Phosphorus Removal Study

Boonville, IN

Clark Dietz is assisting the City of Boonville to meet the upcoming total phosphorus limit of 1 mg/l as per IDEM’s 36-month compliance schedule. Rated for a design average flow of around 3 MGD, the plant has three Vertical Loop Reactors (VLRs) for secondary treatment.

A Phosphorous Removal Study was performed to identify the capital improvements to allow Boonville to meet phosphorous effluent limits while minimizing capital and operating costs. During the feasibility study, Clark Dietz evaluated full chemical removal against optimization of the VLR system. The recommendation was for optimizing the existing VLR system as it provided a more sustainable solution with lower long-term operating costs than using chemicals without requiring significant modification to the existing aeration tank layout. Clark Dietz also assisted with wastewater characterization and developed a BioWin process model to simulate treatment performance under different operating conditions as a part of this analysis.

Modeling results will be used to design a new control system to enhance and optimize the VLR system operation to reliably and consistently achieve biological phosphorus removal. Additional design elements include back-up chemical feed system required and existing grit system improvements. Clark Dietz is currently preparing preliminary design plans and specifications to implement the proposed upgrades.