Located near the Gulf shores of southern Alabama, the City of Foley is a coastal community with Southern charm. The area is a popular destination noted for its easy access to recreational water activities, top-rated golf courses, and a quaint historic downtown. The Riviera Utilities Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) at Wolf Creek serves the greater Foley area’s approximately 20,000 residents.
Riviera Utilities had been operating an outdated biological treatment system, consisting of 35-year-old oxidation ditches. The existing oxidation ditches were designed to treat an average flow of 2 MGD. Instead of adding an additional ditch to increase treatment capacity, Riviera Utilities sought to “future-proof” the plant and prepare to meet more stringent effluent requirements, including biological nutrient removal (BNR). Working with Aqua-Aerobic Systems Inc., a new AquaNereda system was designed to provide treatment for an average flow of 3.5 MGD and peak flow of 6 MGD.
AquaNereda® Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) technology is an advanced secondary wastewater treatment process that utilizes the attributes of granular biomass to provide biological treatment. The technology was chosen by Riviera Utilities for a number of reasons:
• The innate BNR capabilities provided by the layered microbial community of the granules enables the system to meet future TN and TP limits.
• The high operating MLSS in excess of 8 g/L significantly reduces settling time, minimizing system footprint by up to 75%.
• Up to a 50% decrease in energy use due to reduced equipment demand, smart aeration control, and improved substrate and oxygen utilization with granular sludge.
• The robust nature of the granules provides superior protection against plant upsets and toxic shocks compared to conventional activated sludge.
The AquaNereda technology at the Riviera Utilities WWTP consists of three biological treatment reactors capable of providing BNR for future TN and TP limits. Downstream polishing is performed by AquaDisk® Pile Cloth Media Filters capable of achieving BOD and TSS concentrations. WW
Aqua-Aerobic Systems Inc. provides advanced solutions in aeration and mixing, biological processes, cloth media filtration, membranes, disinfection and process control. Learn more at www.aqua-aerobic.com.
