IFAS System Doubles Ammonia Removal Capacity

In August of 2007, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued seasonal ammonia discharge limits for the Coldwater Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which included a daily maximum ammonia concentration of 2.0 mg/L between the months of May and November. The WWTP began to routinely exceed the new limits in the spring and summer of 2008, and as a result, the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities (CBPU) hired an engineering firm — Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber (FTC&H) — to investigate possible upgrades to the facility that would ensure compliance.