PEER Receives Gascoigne Wastewater Treatment Plant
Operational Improvement Medal Award
Alan Cassel, P.E. a senior environmental engineer at PEER Consultants, supported by a team of researchers from AECOM, George Washington University, and DC Water received the prestigious Gascoigne Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Improvement Medal(1) from the Water Environment Federation (WEF)(2), an international not-for-profit technical and educational water quality organization. The award was presented during a ceremony at the organization’s 83rd annual technical exhibition and conference, WEFTEC® 2010. This is the largest water quality event in North America and largest annual water quality exhibition in the world. Over 17,000 of the world’s leading water quality experts and nearly 1,000 exhibitors featuring the latest in water quality technology attended the New Orleans Morial Convention Center from October 3-6, 2010.
(Left-Right) Al Cassel (PEER Consultants);
Marija Peric (AECOM);
Dilli Neupane (AECOM);
Rumana Riffat (George Washington University);
Sudhir Murthy (DC Water); and
Walter Bailey (DC Water)
The award was given for a research and demonstration study that resulted in a procedure to upgrade the primary clarifiers a the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, DC. A technical paper was prepared on this project and accepted for presentation at the 2009 WEFTEC Conference. This paper was subsequently published in Water Environment & Technology magazine in December 2009.
In 2004, upgrades were completed to 36 primary clarifiers at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant to meet upcoming enhanced nitrogen removal (ENR) requirements. However, after installation, the upgraded clarifiers did not meet the performance requirements. The research team led by Mr. Cassel developed a test protocol to determine the cause of the problem, conducted various investigations, and then developed a modification to a portion of the clarifier. One clarifier was modified, and the system retested. The modification was successful and 19 more clarifiers were then given the same modification. Current data consistently show improved performance, especially during rain events.
The team also developed a new bench-scale testing protocol for use in the plant that can successfully be used for determining various operational parameters and chemical doses for chemically-enhanced primary clarification (CEPT). These tests are a valuable simulation tool to rapidly estimate dosing regimes for addition of iron and polymer in order to achieve desired removal efficiencies at primary clarification. This study has shown that poorly performing clarifiers can demonstrate significantly improved performance through the addition of iron and polymer as was demonstrated by achieving sustained performance before and during the clarifier upgrade period.
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(1) The Gascoigne Medal was established in recognition of George Bradley Gascoigne, a prominent consultant who exhibited a great deal of interest in the operation of wastewater treatment plants. The medal is awarded to the author(s) of an article that presents the solution of an important and complicated operational problem within a full-scale, operating wastewater treatment plant that is appropriately staffed.(2) Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF and its Member Associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.