The next meeting of the Western Section of the Professional Wastewater Operators Committee will be held Thursday, May 21, 2015 and will be hosted by the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County at its French Broad River Water Reclamation Facility.  This is an open meeting, and membership is not required to attend.  Please feel free to share the agenda with others who may be interested.  

11:45am - 12:45pm Lunch

Fireplace Restaurant, 287 Weaverville Rd, Asheville, NC 28804 (828) 645-0321

An all you can eat buffet style home cooking restaurant. This restaurant is mid-range priced at $11 a plate. We hope you will join us for lunch before the technical discussion.

1:00pm - 2:00pm Technical Session

MSD Admin Building Board Room, 2028 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC 28804 (828) 254-9646

2:00pm - 3:00pm Plant Tour

French Broad River, 2025 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC 28804
                                       
The Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) operates the French Broad River Water Reclamation Facility, a 40 MGD wastewater treatment plant located in northern Buncombe County. MSD serves all of Buncombe County and northern Henderson County with 1000 miles of sewer line.  

The plant headworks utilizes an IDI bar screen and a Schreiber aerated grit and grease removal system.  Next, biological treatment is accomplished with 152 Rotating Biological Contactors (RBCs).  Solids are settled in an intermediate clarifier followed by 4 quads of Aqua-Aerobic disc filters.  Sodium hypochlorite is used for disinfection and sodium bisulfite is used for de-chlorination.  Solids removed in the intermediate clarifier and the disc filters are thickened and then de-watered using BDP belt filter presses.  The de-watered solids are then incinerated in a fluidized bed incinerator with a 40 dry ton per day capacity.  Finally, the plant utilizes the flow of the French Broad River to operate a 3,000 kw/hr. hydroelectric plant to offset plant power costs.

The technical session will present the findings of a three week study conducted at the French Broad River WRF of a ballasted clarification process called CoMag.  The CoMag, high rate, ballasted wastewater clarification system is being used in many wastewater facilities where economics, space limitations, and the need for high performance is required.  Typical applications include tertiary phosphorus removal, high rate primary treatment for wet weather and CSO treatment, load reduction and capacity enhancement for existing biological treatment plants, and many other difficult to treat solids removal applications.  At the French Broad River WRF, high rate, chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) is being evaluated to reduce the load and improve the nitrification capability and capacity of the existing RBC wastewater facility.  John Irwin, P.E. with Evoqua Water Technologies, LLC will present.
Program Schedule

Operators who have certifications issued by the WPCSOCC will receive 2.0 contact hours toward their continuing education requirement if they attend both the technical session and the plant tour. CE #01100602

DIRECTIONS TO FIREPLACE RESTAURANT FROM I-40 WESTBOUND
•    Merge onto I-240 W via EXIT 53B toward US-74 W/Asheville.
•    Merge onto I-26 W/US-70 W/US-19 N/US-23 N via EXIT 4A toward Woodfin/Weaverville.
•    Take EXIT 23 toward Woodfin/N Asheville/Merrimon Ave.
•    Turn right onto US-25 S/Running Ridge Rd.
•    Take the 1st left onto Weaverville Rd/US-25 N. Continue to follow Weaverville Rd.
•    287 WEAVERVILLE RD is on the right  

DIRECTIONS TO BUNCOMBE MSD ADMIN BUILDING FROM RESTAURANT
•    From the Fireplace, turn left to go south on Weaverville Rd/US-19 Bus S/US-23 Bus S.
•    Turn right onto US-25 N/Running Ridge Rd. Continue to follow Running Ridge Rd.
•    Merge onto I-26 E/US-70 E/US-19 S/US-23 S.
•    Take the Elk Mountain Rd exit, EXIT 24, toward Woodfin.
•    Keep right to take the ramp toward BUNCOMBE CO SCHOOL TRANS.
•    Turn slight right onto Elk Mountain Rd.
•    Turn left onto Riverside Dr/NC-251.
•    2028 RIVERSIDE DR is on the right.

DIRECTIONS FROM BUNCOMBE MSD ADMIN BUILDING TO WRF
•    Turn left going south on Riverside Dr/NC-251—the plant is on the right.