How Can Seasonal Establishments Treat Their Wastewater Economically?

By Roger Lacasse, Vice-President, Research & Development, Premier Tech Aqua

Opened a few months per year, seasonal establishments typically experience important fluctuations in the number of visitors. Energy consumption and operating expenses must continually be analysed and optimized. The implementation of efficient energy management practices and the integration of innovative wastewater treatment solutions that can improve their cost-efficiency ratio have become major sources of savings for this whole industry.

Context

The Mont-Saint-Mathieu Ski and Convention Resort has seen its patronage quadruple in the last few years thanks to major efforts to modernise its infrastructures. The construction of a residential development and cottages at the bottom of the ski hills are also in their plans.

Across the street, the Camping KOA Bas-Saint-Laurent is mostly busy in the summer time. Its owners are also planning an expansion project which will triple the number of camping sites offered to visitors.

Unable to connect to the existing municipal wastewater network, the onsite treatment solution would have to treat the wastewaters of both sites and resist to peak flows at opposite periods of the year.

Challenges

The existing septic installations, conventional disposal fields, could not support this type of growth and were unable to treat phosphorous levels present in the final discharge into nearby Saint-Mathieu Lake. Struggling with recurrent blue-green algae blooms, all phosphorous reject into the lake would have to be avoided.

The area where the treatment station would be installed would be provided by the ski resort, but the building housing the system would be very visible. The solution needed to be very compact and the building housing the system had to blend well with the surrounding environment.

Finally, the permeable soils, mountainous and rocky topography of the area and the proximity of both sites to the sensitive area would not permit any soil infiltration.

Solution

The owners assumed 100 percent of the construction costs related to any elements of the treatment station they use exclusively and 50 percent of the elements they share. The operational expenses are then allocated depending on each partner’s use, an agreement offering them important savings and the possibility to move forward with their respective development plans.

Ecoprocess MBR

An ideal technology for phosphorus reduction, Ecoprocess MBR ensures an effluent of exceptional quality. It is the simplest, most compact and efficient way to meet the strictest discharge requirements. Delivered on sites in preassembled and robust modules, treatment stations incorporating Ecoprocess MBR are recommended when the final footprint must be reduced to a minimum and where discharge requirements are the most restrictive. Easy to operate, the system also allows simplified interventions for the operator.

Premier Tech Aqua Treatment Station

With a footprint 90 percent smaller than a conventional disposal field, the area required for the entire Premier Tech Aqua Treatment (PTA) treatment station— including the pumping station, sludge holding and equalization tanks and membrane bioreactor—covers a total of 2500 sq ft. The building housing the membranes, control panel, and any equipment more sensitive to harsh weather covers barely 560 sq ft.

A third water inlet was installed in anticipation of the ski resort’s expansion plans and the treatment station was designed to treat up to 22,000 US gpd to meet the needs of the future development plans of both sites.

The process engineers and technical advisors from PTA provided their full support to the owners before, during, and after the start-up of the project. Since then, the wastewater services technicians from PTA have provided comprehensive environmental sampling and preventive follow-ups services specifically adapted to the needs of both the Mont-Saint-Mathieu Ski Resort and the Camping KOA.

Raw Waters Characteristics

Environmental Discharge Objectives (EDO) 

Treatment Performance

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