“Hypochlorite Heaven” A Hypochlorite System that Solves Hypochlorite Problems

Unified Sewerage Agency (USA) has converted four wastewater treatment plants from gaseous chlorine for disinfection to sodium hypochlorite. Multiple operational and maintenance problems arose that had not been anticipated. These included gassification, scaling, leakage, storage, mixing, safety issues and the increased cost of disinfection. We attempted to address all the problems that USA and other plants had encountered with hypochlorite in a re-design of the existing hypochlorite system at the Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tigard, Oregon. The new system, due on line in the fall of 2000, is an attempt to solve problems that occur with hypochlorite, significantly reduce hypochlorite usage, and increase the safety and reliability of the disinfection system.