WCW24

City of Winnipeg's South End Water Pollution Control Centre (SEWPCC) has undergone a major expansion and upgrade, allowing the plant to meet more stringent discharge limits and to increase its peak secondary treatment capacity from 100 ML/d to 225 ML/d. The previous High Purity Oxygen (HPO) tanks were replaced by three integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) bioreactors set up in a preanoxic, anaerobic, anoxic, aerobic, and post aerobic configuration. The HPO tanks were converted to two primary sludge fermentation units to provide the substrates required to enhance biological phosphorous removal performance. In the absence of the fermenters, operation logic of the bioreactors was modified to promote biological phosphorus removal and lower the ferric chloride consumption that was dosed to the bioreactors' mixed liquor to chemically precipitate phosphorous. The BNR process at SEWPCC has resulted in considerable improvement in the effluent quality with TSS

November 1, 2023, was a relatively normal day at the City of Red Deer's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A portion of the WWTP was shut down to upgrade electrical components that were at the end of their service life. Following completion of the work, as electrical loads were being reconnected a fire occurred in the yet to be replaced main electrical switchgear. Red Deer Emergency Services responded quickly and put out the fire. Within an hour of the fire being put out, a meeting of all WWTP staff on site was convened to evaluate the operational impacts to the WWTP. While the plant has back up power, most of it is routed through the switchgear where the fire occurred. As a result, a large portion of the plant was without power including the aeration blowers for 50% of the available plant bioreactor capacity and most of the solids handling processes. Further, the loss of the switchgear impacted the laboratory, administration building and the plant entrance gates. A list of operational priorities and a series of supporting tactics to accomplish the priorities were developed. The highest priority was getting the aeration and pumping systems for the bioreactors and secondary clarifiers back on-line. The contractor that was upgrading the electrical components had a mobile switchgear on site that they had been using while components were upgraded. Fortunately, the contractor allowed us to use their mobile switchgear until the contractor was able to complete a permanent replacement of the burnt-up switchgear. While the repairs were underway, the operations staff contacted our regional customers to try and limit the amount of wastewater they were discharging. A portion of the wastewater flow was diverted to three on-site equalization lagoons to avoid overloading the bioreactors that were not impacted by the fire. A more robust monitoring program including increased nutrient testing frequency and microscopic observation of the biomass was carried out for the first week after the fire. Thanks to the efforts of plant electrical and instrumentation staff and the electrical contractor, aeration was restored in 17 hours and the bioreactor and clarifier mechanical systems were fully operational in 27 hours. All electrical systems were back on-line within 48 hours. Thanks to the operators and lab staff, the WWTP came through the event with minimal impact on treatment and very minor reporting violations under our Alberta Environment and Protected Areas operating approval. The presentation will discuss in greater detail the cause of the fire, the response steps taken and how the recovery went.

The challenge of maintaining wastewater treatment performance during cold weather is a common problem for many biological nutrient removal (BNR) wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) across Canada, including the EPCOR Gold Bar WWTP in Edmonton. With an average treatment capacity of 310 MLD (82 MGD) and a peak capacity of 420 MLD (111 MGD) for secondary treatment, the Gold Bar WWTP faces operational hurdles when the wastewater temperature drops, leading to poor settling sludge and reduced clarifier capacity. To address this challenge, the plant has installed the inDENSE™ hydrocyclone technology on one of its eleven BNR trains. This technology uses hydrocyclones to enhance sludge settleability through selective sludge wasting and retaining well-settling sludge. Compared to other intensification alternatives like Membrane Bioreactor, inDENSE™ offers a less costly solution, potentially deferring large capital investments. Nevertheless, whether inDENSE technology is appropriate for facilities with cold wastewater is not well understood. With commissioning in Summer of 2023 and process optimization in the Fall, the system showed significant improvements in the sludge settleability by December 2023. Process optimization included the implementation of intermittent mixing and reduction in return activated sludge rates. Historically, the mixed liquor has exhibited poor settleability with SVI values over 250 mL/g in the winter. With inDENSE and the process optimization, the SVI improved dramatically, stabilizing around 150 ml/g, even as the temperature dropped from 19ºC to 14ºC over the five-month period. To further assess performance improvements, Stantec and EPCOR Gold Bar WWTP are collaborating to conduct intensive site testing through the Winter and Spring of 2024. This includes tall settling column testing, analysis of bioreactor nutrient profiles, clarifier flocculation test, sieve analysis, morphology, and kinetic rate tests. The BNR system with inDENSE technology will undergo testing where flow rates will be increased to stress the system's operational limits. These assessments will provide a comprehensive understanding of the additional flows and loads that can be managed by a bioreactor/secondary clarifier system equipped with selective sludge wasting compared to conventional treatment trains. The collected data will provide valuable insights for selective wasting, a cost-effective treatment intensification process, with a focus on cold wastewater BNR facilities across Canada.

