NEW AND IMPROVED PROCESS CONTROL AT THE BUFFALO SEWER AUTHORITY

The Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA), in order to achieve a more optimal performing and more efficient wastewater treatment facility, has instituted a new approach towards process control and operations. A Process Control Group, consisting of a professional engineer, certified operators and a process chemist, was formed to develop and implement process control strategies and to investigate new and innovative ways to operate.The development and adoption of a Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT) based process control program has resulted in a higher quality effluent with less biosolid generation. The development of formal written standard operating procedures (SOP) based on seasonal variations has resulted in more stable operating conditions.This paper will present additional strategies that emphasize biology-based control as well as strategies for optimizing process efficiencies. These strategies include control of filamentous bacteria, modified biological phosphorus control and chlorine minimization.