Orange County Utilities ANNUAL BIOSOLIDS REPORT

Transcription

1 Orange County Utilities 2011 ANNUAL BIOSOLIDS REPORT

2 Introduction Orange County Utilities (OCU) provides water, wastewater, and solid waste services to the unincorporated areas of Orange County, Florida. OCU operates the South Water Reclamation Facility (SWRF), which has a treatment capacity of 43 million gallons per day (MGD); the Eastern Water Reclamation Facility (EWRF), which has a treatment capacity of 24 MGD; and the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility (NWRF), which has a treatment capacity of 7.5 MGD. OCU also maintains 1,777 miles of wastewater pipes and 707 wastewater pump stations. EMS Certification In 2007, OCU s Biosolids Management System (BMS) was the first program in Florida to receive the National Biosolids Partnership s (NBP) certification. It is still the only utility in the state with this recognition. To achieve certification, OCU committed to following the NBP s Code of Good Practice, creating avenues for public participation, and completing a third-party audit verifying that OCU s BMS supports excellence in biosolids management practices. OCU continues to maintain this certification by operating under the BMS requirements and following the NBP s Code of Good Practice. In 2011, the BMS program went through interim audits #3 and #4 for the years 2010 and The program maintained its platinum status based on the results of the audits. A copy of the most recent audit report is available on the Orange County, Florida website at In addition, internal audits were conducted in different areas of the program to ensure compliance with the certification requirements. Biosolids Land Application In 2011, the three regional water reclamation facilities produced approximately 11,471 dry tons of biosolids. Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from wastewater treatment. OCU s biosolids are land applied as fertilizer. Land applying biosolids is an environmentally responsible means of sustaining the production of Florida s agricultural lands for future generations. The SWRF produced 4,730 dry tons of Class B biosolids that met the standards of direct agricultural land application. These biosolids were land applied at Deer Park Ranch by T. Wayne Hill Trucking, Inc. In December 2011, the County awarded the SWRF Biosolids Management Contract to H&H Liquid Sludge Disposal, Inc., who continued land applying at Deer Park Ranch. Page 2

3 2011 OCU Biosolids Production, Dry Tons SWRF 4,730, 41% EWRF 5,272, 46% NWRF 1,469, 13% The 6,741 dry tons of combined biosolids produced at the EWRF and the NWRF were hauled to Shelley s Environmental Systems, a private residuals management facility (RMF), for additional treatment before being transported to agricultural land application sites. Shelley s uses Deseret Ranch and Cowart Ranch for a majority of the biosolids produced at the EWRF and NWRF. This contractor also obtained a fertilizer license from the Florida Department of Agriculture and has started to produce a Class AA product that is marketed and distributed as fertilizer OCU Biosolids Use, Dry Tons Deer Park Ranch 4,730, 41% Shelley's RMF 6,741, 59% Page 3

4 Biosolids Program Accomplishments in 2011 Two annual audits successfully completed in accordance with the NBP s Biosolids Management Program certification requirements. A capital improvement project to rehabilitate all four anaerobic digesters, which have been in service for more than 25 years, was initiated at the SWRF. Due to the length of their service and operating environment, they all needed to be repaired and refurbished in order to extend their life. The digesters are used to stabilize biosolids produced at the facility in order to meet Class B pathogen reduction and vector attraction requirements prior to dewatering them in four belt filter presses. This digestion process also produces digester gas, which can be recovered and used as a fuel source. As part of this ongoing construction contract, all of the concrete tanks will be cleaned, inspected, and painted as needed, existing digester steel covers will be demolished and replaced with two new gas-holding floating digester covers, and modifications will be made to two concrete dome covers and the digester gas collection piping. A new digester gas booster pump and a supply line to existing boilers will also be installed in addition to required instrumentation and electrical control system and SCADA automation integration. This project will also add provisions to implement energy recovery options. Because of this energy recovery option, this project received approval for a partial grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. After completion of the design by our consultant and County approval, a construction contract was awarded. OCU initiated two design projects to replace the existing belt filter dewatering equipment at the EWRF and SWRF with Centrifuge dewatering equipment. Construction projects are planned to begin in 2012 and to be completed in The Centrifuge equipment will improve the quality of biosolids with high solid content and reduce the overall biosolids hauling costs. The SWRF developed a Request for Proposal for the polymer mixing system, which allowed for a more competitive bidding process. This change saved the County approximately 50% in polymer prices. Polymer assists in thickening and dewatering biosolids. Regulatory Issues The Florida Department of Environmental Protection adopted revisions to the F.A.C Biosolids Rule. Some of the major changes include the requirement of Application Site Permitting and the development of the Nutrient Management Plan for the application sites. The County has been monitoring the rule-making and implementation process and preparing for the changes, which will be effective starting January Management Support OCU s management staff is committed to following the NBP s Code of Good Practice and managing biosolids in an environmentally beneficial manner. Page 4

5 Recertification Process In 2012, OCU s Biosolids Management Program will go through a recertification audit in accordance with NBP requirements. The audit is scheduled to be held November at the County s water reclamation facilities. Anyone interested in observing this audit or providing input on the Biosolids Management Program may contact the Water Reclamation Division at or by at Water.Reclamation@ocfl.net. For more information about the NBP, please visit We value your feedback! Orange County Utilities maintains a list of parties that are interested in our Biosolids Management System (BMS). If you would like to be added to our interested parties list or if you would like more information about our BMS, please visit or contact the Orange County Utilities Water Reclamation Division by phone at , by at Water.Reclamation@ocfl.net, or write to: Orange County Utilities Water Reclamation Division 9150 Curry Ford Road 3 rd Floor Orlando, Florida Para más información, por favor llame al Departamento de Servicios Públicos del Condado de Orange y pida hablar con un representante en español. El número de teléfono es Page 5