AWWA SOURCES55668

Michelson Water Reclamation Plant (MWRP), located in the Irvine Ranch Water District in south central Orange County, California, provide tertiary treatment for a nominal 15 million gallons per day (mgd) with a final effluent being used mostly for unrestricted irrigation as defined by State of California, Title 22 requirements. The existing facilities at MWRP consist of headworks; primary clarifiers; flow equalization basins; secondary treatment with activated sludge aeration basins and secondary clarifiers; dual-media filters; and chlorine disinfection. The primary objective of this pilot study was to test the effectiveness of a membrane bio-reactor (MBR), specifically the ZenoGem process supplied by Zenon Corporation in treating wastewater at MWRP. Other objectives of the testing were: explore option(s) to accommodate the membrane system by reconfiguring one of the existing aeration basins; (nitrification/denitrification) efficiencies utilizing the ZenoGem system; use PRO2D modeling to predict performance of a full-scale MBR system, and estimate construction and operation and maintenance costs for Zenon MBR plant upgrade and compare with costs of the plant upgrade using the conventional activated sludge process. determine preliminary design parameters that will provide a basis for further evaluation for a full- scale plant design; and, test the effectiveness of ZenoGem in removing California Toxic Rule (CTR) toxins. Includes tables, figures.