INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL FROM PILOT STUDY THROUGH FULL SCALE OPTIMIZATION

Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District's East Canyon Water Reclamation Facility discharges effluent into the East Canyon Creek and East Canyon Reservoir, both of which are cold water fisheries. A TMDL study conducted by the State of Utah Division of Water Quality indicated that the ECWRF was the main contributor of phosphorus to these water bodies. High phosphorus concentrations are identified as the main cause of algal blooms and excessive plant growth in the system. As a result of the TMDL study a 0.1 mg/l total phosphorus discharge limit in the summer months and a yearly mass loading of 1,462 lb/yr were assigned to the facility. SBWRD commenced a facility upgrade project to meet the newly established discharge limits. Following start-up of the newly upgraded facility, an optimization study was conducted to determine the best possible performance that could be consistently achieved by the facility without further capital improvements. The results of the study indicate a total phosphorus concentration of 0.03 mg/l could be achieved.