Have you ever looked at (or designed/installed) an isolation gate and thought “Glad I wont be around when this needs replacing…” or “I wonder how much life is left in this gate…”. Or have you ever been asked to shutdown half your plant process capacity (Bioreactors and Clarifiers)? This presentation covers the City of Saskatoon's innovative approach to replacing 70 water control slide gates in both of their Bioreactor trains. The original gates were made of Aluminum and installed in 1995. In the 27 years of service they had developed significant corrosion, pinholing and material loss. The condition raised concerns of imminent failure, thus required replacement. The Bioreactors were never designed for complete bypass (instead intending to just bypass a set of cells at any given time for normal maintenance using the control gates) and thus the shutdown to replace all the gates created an operational challenge. The options varied from accelerating the construction of a third train, to temporary secondary treatment systems, to modifying existing infrastructure. The City ultimately did a series of 1 day shutdowns to install coffer dams and three additional slide gates in the Bioreactor Effluent channels which then allowed for a modified treatment process. One bioreactor train was fully drained for gate replacement while the other was operated with a significantly increased MLSS and the Bio effluent flow was then split through the new gates to all six of the plant secondary clarifiers. The process was repeated for the other bioreactor the following summer (due to construction issues). This allowed the plant to maintain acceptable nutrient removal throughout the replacement process without excessive costs or accelerating future capital expansion.

Matthew Sider,  WSP Canada Inc.
While sometimes controls and SCADA networks can seem complicated, they do not have to be. In remote regions such as the Yukon, NWT, Nunavut and Northern Alberta it is essential that operators have systems that are reliable, accessible and that stay running even when the power goes out. Come join the discussion about possible solutions that can keep you connected to your system and how that system can be best used to provide you with better operations of tomorrow.

More stringent effluent requirements for BOD, TSS, ammonia and phosphorus are being mandated at lagoon facilities across Canada. Add in a cold climate that adversely affects winter treatment performance, and many lagoons struggle to stay in compliance with their current permit or meet the challenges of new regulations. Lemna Environmental Technologies (LET) will present an updated approach for lagoon based wastewater treatment including a brief comparison of past design standards with current methods, an overview of lagoon technologies used for advanced treatment including nutrient removal, and in-depth review of several cold weather case studies demonstrating how lagoons are being successfully updated in order to meet the challenges of present and future effluent requirements. Using wastewater treatment process design modeling software, which models biological, chemical, and physical treatment processes, LET has optimized the design, performance and reliability of lagoon based treatment systems. Using historical DMR data from an installation base of over 500 facilities, LET created a unique software model of its LemTec Biological Treatment Process, which utilizes a combination of aerated and settling lagoon cells for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal, and the Lemna Polishing Reactor (LPR) for nitrification. The model enables LET to consider the effects of non-steady state factors such as peak flows, constituent loading, and ambient air and water temperatures on treatment performance, improving upon traditional steady state wastewater treatment process design methodology. The discussion will provide data and specific case studies demonstrating the predicted performance vs. actual data, using the calibrated model. Regional case studies will be used to demonstrate the benefits of modeling practices for lagoon design.

While popular as a source of renewable energy, traditional Anaerobic Digestion (AD) processes can create undesirable challenges at WWRFs. These problems increase chemical and energy costs and create many operational challenges. By adding an Acid Digester before and an Aerobic Reactor after AD, some significant improvements in plant, digester and dewatering performance can be realized. These proven processes are well-established but, when they are used in concert with an innovative recycle loop, the solids process is enhanced in many ways while providing nutrient control to benefit the liquid stream. The denitrification step inhibits H2S and Struvite Production and produces more and cleaner gas, reduces odor and ensures robust digester performance. This can be accomplished without addition of FeCl, adding further savings and optimization.

