hrsd’s swift: driving further

HRSD’s SWIFT: Driving Further Innovations in HRSD’s Laboratory

Jamie S. Heisig-Mitchell Chief of Technical Services, HRSD Li Zhang Laboratory Manager, HRSD

VA AWWA/VWEA 24th Annual Good Laboratory Practice Conference

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•Provide wastewater treatment for 18 localities (250 mgd treatment capacity)

•Serve 1.7 million people (20% of all Virginians)

• Independent political subdivision with Governor appointed Commission

Who/What is HRSD?

HRSD Treatment Facilities

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•Provide wastewater treatment for 18 localities (250 mgd treatment capacity)

•Serve 1.7 million people (20% of all Virginians)

• Independent political subdivision with Governor appointed Commission

Who/What is HRSD?

HRSD Treatment Facilities

Cross section through Potomac Aquifer

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Eastern Virginia coastal systems are faced with a number of water related challenges • Depletion of groundwater resources

• Including protection from saltwater contamination

• Water quality concerns

• Chesapeake Bay restoration

• Local water quality issues

• Sea level rise

• Compounded by land subsidence

• Wet weather sewer overflows

• Federal enforcement action

• Managing wastewater operations cost effectively in a fluid regulatory environment

Physical evidence of declining

water resources:

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• Depletion of groundwater resources





• Sea level rise





Eastern Virginia coastal systems are faced with a number of water related challenges.

2016 State of the (Chesapeake)

Bay Report:

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• Sea level rise






Norfolk, VA after Hurricane Matthew (2016):

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• Sea level rise






HRSD’s Kyle Curtis and Jack Denby search for

evidence of Sanitary Sewer Overflow

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• Sea level rise






Nearing completion, Nutrient Upgrades at HRSD’s

VIP Plant will meet less than 4 mg N/L objective –

for a cost of roughly $150M

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•Treat water to meet drinking water standards and replenish the aquifer with clean water to: oProvide regulatory stability for

wastewater treatment oProvide a sustainable supply of

groundwater oReduce nutrient discharges to

the Bay oReduce the rate of land

subsidence

SWIFT – Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow

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Advanced Water Treatment

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Treating to drinking water standards

• Advanced treatment used throughout world, many locations in USA and even in Virginia to produce water that exceeds drinking water standards

• Upper Occoquan Service Authority/Fairfax Water

• Loudoun Water

• Montebello Forebay, CA 1962

• El Paso, TX 1985

• Scottsdale, AZ 1999

• Orange County, CA 2008

• Arapahoe, CO 2009

• San Diego, CA 2020

Membrane based

Carbon based

SWIFT Research Center: 1 MGD Operational May 2018

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•Received General Assembly funding for extensometer oExtensometer operational as of March

2018

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Underground Injection Control: Authorization by Rule

•results of ongoing pilot advanced wastewater treatment system

•an analysis of the injected fluid with the aquifer water quality

•construction details of the pilot recharge well

•a complete sampling and analysis and reporting plan

•a description of the monitoring well network

•a comprehensive assessment of any potential for the pilot aquifer recharge well to adversely impact underground sources of drinking water

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Protecting the Underground Sources of Drinking Water

•Meet all primary Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) regulated by the USEPA in the SDWA

•Provide multiple barriers to pathogens and organics (including chemicals)

•Ensure aquifer compatibility

•Conduct hazard analysis and establish critical control points (HACCP) for treatment processes

oAction level exceedance will prevent water from entering the recharge well

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Additional Protective Measures

• Source control program

o Stringent pretreatment requirements o Zero discharge parameters o Track down studies

•Working with VDH to identify well owners in close proximity to SWIFT sites

•Modeled travel time indicates >180 years for 1 mile of travel

o Data from SWIFTRC will be used to refine estimate

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•Developed oversight framework in collaboration regulators and key stakeholders oLegislation passed

unanimously through Virginia’s House of Delegates but stalled as results of budget impasse

oMoving forward to establish through letter agreement

oWill resubmit legislation in 2019

Independent Monitoring and Oversight

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•Culture of the lab has shifted from one focused on routine monitoring to one focused on research and innovation

•Collectively more than 650 years of education

•Expansion of scope of drinking water accreditation oBefore SWIFT: 4 fields of accreditation oCurrently: 91 fields of accreditation

•Shifted to more frequent small batch analyses to meet data turnaround times

Meeting the Analytical Challenges

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•Expanded capabilities to include some UCMR4 and CCL4 contaminants •NDMA and 1,4 dioxane development prioritized oSignificant SWIFT research focus on these compounds

•SWIFT needs drive more sensitive analyses oTOC now analyzed to 0.1 mg/L oBromate now analyzed to 0.15 µ g/L

•Pathogens and pathogen indicators •Future method development plans include LCMSMS

capabilities for pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Method Development

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•Tremendous increase in number of analyses performed o57% increase in analytical workload from 2015-2016 o37% increase in the number of samples received oSnapshot: From March to July submitted more than

11,000 bottles to the HRSD lab for in-house analyses

•Additional staffing o1 PT Lab assistant o1 PT Lab analyst o1 FT Lab analyst

Analytical Volume

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• Implemented strategies in Receiving to manage high volume sample deliveries and shipping for contract analyses

•TN analyses through direct combustion

•Added in Solid Phase Extraction to streamline sample prep in Organics

•Started using bags in TDS to increase efficiency

•Using IDEXX methods for micro wherever possible

•Shifted staffing to weekends to increase instrument run-time

Streamlining Workflow

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•Continue outreach to private well owners in partnership with the Virginia Extension Service

•Continue extensive data gathering at Research Center

•Apply for full-scale UIC permit in late 2018/early 2019

•On track to be recharging 100+ million gallons per day of SWIFT Water into the Potomac Aquifer by 2030, ensuring a sustainable water future for eastern Virginia

Next Steps

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•SWIFT continues to move forward without major impediments

•Support and cooperation of all stakeholders continues to be amazingly strong

Summary of Status

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More Info: SWIFTVA.com

EXTRA SLIDES

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Modeled Potomac Aquifer water levels with and without SWIFT

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•According to USGS

oUp to 50% of sea-level rise

may be due to land

subsidence

oUp to 50% of land

subsidence may be due

to aquifer compaction

Land subsidence – we are sinking

DEQ 2015

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hrsd’s swift: driving further

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