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Article: Hong Kong's First Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Plant: Protecting A Nature Preserve At A Tourist Landmark
By Louisa Leung and Thomas Getting, P.E., BCEE
The Ngong Ping Wastewater treatment plant treats and then reuses the wastewater generated in the Ngong Ping tourist area in Hong Kong. It is situated in the watershed for the Shek Pik Reservoir and surrounded by country parks. Growth in the collection area is anticipated due to the opening of the newly completed Cable Car System. Other attractions include both the world's largest seated, outdoor, bronze Buddha, named the Tian Tin Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery. This area is considered to be environmentally sensitive due to the water supply catchment and the country parks surrounding the Lantau plateau. In order to protect the watershed water quality, the Ngong Ping Wastewater Treatment Plant utilizes the first tertiary treatment system in Hong Kong. To provide further protection of the watershed, the tributary collection system also collects stormwater from the tourist areas and the wastewater from Ngong Ping village. In case of unexpected high stormwater flows during the rainy season, there is an equalization tank on stand-by where ITT – Flygt ejectors have been installed. The treatment process generally consists of stand-by flow equalization, preliminary treatment, ITT-Sanitare ICEAS sequential batch reactors (SBR), ITT-Leopold dual media filters, ultra-violet (UV) disinfection and final chlorination. The treatment system reduces organic pollutants, suspended solids, nutrients, and pathogenic organisms to very low levels. In keeping with the tourist area the plant has an Information Center to reach out to the public to familiarize them with wastewater treatment.
To minimize the visual impact, a substantial portion of the facility is underground with the aboveground buildings designed to match the architecture of the other tourist facilities. The plant is located directly behind the terminus of the cable car system, so the facility is one of the first structures that tourists see when arriving by the Cable Car system. Due to its proximity to the cable car system and the tourist village, odorous gases generated in the facility are treated by a gas scrubbing system prior to discharge into the atmosphere.
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