Situated in Northern Manitoba, Barren Lands First Nation (BLFN) is home to approximately 520 people. The First Nation initially operated a two-cell facultative lagoon to treat wastewater from both Barren Lands First Nation and the neighbouring community of Brochet. The lagoon was initially constructed in 2006 and although plenty of capacity remained, the lagoon was in need of several major repairs. The liner had floated in multiple locations forming pockets of gas which breached the surface of the lagoon. Adding to that, the berm had also collapsed in several locations and previous attempts to repair only achieved moderate levels of improvement. The First Nation's confidence in the lagoon had waned and a new aerated lagoon was selected as a replacement. Stantec Consulting Ltd. was retained to provide design and engineering services for a new sewage lagoon, lift station upgrades, along with repairs and upgrades to the existing sewage collection system. Several of the lift stations were experiencing operational issues which causes upstream manholes to overflow at times. All 5 of the existing lift stations received new pumps while three lift stations needed control system upgrades. A forcemain flushing and CCTV camera program was included to clean the forcemain and locate areas in need of repair. With a goal of simplicity and ease of operation, a new HDPE lined two-cell aerated lagoon using high efficiency fine bubble diffusers was selected for its smaller footprint versus a facultative lagoon. Following the lagoon and two cell Submerged Attached Growth Reactor was designed to provide nitrification for removal of ammonia. The new lagoon cells were constructed with self-draining under drains and vent pipes, which combined with a layer of sand covering the HDPE liner will prevent the liner from floating. The second lagoon cell was designed to be 1.4m lower than the first cell following the profile of bedrock encountered onsite and allowing the entire system to be designed to flow by gravity through all stages before discharge into the nearby lake.

Fats, Oil and Grease (FOG) is the number one cause of blockage in the City of Calgary wastewater system. It is estimated that about half is contributed by Food Services Establishments (FSE), despite this category accounting for only two to three per cent of Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) customers. Currently, Calgary has more than 7000 FSE's. To protect the wastewater system from FOG buildup and blockages, the City Wastewater Bylaw 14M2012 has specific regulations for FSEs, with requirements for proper installation, regular maintenance and record keeping of their pre-treatment systems, mainly grease interceptors. Starting in 2012, a pilot project with 144 FSEs was conducted, with the intention to develop a FOG compliance program, FSE inspections tools and to determine if the Wastewater Bylaw requirements related to grease interceptors were being complied with by these customers. Later a FOG education campaign was launched which included creating a slogan (Stop and Think! Not down the Sink!), educational material (posters, stickers, BMPs and handouts) and a FOG program video as well as updating the FOG program landing webpages. In January 2022, The City initiated a customer education-first approach using Water Educators. Educators audited more than 7000 FSE's sites with the objectives to educate customers on FOG onsite management practices using educational materials developed during the FOG campaign and to determine the state of compliance and the level of risk associated with each FSE. Following the audit each business was categorized by risk for further enforcement or follow up from the compliance team. So far, this approach is working very effectively, within a short two year's period, the compliance team was able to work with the businesses to install XX new grease interceptors, which are estimated to prevent more than 170,000 lbs/year of FOG from entering the city wastewater system. Success and challenges experienced throughout the FOG program journey and statistical outcome as well as our next steps for achieving sustainability of the program will be presented.

