Dual Stage Screening System Safeguards Largest MBRs In Chesapeake Bay Case Study

Requirements to improve water quality forced the Borough of Mifflinburg to upgrade their facility  to meet regulatory limits for Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus. Recognizing the need  for  change, management asked Herbert, Rowland, & Grubic to prepare a capital improvement plan and  evaluate the best course of action to meet future wastewater treatment needs.

Now  with  the   capacity  to   treat   4.4   million  gallons  of  wastewater  per   day (17,000 m3/day),  the  Mifflinburg wastewater treatment  plant is one  of the  largest MBRs in operation throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, which includes six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Effective  screening  has long  been   a  key  concern for  MBR owners,  operators, and  engineers. Membrane fouling is the  most serious problem affecting system performance and  is a direct result of suspended solids in the wastewater that can damage membranes, decreasing their efficiency, and  dramatically increasing their lifecycle costs. Consequences to  fouling include increased power  consumption, backwashing, cleaning, and  replacement. The mechanical screens installed at any MBR facility provide critical frontline protection to maximize the membrane systems efficiency and integrity.