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By
Grant Campbell
OCEAN OUTFALL
LEGISLATION
Six facilities in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties (two in each county)
discharge some 300 million gallons of treated domestic wastewater directly into the
Atlantic Ocean every day. At the same time, the demand for public water supply in these
three counties is projected to grow by that same amount—300 million gallons per day—
over the next 20 years to a total of almost 1.15 billion gallons per day. The traditional
sources of water supply in Southeast Florida—groundwater and the “Regional System”
(Everglades, Lake Okeechobee)—are being taxed beyond sustainability. Continuing
water restrictions associated with the current drought highlight the need to develop
“drought proof” alternative water supplies.
Only a small fraction of the wastewater at the six facilities is being beneficially reused
rather than discharged. Reuse of reclaimed water is a proven, safe, and economically
feasible substitute for potable water for urban and agricultural landscapes, industrial and
commercial uses, and augmenting or recharging surface and groundwater supplies.
Further treatment and filtering renders it a completely safe potable water source.
Outside of the three counties using ocean outfalls, 61% of Florida’s domestic wastewater
is reused every day—in these three counties, that figure is only 10%.
The wastewater that we throw away each day can be effectively captured, treated, and
reused to meet growing water supply demands. Continuing ocean outfall discharges
makes no sense, environmentally or otherwise.
The transition from ocean discharge to inland reuse will be costly, but not in comparison
to running out of water and the subsequent importation of water from other areas. This is
particularly true since the entire southeastern US is presently undergoing drought
conditions.
The cost of re-distribution can be managed over time and the investment will generate an
increasingly scarce and priceless commodity; high quality water, to meet future public
demand and protect coastal resources.
While some people advocate the reuse as a supply for irrigation purposes, as grey water,
this means an entirely new parallel distribution system; new piping systems to deliver
water to homes, farms and industrial facilities. By altering existing two-stage treatment
systems to tertiary treatment systems, the only additional infrastructure needed would be
a piping system from the treatment facilities to a holding area where natural filtering
would be achieved prior to re-introduction to our aquifers. This could result in as much as
a 60% saving in construction costs.
Tertiary treatment systems, functioning properly, produce a drinkable effluent, but further
natural filtering along with public education would help eliminate the stigma inherent to
re-using water.
The process involves primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. In the primary process
water passes thru screens, then to clarifying tanks where the lighter materials float to the
top and are skimmed off. The heavier material (or biosolids) drops to the bottom. The
biosolids are pumped out and go thru a separate process eventually becoming compost.
Secondary treatment sends wastewater through aeration basins injected with oxygen to
stimulate microorganisms, which consume any dissolved waste.
During tertiary treatment the water flows through a bed of coal, and eventually through
an ultra violet light process which removes bacteria and viruses by destroying their DNA.
It is then pumped into a holding area where the water is further filtered through woody
and herbaceous plants.
Finally, the water leaves the holding area for approved reuse purposes, including being
injected into the aquifer and into the well system
It is no secret that we are ruining our own environment, and sadly, the parties most
responsible for the ruination simply do not care. It is past time that we take control of our
future, and passing this legislation is a step in the right direction.