First of Its Kind Multi-Tiered Wet Weather Flow Management at a Trickling Filter Facility

The cost of wet weather flow management is high, requiring both major capital expenditures along with increased operational costs. Wet weather treatment facilities at wastewater treatment plants can remain idle for long periods of time resulting in stranded assets for much of the year. The City of Baton Rouge’s South Wastewater Treatment Plant (SWWTP) installed a first of its kind multi-tiered wet weather flow management solution at a trickling filter facility that optimizes the use of existing and new facility assets during dry and wet weather. Four solids contact basins were constructed, with one of the four basins configured to be either a re-aeration or contact basin, depending on which of three alternative treatment modes are in operation. The improvements essentially double the secondary treatment capacity of the plant during wet weather events. The optimization affords operational staff flexibility to cost effectively manage wet weather flow while maintaining permit compliance.