Long-Term Residuals Management Options for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Managers for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) across the globe face tremendous challenges today, particularly in treating and managing their wastewater residuals. (“Residuals” is the term commonly used to identify grit, screenings, skimmings and biosolids removed from the wastewater at POTWs and ash from biosolids incinerators.) In addition to understanding treatment processes, meeting regulations, and managing significant budgets and personnel, managers must deal with the obstacles of negative public perceptions, complex politics, and difficult facility siting caused by the not-in-my-back-yard (NIMBY) syndrome.The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (hereinafter “District”) is committed to managing its residuals in safe and cost-effective manners. It was with this commitment that District personnel determined that a District-wide Residuals Management Study should be conducted to determine how it should manage its residuals over the next 25 years. In addition to numerous regulatory changes that the District, and other POTWs were facing, including potential regulatory changes under the Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge (40 CFR Part 503), the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Sections 112 and 129), and Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Regulation (40 CFR Part 258), the District was also concerned about aging process equipment, and potentially substantial increases in residuals disposal costs.As a result, District and CH2M Hill personnel embarked on a comprehensive review of residuals management options that will provide for the reliable and cost-effective management of the District's residuals on a long-term basis.This paper provides information concerning the District's current residuals management program, along with options investigated under the District-wide Residuals Management Study.