Failing Lagoon System Gets New Life From MBR Retrofit

The Leoni Township's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) serves thirteen communities across three counties including the Michigan Speedway complex. A moratorium on growth was put in place until capacity and treatment issues with an aging aerated lagoon system could be addressed. In June of this year, construction of a new membrane bioreactor (MBR) System was completed under budget and ahead of schedule. The new, higher capacity, plant will exceed current and future permit requirements allowing for new development in the service area, protecting both public health and the environment.

Peak hydraulic flows and periodic spikes in ammonia pollution from the Speedway during race weeks, makes Leoni's sanitation system one of the largest in Michigan. OMM Engineering, Inc. evaluated MBR technology and selected the Enviroquip MBR System as the best value option to reliably handle variations in both flow and pollutant loading while still meeting, or exceeding, regulatory requirements. One of the primary drivers toward the MBR plant was the fact that the treatment plant discharges to one of the headwater tributaries to the Grand River, one of the largest watersheds in lower Michigan. The Michigan DNRE required that the effluent meet tight permit limits, including a 0.5 mg/l on ammonia, and a 0.33 mg/l on phosphorus.