A major current industry challenge is critical aging infrastructure being put under increasing pressure from growth through densification and catchment expansion, whilst also being asked to provide more for less with respect to capital and operational expenditure, without compromising mitigation of environmental and social impacts. This context creates unique and complex engineering problems like those presented on the Port Coquitlam Pump Station project. The pump station is the single point of collection and outlet for the City of Port Coquitlam with a catchment of 30 km2, a population of over 60,000, and bordered by federally protected salmonid and other fish bearing rivers. The station was constructed in 1976 along with the original forcemain, with a second larger forcemain built 30 years ago. The forcemains have significantly different hydraulic characteristics and profiles, including size, material, intermediate high points, and inverted siphon sections. Both forcemains discharge to an interceptor that experiences varying degrees of surcharge. The required capacity upgrade to address the projected growth exceeds the design of the current system, and as such the combination of these conditions lead to exceptionally complex system hydraulics. Jacobs was engaged to complete the engineering analysis and design for the system upgrade, whereby a combination of the existing forcemains are required to be used to obtain the necessary hydraulic capacity as the pipelines pass through sensitive environments and impacts must be limited. This task was further complicated as the original forcemain had been condemned due to poor condition and associated failures. Jacobs approached the problem incrementally: investigating and recommending specific rehabilitation for the original forcemain, completing field data sampling to establish the actual hydraulic characteristics of elements, hydraulic modelling to validate the field data and enable it to be extrapolated for the entire system, and complex holistic system hydraulics to determine possible system capacities under the wide range of operational and hydraulic scenarios. The complex hydraulics were key to understanding the problem and the solution. Analysis was completed via multiple methods to establish the steady-state upper and lower bound hydraulic conditions, the hydraulic envelope, and identifying hydraulic control points and transition regions. These envelopes and transition zones confirmed how the system could operate so the design could be completed to optimize system performance and assess how the system would respond under unplanned events such as hydraulic transients during a station power failure and what mitigation measures should be incorporated. This paper will present the engineering analysis completed by Jacobs with focus on the development and solution of the complex hydraulic evaluations associated with existing aging infrastructure. The analysis enabled Jacobs to select new pumps, design station upgrades and reliably recommend a system solution that provided exceeded the required capacity increase for the specified design horizon, but also future proofed the system for future capacity increases. This solution provided the optimal long-term solution considering capital and operational cost, adaptability for future changes and longevity of infrastructure, and mitigated environmental and social impacts, which is needed to address our industries aging infrastructure in the current climate.

This project replaced a failing system to ensure the safe, daily conveyance of over 2.3 million litres of wastewater across the Red River in Winnipeg. The existing crossing was installed along the river bottom in 1978 and was connected to lands that became densely urbanized limiting replacement solutions. An alternate solution was developed to both reroute the force main and install it safely within the bedrock strata below the river. The solution required 780 metres of new force main including a 466-metre-long river crossing installed using horizontal direction drilling. The selected alignment considered several environmental, infrastructure and social issues and included both horizontal and vertical curves (a first for Manitoba). The project was commissioned safely, and the crossing is now effectively supporting the wastewater flows across the Red River in Winnipeg.

The purpose of this presentation is to clearly answer the question “Do I Need Grit Removal?” This will be accomplished in a straightforward, easy to understand manner with references to widely known and commonly used literature in the wastewater industry. The information presented will be backed up with clear and simple photos which put the values into real and tangible sizes which we are all familiar with. Grit in wastewater is often thought of as a necessary evil as it settles throughout the treatment plant. Cleaning of grit-laden basins and repair of rotating equipment due to grit wear are commonly seen as routine maintenance. As wastewater technology progresses and the processes used to treat wastewater become more complex, the need for grit removal will increase to protect these processes. This presentation will also outline the cost of such grit related maintenance items so the attendee can clearly understand the true cost of grit in their plant and decide if grit removal will save enough money in repairs to offset the initial purchase and installation costs of a grit removal system. However, we acknowledge that every plant is different and as such, the amount of grit related maintenance varies widely. It is not every plant which has the need for grit removal because some can simply store it in their lagoons or dispose of it in their sludge. This presentation is intended to help each plant engineer, owner, or operator know what information they need to gather so they can decide for themselves if their plant has reached the point of needing grit removal.

Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant (GBWWTP) operated by EPCOR in Edmonton, Alberta has a limited footprint for expansion. To meet the treatment demand for population growth and regulatory requirement in the future, EPCOR strives to improve the treatment efficiency by intensifying the existing process. One of those efforts was to improve the settling performance by improving the hydraulic condition of secondary clarifiers. The purpose of this presentation is to share some of the experiences learned from this journey with others. The GBWWTP currently has 11 biological nutrient removal (BNR) bioreactors, each followed by a rectangular secondary clarifier. Mixed liquor from each BNR bioreactor is distributed to its secondary clarifier via a mixed liquor channel (MLC) through 10 distribution ports. Each secondary train is designed for a maximum flow of 42 million liters/day (MLD) and average of 28 MLD. In 2018, a dye test was completed in selected secondary clarifiers. During the test it was noticed that dye added at the end of the bioreactor was almost immediately visible in one front corner of the secondary clarifier. It was concluded that the MLC was not evenly distributing the mixed liquor into the secondary clarifier and density currents were causing short circuiting within the clarifier. In 2019, further field testing was completed to better understand flow patterns in the clarifier. Multiple measurements were taken using a portable flowmeter at each MLC distribution port into the clarifier, at both 28 and 42 MLD. The results confirmed the short circuiting when the mixed liquor was distributed to the secondary clarifiers. The amount of mixed liquor distributed through the distribution ports of the MLC varied from -8 to 248% of the average. In 2020, baffles were designed and installed based on computer fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling of the MLC and two full-width baffles were installed in the clarifier. Access and maintainability were strong drivers in the design. Baffles were hinged or removable to allow access, materials were chosen to reduce maintenance, and spacing was designed to reduce solids build-up With the MLC baffles, modelling predicted the amount of mixed liquor distributed through each distribution port in the range of 90% to 107% of the average flow. To validate the actual effects of the baffles, additional dye testing and field measurements were performed in 2023. In general, the dye test indicated that the baffles provided a 20% improvement on overall hydraulic retention time in secondary clarifiers. The field flow measurements showed that the MLC baffles significantly improved the distribution of mixed liquor to secondary clarifiers. The amount of mixed liquor through each distribution port is about 69% to 180% of the average flow, which presents a significant improvement and provides validation of the CFD model. Although baffles are a relatively simple means of improving clarifier hydraulics, this study took a systematic approach in design and validation of in-tank and MLC baffles. Unique challenges were experienced throughout this study, especially during performance validation, and learnings from these challenges could be helpful for other utilities undergoing this journey.

Mobile Organic Biofilm (MOB) technology has been implemented at several sites throughout North America to increase the settling characteristics of Wastewater Treatment Plant Biomass. The increase in settling allows for increased biomass capacity resulting in the ability to achieve greater Biological Nutrient Removal (ie. in cold conditions). Currently, the H. McIvor Weir Wastewater Treatment Plant in Saskatoon does not achieve cold weather nitrification due to a combination of the slower biological activity at cold temperatures, the Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) of the aerobic zones within the Bioreactors and the design solids loading rate of the secondary clarifiers under conventional conditions. Pilot implementation of the MOB technology will be used to increase the mixed liquor suspended solids and biological activity within the constrained aerobic HRT, while using the increased settling characteristics to increase the design solids loading rate of the secondary clarifiers and protect final effluent quality. The increased settling characteristics of MOB also allow for peak flows to be better handled while minimizing the risk of biomass washout. Pilot implementation to MOB technology will also be used to simulate storm flows to determine allowable peak flow loading that can be encountered at the H. McIvor Weir Wastewater Treatment Plant without affecting final effluent quality. This presentation will provide a background on MOB technology and its purpose for being trialed at the plant, the process of trial implementation, the validation of trial success and the lab data obtained to date on pilot progress.

PUMP SELECTION AT THE WINNIPEG PERIMETER ROAD PUMP STATION
The Perimeter Road Pump Station (PRPS) acts as the headworks for the West End Water Pollution Control Centre (WEWPCC), conveying wastewater from western Winnipeg to the influent screen channel at the plant. The PRPS has four different pumps in parallel, each with a unique suction and discharge piping arrangement. The PRPS also uses a branching force main system, with two force mains of different sizes and different lengths which separate from each other at the PRPS and rejoin in the WEWPCC just upstream of the discharge into the screen channel. The force mains and pipe network have changed since construction, but the pumps are mostly original, meaning they no longer operate in their original design conditions, and they require a specialized control strategy to keep pumps maximally operating in their allowable ranges.
The pumping system is also subject to a large set of operational constraints. Neither the PRPS or the WEWPCC are supplied with potable water services. The process water at the WEWPCC is supplied by the incoming wastewater from the PRPS. Therefore at least one pump at the PRPS is required to be running at any given time. The wet well is also relatively small for the flows to the station so the pumping system is required to precisely match their discharge rate to the incoming flow. The incoming flows vary widely, therefore, the pumps are required to cover a very wide range of flows by varying their speed.
Therefore, pumps with large and specific allowable operating regions were required. The smaller of the two pumps was required to meet the minimum measured dry weather flow during nighttime operation. The larger of the two pumps was required to achieve a maximum of almost 8 times the minimum flow. Finally, the two pumps were required to have ranges significantly overlapping each other and the ranges of the other two dissimilar pumps in order to smoothly stage one pump to the next in many possibly scenarios.
Finally, valuable operator insight into historic performance demanded additional constraints on the pump speed and impeller free channel size. Meeting all of these constraints simultaneously required many hours of precise hydraulic modelling and coordination with many pump vendors in order to identify a set of two ideal pumps.
Precise modelling of a relatively complex system was required. Two complementary models – one in Bentley WaterCAD, and the other an internally-designed program based on the Darcy Weisbach formula – were created. These models were calibrated with the help of City operators, and were then used to complement each other in the precise prediction of pump performance in a wide array of possible combinations of running pumps, pump speeds, and open force mains, and thereby develop a control strategy complementing the four pumps in the station.

ARROW Utilities (formerly Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission) serves a large geographical area surrounding Edmonton. It operates the 3rd largest WWTP in Alberta, serving 400,000 residents in 13 municipalities with a conveyance system including 138 km of gravity sewers and 58 km of forcemains. ARROW identified 3.2 km of 1350 mm diameter concrete pipe in need of repair or replacement. A design/build request for proposal was issued, and CIPP lining was selected as the rehabilitation method. The pipe alignment runs through an environmentally sensitive area and is close proximity to residences in other areas. The project was planned to minimize liner installations to reduce impacts to these areas while optimizing cost effectiveness. The project was installed in five segments, with the longest over 700 m. The liners required for these long installations far exceeded the allowable transport weight. The project was only feasible using a unique process, over the hole wetout (OTHW). For the vast majority of CIPP lining projects, the dry liner is shipped from manufacturing to a regional wetout facility where it is impregnated with resin. For the OTH process, the dry tube is transported to installation site, where a mobile wet out facility is constructed, and the resin is introduced. This is one of few OTH installations in Western Canada. This presentation describes the project background, design and tendering, and installation with the OTH system. It discusses key considerations including environmental impact mitigation, site for curing equipment and resin tankers, and the overall OTH process.

Aquatera Utilities Inc.'s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is a major facility providing wastewater treatment services to the Grande Prairie region, covering the City of Grande Prairie and surrounding communities. The current treatment process includes primary sedimentation, biological treatment with a modified Johannesburg process, and secondary clarification. The plant has equalization basins both upstream and downstream of the treatment plant, where Aquatera makes use of these basins to equalize flow prior to treatment, and downstream of the WWTP prior to discharge to the Wapiti River; this project component is critical as further outlined below. Based on regulatory drivers, the WWTP is to implement disinfection to meet an effluent quality of 100 CFU/100 mL fecal coliforms (monthly average) prior to discharge. The project goal includes the design and implementation of a new disinfection system with a treatment capacity of 65 MLD. The project is unique in that both final effluent from the secondary clarifier, as well as gravity discharge from Aquatera's final effluent lagoon, are to be used as the influent feed into the new UV disinfection facility. This provides Aquatera with flexibility in operation of their plant. Currently, the project is in the detailed design phase, with construction scheduled to begin in Fall 2024 and construction completion by August 2025. Stantec conducted a thorough review of various disinfection technologies and ultimately recommended utilizing open channel UV disinfection due to its lowest net present value and proven reliability with lower operational and maintenance requirements. Following the technology selection, Stantec collaborated with Aquatera to further assess potential locations and configurations at the existing WWTP site. Multiple hydraulic analyses were conducted to ensure the design address the limitations in the plant's pumping and conveyance system; this included maintaining flexibility in terms of diverting flow to and from the final effluent lagoon. Additionally, a life cycle cost analysis was provided to assist Aquatera in selecting an option aligned with their satisfaction. Stantec has recently finalized the preliminary design and is now working with Aquatera through the detailed design stages. This presentation will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various disinfection options considered, the selection criteria for UV systems, design considerations for tie-in requirements, and the operational strategy for UV disinfection.

Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource, an irreplaceable macronutrient for life, critical in food production. However, the inefficient use of P led to an exceeding of safe limits and subsequent losses into water bodies and landfills, posing a threat to aquatic life and, enacting the urgency of adopting preventive measures of P pollution in aquatic environments. By recovering P, not only can water body pollution be mitigated, but the reclaimed phosphorus can also be reused to meet demand, thereby preventing resource depletion. Physico-chemical and biological processes are mainly used for phosphorus removal, and techniques such as sludge composting, crystallization, and thermal and thermochemical processes achieve P recovery for reuse purposes. The choice of technology is contingent on national regulations, soil properties, and the specific target plants for the application of the recovered phosphorus. Therefore, different technologies and various levels of phosphorus recovery are experienced in various industrialized countries in the European Union and North America. Innovantage has developed the InnoCyclone technology to support municipalities and industries in Manitoba and Canada to achieve cheaper wastewater clarification and move from P precipitation to P recovery from municipal lagoons. A unique study conducted by Innovantage in collaboration with the University of Manitoba has proven that chemically precipitated sludge discharged by the InnoCyclone can be composted, and phosphorus can be rendered bioavailable for plant uptake, dispelling the misconception of the non-recoverability of chemically precipitated sludge. The produced compost met the CCME classification of Class A compost. When applied to Canola and switchgrass plants, the phosphorus uptake, biomass yield, plant growth, and health were better compared to chemical fertilizers (MAP) used as a reference. This opens the gate to alternative resource recovery for the benefit of our local agriculture.

Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) causes severe problems in wastewater collection and treatment plants. Equipment corrosion, odor complaints, and operator/public safety are some of the issues routinely encountered with H2S. Chemical dosing is typically used to control H2S, but to better manage facilities and optimize mitigation practices, utilities need more information to understand how H2S behaves throughout the sewer networks and facilities over time. New H2S sensor technologies enable operators to continuously measure H2S in both liquid and gas phases in collections systems and treatment plants. Through their installation, they give a complete and dynamic overview of H2S impacts, providing a path to proactive and data-driven approaches to H2S management. Trends and trouble-spots can be identified before they become problems. The result of this is optimized chemical dosing, minimized odor complaints, prevention of equipment corrosion and premature equipment failure, and protection operator and public safety. These probes are robust, C1D1 rated, and can operate in remote locations. They are easily cleaned, maintained, and calibrated. Importantly, their successful operation has been proven with multiple case studies documenting their efficacy.

Odour and corrosion are long-standing concerns for all municipal collection systems. If a utility is not receiving any odour complaints, then there is a tendency to think that everything is good. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as even low levels of untreated hydrogen sulphide in a collection system are a human safety problem and can lead to corrosion concerns. In this presentation we will present the background information that all operators need to understand why odours are generated in a collection system, why they are a problem and how we can best treat the odours. In addition, we will discuss how untreated odours can lead to corrosion and how we can monitor the collection system to understand the source and magnitude of the problem. The first portion of the presentation will focus on the background theory of what is happening in a collection system to create untreated hydrogen sulphide. This is material that all operators are already likely to be familiar with, but we will provide a complete A-to-Z of collection systems showing the causes of odour generation and all options available to treat these odours. The second portion of the presentation will work through specific case studies from at least two collection systems in Alberta and BC, providing the details of the comprehensive monitoring and treatment programs that are in place at these systems.

In the Spring of 2023, Lethbridge County partnered with Hydrasurvey Ltd. to formulate a comprehensive Lagoon Management Strategy, a sophisticated approach to Risk Management planning of their Wastewater Lagoons. Like many counties, Lethbridge faces the challenging responsibility of managing and upgrading critical infrastructure within constrained budgets. To effectively allocate resources, proactive planning and budgeting for projects is essential. Unlike some types of infrastructure that can be visually assessed and inspected more easily, Wastewater Lagoons present a unique challenge. Being bodies of water, problems often manifest beneath the surface, making it difficult to predict when issues will arise. To pre-emptively address significant problems in their Wastewater Lagoons, Lethbridge County engaged Hydrasurvey to conduct Bathymetric Sludge Surveys on four lagoons in April 2023. These surveys employed the latest RTK GPS mapping technology, single-beam sonar for sludge thickness mapping, manual liner measurements, and sludge sampling to determine disposal criteria. This information was presented in a comprehensive report incorporating a detailed Lagoon Management Strategy. This strategy systematically outlines the dredging and desludging priorities for each cell by ranking the lagoon's capacity occupied by sludge, estimated dry tonnes, dredgeable sludge volumes, and disposal criteria. Armed with this information, Lethbridge County was able to solicit accurate and comparable budgets from dredging contractors, specifying the volume of sludge to be dredged. The strategy also facilitates verification of completed dredging through post dredge surveys. This proactive approach, coupled with the detailed insights gained through the Bathymetric Sludge Surveys, empowers Lethbridge County to navigate infrastructure challenges with heightened efficiency and fiscal responsibility. By addressing potential issues before they escalate, the county is better positioned to make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and enhance overall infrastructure management.

