Casino Rama Achieving 0.

15 mg/l Total Phosphorous in Tertiary Effluent in an ABJ ICEAS Wastewater Treatment System
Ed Salenieks, Marshal Macklin Monaghan Ltd. Les Szpunar, Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd. Ralph Tulipano, Cjippewas of Mnjikaning First Nation Rosemary Leslie, Chippewas of Mnjikaning First Nation

Introduction Casino Rama, located in the Mnjikaning (Rama) First Nation near Orillia, Ontario is serviced by an ABJ ICEAS wastewater treatment system. The plant is designed for biological phosphorous removal, followed by chemical addition and effluent filtration, to achieve tertiary quality effluent, with target total phosphorous levels of less than 0.15 mg/l and 3 mg/l total ammonia. The 2,100 m3/d capacity plant was put into service at the end of July 1996. The results of the first year of operation for the plant are presented in this paper. Design effluent requirements were consistently met on a year-round basis under varying flow, total phosphorous and organic loading conditions. A high degree of nitrogen removal was also routinely achieved, concomitant with biological phosphorous removal in the SBR system. Background In December 1994, the Chippewas of Mnjikaning (Rama) First Nation was selected by the Province of Ontario to develop a full service Casino on community lands. The Mnjikaning First Nation is located approximately 10 km northeast of Orillia in Simcoe County. The Casino facility is located off of Rama Road (County Road 44) just east of Lake Couchiching. Marshall Macklin Monaghan was retained in April 1995 to undertake the environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment act (CEAA) for infrastructure servicing of the Interim Casino site. The CEAA process applies to land used development proposals, for which the federal government holds decision-making authority, whether as proponent, land administrator, source of funding or regulator. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) was identified as the responsible authority of this project. The Casino Rama project was designed and constructed over a 10-month period. Infrastructure design by MMM started in September 1995, with construction of the wastewater treatment plant underway by December 1995. The Casino and plant were fully operational by July 30, 1996. The new wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system was designed for the Interim Casino and related community facilities, including an arena, seniors complex, community centre and industrial mall. The current design capacity of 2,100 m3/d makes provision to service other developments including a future

permanent casino and hotel. Capacity and capability was also provided at the plant to accept septic tank pump-outs and landfill leachate. Allowance was made in the plant layout and design to permit ready expansion by 50 percent. Criteria for the discharge of effluent to Lake Couchiching were developed based on discussions with the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Effluent quality that could be achieved by the best-proven available technology, economically achievable, was used as the basis for establishing the required level of treatment. Water quality and dispersion studies were subsequently performed to identify the preferred outfall location and the required diffuser design. Effluent from the plant is pumped via forcemain approximately 2,200 m to Lake Couchiching, with the outfall extending 550 m into the lake. The inland location of the plant thereby preserves the shoreline area for possible future development of a permanent casino and hotel complex. Total phosphorous (TP) and un-ionized ammonia were identified as the two key parameters most likely to impact Lake Couchiching water quality and fish habitat. In addition, chlorine was to be absent in the final effluent. To minimize potential environmental impact, design effluent requirements for the Rama Wastewater Treatment Centre (WWTC) of 0.15 mg/l TP and 3 mg/l total ammonia were conservatively established, which readily meet Provincial Water Quality Objectives within the diffuser mixing zone. Based upon a subsequent review of available technologies, the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treatment process, incorporating biological phosphorous removal, followed by tertiary treatment for phosphorous removal using chemical addition and effluent filtration, was established as the preferred treatment system. Filtered effluent receives disinfection by ultraviolet radiation, thereby precluding the discharge of chlorine to the lake. Rama Treatment Process The Rama WWTC is designed to produce tertiary quality effluent on a consistent year round basis using the sequencing batch reactor process and continuous backwash filtration. The plants present average design flow capacity is 2,100 m3/d with provision for ready expansion to 3,150 m3/d. Currently the plant provides service mainly to Casino Rama and the Mnjikaning Arena and Seniors Complex. The plant was designed based on the following influent and final effluent discharge criteria. Design Influent Criteria BOD5 TSS TKN Total P Alkalinity Temperature (min) Design Effluent Criteria BOD5 TSS NH3 Total P E Coli 260 mg/l 250 mg/l 65 mg/l 8 mg/l 210 mg/l (as CaCO3) 10 C <10 mg/l <10 mg/l <3 mg/l <0.15 mg/l <100 per 100 ml

