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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Hi All,</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Looking for ideas of what sort of discharge might have hit my plant.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>A. Influent Pre-treatment</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>1. Nothing unusual detected at the bar screen</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>B. Primary Tank:</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>1. No unusual smell or color.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>2. 6.9 pH is just slightly more acidic than usual</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>3. Bright white foam in Primary Effluent Channel (coming off of weirs).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Amount has decreased over the last couple of hours.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>C. Secondary</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>1.Biology very disrupted, protozoa mostly dead.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>2. Large amounts of fine solids present.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>3. Moderate amounts of light brown foam.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>D. Clarifier</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> 1. Covered in brown scum.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> 2. Channel after weirs have small amounts of bright white foam</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>3.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Losing solids</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>E. Post Tertiary</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>1. Large amounts of bright white foam in final effluent channel.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>2. Losing some solids (still meeting permit limit)</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>F. Effluent Flow Meter showed four spikes last night.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’m assuming these were actually large clumps of foam passing under the level sensor.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>G. Internal Flows</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is no indication that digester and belt press overflows have changed.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>H. Collection System</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Crews have been dispatched to check pump stations for foaming or other problems.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>No report yet.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>I. Most of our largest contributors (a college, laundry, hospital, and city facilities) report no unusual cleaning or maintenance activities over the weekend.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Still waiting to hear back from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Cornell</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We have very little in the way of industry in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ithaca</st1:place></st1:City>.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Knowing when the first flow spike happened and knowing our retention time, we were probably hit Sunday morning.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’m thinking that it was a slug since there is currently no foam in the influent building and the amount of foam in the primary effluent channel has been dropping.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Since we have foam and something toxic, I wonder if the cause might be a detergent with biocide.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Possibly a cooling tower cleaner?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Or possibly a degreaser?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Your ideas about what type of discharges to look for would be appreciated.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What lab tests should we do?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I assume we should test the primary and final effluent rather than the influent.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Are there any tests that can be done to quantify the amount and type of surfactants present?</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Currently, I’m considering a press release requesting information on any non-routine discharges.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>We have an active trucked waste program, though nothing we receive would cause these problems.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Other than leachate, our trucked waste is pumped into an anaerobic digester.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Thanks for your ideas!</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>Ed</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal></FONT> </P></DIV>
<DIV>Ed Gottlieb</DIV>
<DIV>Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator</DIV>
<DIV>Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility<BR>525 3<SUP><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">rd<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SUP> Street</DIV>
<DIV>Ithaca, NY 14850</DIV>
<DIV>(607) 273-8381</DIV>
<DIV>fax: (607) 273-8433</DIV></BODY></HTML>