Lagoons are common for wastewater treatment in smaller-sized municipalities. Over time, lagoons accumulate sludge that must be cleaned out to maintain storage capacity, reduce odours and meet effluent compliance. The cost of cleaning out lagoons can be high and varies widely depending on the size of the lagoon, the amount of sludge and the options available for beneficial reuse or disposal of the sludge. A high cost of cleaning lagoons can often be a barrier for undertaking this important maintenance procedure. Some options for cleaning out sludge include dewatering lagoons and removing sludge with heavy equipment, dredging sludge with barges, and using lagoon crawlers that drive into lagoons and pump out sludge. A relatively new approach is bioaugmentation of lagoons with microbes that accelerate degradation of sludge in situ. Bioaugmentation is not capital intensive and has been used successfully in other jurisdictions. However, it has not been used extensively in Ontario. Bioaugmentation products are typically proprietary, and the suppliers claim successful use of these products to reduce sludge, Fats Oils and Grease (FOG) and when adding in a collection system, raw sewage loadings. The Town of Bruce Mines and the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) partnered to trial bioaugmentation in the Town's sewage lagoons as the lagoons required sludge removal and the Town had limited capital funds for the work. The key questions the trial set out to answer is whether bioaugmentation would work in a cold climate, and how much sludge could be removed by bioaugmentation. The results of this study showed bioaugmentation could be an approach to remove sludge from lagoons in situ at a lower cost than traditional methods. In this case study, the results of bioaugmentation exceeded expectations. After one-year of bioaugmentation show a sludge reduction of 6,849 m3, which is a 56% overall reduction across the two cells. Reduction was not equal in the two cells as there was a 40% reduction in cell #1 and 64% reduction in cell #2.

Many communities have either SSS or CSS, which collect stormwater and I/I in addition to sanitary and industrial wastewater discharges. This type of collection system frequently results in the flow capacity of the sewers being exceeded during wet weather events. When the flow capacity of these sewer systems is exceeded it results in sewer surcharging and frequent discharges of wastewater overflowing from the SSS or CSS systems into adjacent streams. Solutions to resolve this problem have included separation of combined sewer systems, transporting wet weather flows in excess of the existing combined sewer system capacity to a storage facility for subsequent treatment at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), transporting the excess wet weather flow to the WWTP after expanding its peak flow capacity, or transporting the excess weather flow to a combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment facility located either at a WWTP or remotely in the collection system. This presentation will review viable technologies for expanding biological capacity with advanced primary treatment and wet weather treatment. Pile cloth media filtration (PCMF) is now being used in a wide range of primary and wet weather conditions within treatment facilities or in the network (overflow sites). The application of PCMF for advanced primary and wet weather treatment has been applied on a range of influent solids conditions from primary influent, primary clarified effluent and combined secondary clarified effluent with the primary influent or primary clarifier effluent. The ability to handle the range of influent conditions allows the technology to be placed in multiple locations within a treatment facility or at remote overflow sites. Also, PCMF is being used in dual treatment applications providing value to a facility across a range of operating conditions. PCMF achieves very high solids removal without chemical addition. The removal efficiency is typically greater than 80% of TSS, with applications demonstrating removal in excess of 90%. This high removal of TSS is also achieved in a very small footprint which is typically 15 to 20% of primary clarification for comparison purposes. The high removal efficiency allows more capacity to be achieved through biological treatment train if used to replace primary clarifiers. This allows more wet weather flows to be treated through the main treatment train. For wet weather only treatment, the technology is being used in auxiliary side-stream treatment trains or in dual use application of tertiary treatment and wet weather flow treatment. The technology spotlight will focus on the many of the projects that are operating or in design. The areas to be covered will be the following: - The performance from operating installations and testing conducted for facilities under construction and/or design for advanced primary and wet weather treatment - Space requirements based on influent condition - Influent water quality and flow information needed for the design of a wet weather system - Handling of waste solids removed during treatment - Automation requirements for wet weather treatment to minimize operator attention - Instantaneous startup capabilities - General operating costs In summary, the technology spotlight will show how the technology of PCMF can be applied in multiple locations within a treatment facility or remote overflow site to help a utility to achieve the following: - Expansion of an existing biological treatment train capacity - Meet facility permit requirements (water quality) - Eliminate untreated wet weather flows