Design influent criteria were developed taking into consideration information available on several stand alone casinos in the United States and from projected visitations to Casino Rama and associated water consumption. The Rama WWTC consists of two parallel treatment trains, each capable of independently handling 50% of the design flow (i.e. 1,050 m3/d each). The following is a general description of the facility. Screened sewage is pumped directly into a continuous inflow/intermittent discharge SBR. The modified SBR used at Rama is an ABJ ICEAS process. The SBR process provides organic carbon (BOD5) removal, nitrification, biological phosphorous and concomitant nitrogen removal. SBR cycles are controlled by a programmable logic controller. The system operates on a 4.8-hour normal cycle and 3.0 hour storm cycle. In the 4.8-hour cycle, the first 168 minutes of each cycle is intermittently aerated. During the rest of the cycle, each basin is in a settle or decant mode. During the oxic/anoxic phase of the cycle, each basin is alternately aerated. Aeration is controlled by dissolved oxygen levels measured in the tanks. A total of three blowers are provided for aeration, with one unit dedicated to each aeration basin and the third unit for standby duty. SBR effluent discharge at the end of the decant cycle flows by gravity from the decanter to equalization tanks located below the floor of the Control Building. Presently, there are two upflow continuous backwash filters installed in concrete tanks located in the Control Building. The Dynasand model filters, supplied by Parkson were designed to handle the initial design flow of 2,100 m3/d (1,050 m3/d per filter). A third concrete tank was provided for installation of a future filter to accommodate the ultimate design flow of 3,150 m3/d. Alum for chemical phosphorous removal is injected into the filter feed line immediately upstream of a static mixer to provide complete mixing. The 2.0 meter deep bed sand filters provide tertiary phosphorous removal through in bed coagulation, flocculation and solids removal of the chemically bound phosphorous. Polymer can also be added as needed to improve particle removal. A separate injection point and static mixer is provided for polymer addition to the filter feed line after the alum addition point. Construction and Start-Up The short time frame mandated for development of the Casino required fast track design and construction of the project. A construction management approach for project implementation was used, which permitted tendering and construction of portions of the work (i.e. foundations) at the same time as design was still on-going. In the case of the Rama WWTC, all major process equipment was evaluated and prepurchased as the design of the plant progressed. Start-up of the plant presented a challenge, as a key objective was to achieve compliance with effluent criteria within a very short time, due to sensitive nature of Lake Couchiching and the time of year the plant was being commissioned. To achieve this goal, the plant was seeded approximately 1 week in advance of startup with waste activated sludge from the City of Orillia WWTC. The sludge was conditioned prior to the first day of operation by intermittent aeration in the SBR, with limited sewage inflow as associated with start-up of the casino. Effluent quality was within design values, with biological phosphorous removal being achieved from the first day of operation of the plant, after Casino Rama opened. SBR Performance General Theory of Biological Phosphorous Removal A brief description of the mechanisms of biological phosphorous removal in the SBR system used at the Rama WWTC follows:

Biological P removal in this application incorporates intermittent aeration so that cyclic aerobic and anaerobic conditions are created, resulting in the growth of a biological population that has a much higher cellular phosphorous content. The total phosphorous content of waste sludge is typically in the range of 3-6 percent in bio-P removal systems, compared to 1.5-2.0 percent in conventional activated sludge systems. The process of wasting sludge solids removes phosphorous from the system. The basic principles of biological P removal are summarized below: 1. Certain microorganisms, when subjected to anaerobic conditions, assimilate and store fermentation products produced by other facultative bacteria. These microorganisms derive energy for this assimilation from stored polyphosphates, which are hydrolyzed to liberate energy. The free phosphorous that results from the hydrolysis is released to the mixed liquor. 2. These same microorganisms, when subsequently exposed to aerobic conditions, consume both phosphorous (which is used for cell synthesis and stored as polyphosphates) and oxygen to metabolize the previously stored substrate for energy production and cell synthesis. The organisms take up the phosphorous in excess, to remedy their former phosphorous starved condition. That is, they take in more phosphorous than they previously released. The phosphorous is removed form the wastewater stream by wasting of excess sludge generated in the treatment process. Bio-P Removal in Rama WWTC Phosphorous removal due to excess uptake by organisms was demonstrated in the Rama SBR system. The following formula (from ABJ) was used to calculate theoretical effluent TP concentration: TP removed = TPin ((BODin-BODout) x Y x TPps) Where: Tpremoval = Total Phosphorous removed from the system, mg/l Tpin = Total Phosphorous in the influent wastewater, mg/l BODin = Influent BOD5 in the wastewater, mg/l BODout = Effluent BOD5 in the wastewater, mg/l Y = Sludge Yield, kg MLSS/kg BOD removed TPps = Phosphorous content in the sludge, percent As shown, the SBR effluent TP concentrations were significantly lower than that from a theoretical conventional activated sludge plant. As expected, the controlled intermittent oxic/anaerobic conditions development in the SBR resulted in a luxury phosphorous uptake by bacteria and as a result greater TP removal through sludge wasting. A direct relationship is inferred between influent BOD levels and the degree of phosphorous removal. High influent BOD levels resulted in greater bio-P removal. SBR design effluent criteria of 1.0 mg/l TP was achieved without chemical addition at influent TP concentrations as high as 15 mg/l as associated with high influent BOD levels. Chemical Phosphorous Removal An alum metering system was provided to allow for chemical phosphorous precipitation within the SBR, in case the design effluent criteria could not be reached by bio-P removal. An SBR effluent TP concentration of 1.0 mg/l was used in design of the effluent filtration system in order to achieve 0.15 mg/l TP in the final effluent. Alum can be added to the raw sewage at the inlet chamber of the SBR when daily laboratory analysis indicates higher than design values of influent and/or SBR effluent TP. Alum dosage rates that were occasionally used only accounted for TP not removed biologically, and as such, alum addition only supplemented biological phosphorous removal. Alum addition to the SBR inlet chamber was suspended whenever influent concentrations returned to design values. Biological phosphorous removal was occasionally supplemented by alum addition to the SBR in March to June of 1997. When practiced, combined biological and chemical P removal resulted in SBR effluent TP concentrations of between 0.3 0.4 mg/l. Such low concentrations were not observed on a continuous

