Largest U.S. Waste Plant Makes Strides On Nutrient Reduction

The largest wastewater treatment plant in the country is racking up success cutting nitrogen and phosphorus.

With the capacity to treat 384 million gallons of sewage a day, Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, D.C., is "the biggest facility of its kind on Earth," the Washington City Paper reported. Operated by the utility DC Water, it has handled the city's waste for 75 years.

The plant is working to reduce nutrient discharge in the Chesapeake Bay to meet regulatory standards and protect aquatic life, according to WTOP.

“The EPA says the wastewater treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay area, led by Blue Plains, have reduced their discharge of nitrogen into the bay by 57 percent and phosphorus by 75 percent. The target reductions in pollution have been reached a decade ahead of schedule,” the report said.

Advanced nutrient removal filters are part of the fix, the report said. The plant has an “Enhanced Nitrogen Removal” program to help it reach nutrient goals. One project under the umbrella of this program, per the utility:

Nitrogen Removal Facilities — This project includes a new or expanded facility to remove additional nitrogen from the wastewater prior to discharge to the Potomac River as well as any improvements to upstream processes that may be required to ensure the reliability of the new or expanded system.

Achieving the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement is one of the plant’s stated priorities. In 2010, Blue Plains broke ground on infrastructure projects designed to help it reduce nitrogen levels. The plant fights phosphorus with primary and secondary treatment processes, and this is stored in biosolids which are applied to land, according to DC Water.

George Hawkins, CEO of DC Water and head of the Blue Plains plant said: “Ten years ahead, 10 years ahead of the goals set, which when we set them seemed pretty steep, yet our industry has been able to meet that goal.” He added that the nutrient cuts are “a victory for human ingenuity and effort.”

Shawn Garvin, regional administrator for the U.S. EPA, commended the utility: “DC Water, in cooperation with Maryland, Virginia and the D.C. government, have taken giant size actions to reduce pollution here.”

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Nutrient Removal Solutions Center.