VERIFICATION TESTING OF HIGH-RATE DISINFECTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR WET WEATHER FLOW APPLICATIONS

Vendors are offering a number of technological solutions to communities and industries seeking cost-effective means for controlling and abating the impacts of wet weather sources of pollution. Whether considering an emerging technology or a new application of an existing technology to address a wet weather flow (WWF) concern, prospective buyers need objective performance data in order to make informed purchasing decisions. As part of the US Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA's) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program, the Wet Weather Flow Technologies Pilot (WWF Pilot) verifies the performance of commercial-ready technologies by generating quality-assured data using test protocols developed with broad-based stakeholder input. Verification of a technology under the ETV Program should reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the need for further on-site pilot or demonstration testing prior to selection and installation. Technically sound Verification Protocols are developed to ensure that all. Verification Reports are of real value to the equipment purchasers and permitters. NSF International is the verification partner organization working with the US EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory to conduct the WWF Pilot.This paper describes the critical components for the ETV verification of ultraviolet disinfection technologies for treating combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows and of mechanical induction mixers for dispersion of chemical disinfectants in WWFs.This paper describes the stakeholder-based process employed by the WWF Pilot to develop generic Verification Protocols and site-specific Verification Test Plans for these technologies. It discusses the challenges associated with developing protocols that can be applied to multiple vendors' products at one or more test sites. The WWF Pilot seeks to balance the desire for comprehensive testing that fully characterizes equipment performance under a variety of water quality and facility conditions against the need to keep testing costs reasonable so as to attract interest among technology vendors. Testing of each technology calls for using, at least in part, simulated WWFs in a laboratory or field setting. The benefits of using simulated flows are described, as are the potential limitations associated with applying the data to actual wet weather collection systems. Final Verification Protocols and the results of the initial verification efforts in each category will be discussed.