,
well defined technical approach.

• Operations / Technology
• Need to identify state-of-the-art

Contemplating additional team member with MBR
operations expertise. Funding partners provide
international connections to current practices
and data.
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WateReuse MBR Investigation

• Proposal Due May 17 (on east coast)
• 200,000 Max 25 Minimum Match
• Match Direct Funding or In-Kind

• Plan 1) Tap resources of UCD PhD candidate doing
  dissertation on MBRs
• 2) Clarify likelihood of finding applicable data
  with this study
• 3) Steering Committee give input on potential to
  add team members
• 4) Win the grant funding based on
• Strength of technical approach
• Team credentials
• CVCWA support?