Solving Scarcity With MBR, Water Reuse

The Red Hawk Casino is located in Shingle Springs Rancheria, approximately 40 miles east of Sacramento, CA. This location has a limited supply of potable water. Water supplied by the El Dorado Irrigation District alone would not meet the total demand of the casino. Therefore, the casino decided to reduce its potable water demand by building a water reuse facility. The recycled water would be used for toilet flushing, fire protection, and landscaping. However, there was only one acre available for the new wastewater reclamation facility.

The new Shingle Springs WWTP receives wastewater from the Red Hawk Casino and nearby residential communities. The construction of the Shingle Springs WWTP started in May 2007 and finished in October 2008. The total installed cost of the plant was $9.23M, and it easily fit into the 1 acre site.

The operations staff, HydroScience Operations (HSO), has noted that the influent FOG, BOD, and TKN have regularly exceeded the design organic loading capacity during seasonal highs and weekends when more guests visit the casino. The influent BOD could range from 700 to 1,200 mg/L over the weekends. With a slight upgrade of the pre‐aeration fine bubble diffusers and blowers, the Shingle Springs WWTP continues to produce reuse water for the casino and the community.