Cooperative Agreement R23AC00330

ALTHOUGH CHEMICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN MEETING LOWER PHOSPHORUS TARGETS, SOUTH PLATTE RENEW WOULD LIKE TO IMPLEMENT SIDESTREAM ENHANCED BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL TO OPTIMIZE CHEMICAL COSTS, REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL ALUMINUM, IRON, CHLORIDE, AND SULFATE DISCHARGED TO THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER (RESULTING FROM CHEMICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL), AND IMPROVE PROCESS RESILIENCY AND EFFICIENCY. SOUTH PLATTE RENEW WILL UTILIZE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE TO DEVELOP AN INTERNAL CARBON SOURCE FOR THE PHOSPHATE ACCUMULATING ORGANISMS THAT WILL RESIDE IN A SIDESTREAM ANAEROBIC REACTOR. SOUTH PLATTE RENEW WILL FIRST THICKEN ITS PRIMARY SLUDGE AND THEN SEND THE THICKENED SLUDGE TO A GRAVITY THICKENER (PHYSICALLY AND MECHANICALLY MODIFIED DISSOLVED AIR FLOW TANK TO OPERATE AS A GRAVITY THICKENER) TO SEPARATE THE THICKENED PRIMARY SLUDGE FROM THE LIQUID STREAM CONTAINING READILY BIODEGRADABLE CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND AND VOLATILE FATTY ACIDS. SOUTH PLATTE RENEW WILL THEN SUPPLY THE SIDESTREAM ANAEROBIC REACTOR (AN EXISTING REAERATION BASIN RETROFITTED TO OPERATE AS AN ANAEROBIC REACTOR) WITH RETURN ACTIVATED SLUDGE AND THE INTERNAL CARBON SOURCE. SOUTH PLATTE RENEW ANTICIPATES THAT APPROXIMATELY 243 POUNDS PER DAY OF ORTHOPHOSPHORUS WILL BE REMOVED BY SENDING 0.53 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY OF THE INTERNALLY SOURCED CARBON TO THE SIDESTREAM ANAEROBIC REACTOR, LOWERING THE OPERATING COSTS AND PREVENTING INCREASES IN EFFLUENT TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL.