Nitrogen Removal Process Selection and Innovative Design Approaches for a Small Community in California

摘要

The City of Banning, California is a small, disadvantaged community that faces increasingly stringent discharge requirements, specifically in nitrogen. Nutrient requirements, financial limitations, increased treatment capacity, and the need to renovate existing infrastructure creates several design challenges. This evaluation provides Banning and other small communities a clear path to cost effective solutions for biological nutrient removal. Throughout the project and design process, efforts were made to involve City Council, allowing for synergism between stakeholders and engineers in order to meet the Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Title 22 current and anticipated future discharge requirements. The design team recommended two options: (1) a phased approach which would implement a conventional activated sludge system first, and then a membrane bioreactor (MBR), or (2) implement the conventional activated sludge system with the MBR immediately. Nutrient removal systems for small communities should always consider future growth, everchanging regulations, and innovative design approaches to provide the most cost-effective treatment system.