basis when only biological phosphorous removal was practiced. Alum addition did not appear to result in any adverse effect on biological activity and did not reduce the ability of bacteria to uptake phosphorous when alum addition was suspended. Nitrogen Removal Biological nitrogen removal was achieved in the SBR by cyclic anoxic and oxic conditions created a s part of the bio-P removal process within the SBR reactor. The design sludge age in the Rama system was 23 days. Essentially complete nitrification was achieved year round. SBR effluent was well below 3.0 mg/l of total ammonia, as required in order to achieve the design un-ionized ammonia concentration. Although there was no design requirement for denitrification, concomitant nitrogen removal was observed along with bio-P removal in the SBR system. Tertiary Effluent Filtration SBR effluent is stored in a two-compartment equalization tank and pumped at a constant rate to the continuous backwash filters. Alum is added to the filter feed to precipitate the remaining phosphorous to achieve the desired final effluent TP concentration of 0.15 mg/l. Occasionally, polymer was added to enhance flocculation of precipitated matter. TP concentration in the final effluent as low as 0.05 mg/l was achieved when biological phosphorous removal in the SBR was enhanced by chemical addition. Side Stream Processes Aerobic Digester Aerobic digestion is used at the Rama WWTC for waste activated sludge stabilization. The second stage of the digester is employed as a gravity thickener when the aeration is intermittently turned off in this compartment. The resulting supernatant is decanted to the digester supernatant clarifier. The clarifier overflow is returned to the head of the plant, while sludge within the clarifier is returned to the aerobic digester. There was a concern during a course of design that significant amounts of phosphorous might be solubilized due to anoxic conditions in the aerobic digester during settling. The solubilized P would be then be returned to the plant resulting in overloading the system with recycled phosphorous. To eliminate this possibility, an alum addition point was provided ahead of supernatant clarifier to permit chemical phosphorous removal. The digester supernatant and supernatant clarifier effluent phosphorous concentrations were routinely monitored and excessive phosphorous release was not observed. Septage/Leachate Holding Tank A septage/leachate holding tank was included in the plant to provide for flow equalization of septage collected from domestic tanks located in Rama lands, as well as future leachate. A submersible pump was installed to meter the stored septage/leachate to the head of the plant. Operational Problems Over time, significant accumulations of grease was observed in the influent pumps wet wells and ultimately in the SBR, equalization tanks, filter pump discharge header and the effluent filter beds. The design of the plant does not provide for separate grease removal, as grease traps were installed in the various casino restaurants. Accumulation of grease in various points of the WWTC process train resulted in additional labor and expenses associated with cleaning and on some occasions, higher than desired final effluent suspended solids and phosphorous concentrations due to degraded effluent filter performance. The problem was eventually addressed by the installation of additional grease traps in the Casino, which resulted in lower grease concentrations being received at the plant.

Conclusions July 1997 marked the first anniversary of operation of the Rama Wastewater Treatment Centre. The analytical data collected during this period documents the plants performance both under varying flow, BOD and nutrient loadings and seasonal conditions. The following conclusions can be drawn form the first year of operation of this facility: 1. Biological phosphorous removal in the SBR, followed by continuous backwash effluent filtration with alum addition achieved an annual average TP concentration of 0.15 mg/l in the final effluent. 2. TP concentrations of 0.3 0.4 mg/l were routinely observed in the SBR effluent when biological phosphorous removal was supplemented by alum addition to the incoming wastewater. 3. By inclusion of an anoxic sequence in the SBR operating cycle, concomitant removal of nitrogen was achieved along with biological phosphorous removal. 4. Excessive phosphorous release was not observed in aerobic digester supernatant.