The Water Research Foundation and utilities collaborate to fund energy-efficient nutrient management study

Jan 5, 2022

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has granted $200,000 for the project, Advancing Low-Energy Biological Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal (5083). The project will develop research and guidelines for the design, implementation, and operation of sustainable, low-energy processes for biological nutrient removal at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).

For WRRFs, nutrient management is key to addressing water quality issues in watersheds challenged with rapid urbanization and a growing population. While conventional biological nutrient removal (BNR) technologies are effective, they are energy and cost-intensive.

Led by a principal research team of Dr. Jose Jimenez (Brown and Caldwell), Dr. Belinda Sturm (University of Kansas), and Dr. Leon Downing (Black & Veatch), the project will advance low dissolved oxygen (DO) BNR to intensify wastewater treatment processes and significantly reduce energy demands and chemical dependency. The approximately $1 million project is partly funded by WRF’s Research Priority Program, with $800,000 in-kind contributions from several utility partners.

“This important study seeks to pave the way for full-scale implementation of low DO BNR to improve effluent quality while significantly reducing the energy footprint of water resource recovery facilities. Our team is proud to partner with WRF to help utilities meet stringent nutrient effluent limits while maximizing the use of existing infrastructure.”
University of Kansas Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Belinda Sturm

The research will utilize bench-scale, pilot-scale, and full-scale testing at several WRRFs throughout the U.S. to cover a host of influent and operational conditions to develop a fundamental understanding of low DO BNR implementation at WRRFs. Additionally, the research aims to develop innovative process control strategies, combining aeration control with process intensification strategies such as selective wasting and sludge densification.

This breakthrough approach is being studied as part of Brown and Caldwell’s BC:Ntensify® suite of process intensification solutions, developed to help utilities do more with less through improved process capacity, effluent quality, chemical and energy savings, and resource recovery.

Scheduled for completion by year-end 2022, project results will provide a practitioner’s blueprint/guidance document which synthesizes key findings for implementing low DO BNR for use by utilities, consulting firms, and other practitioners.

The guidance will:

Explain the fundamental mechanisms associated with low DO BNR operation.
Provide a decision tree for low DO BNR compared to other low energy BNR technologies to assist in utility decision-making.
Provide design, operation, and process modeling guidelines for low DO BNR.
Outreach and technology transfer to utilities evaluating low energy BNR technologies with a view to full-scale process development.

At its core, the project seeks to reduce the environmental footprint and ratepayer costs of essential wastewater treatment.

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About The Water Research Foundation

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public. For more information, visit www.waterrf.org.

Rich D’Amato appointed to Water For People Board of Directors

Dec 16, 2021

DENVER, Colo. — Water For People, a global non-profit working to develop lasting quality water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in nine countries, is pleased to welcome Katherine Milligan, Pauline Idogho, Shannon Music, and Rich D’Amato to the Board of Directors.

“Water For People is honored to welcome these accomplished individuals to our Board. I am looking forward to working with the new members. Their expertise, skills, and knowledge will help Water For People continue to grow. They will be key players in advancing Water For People’s efforts to implement our new Destination 2030 strategy and increasing our impact.”

Eleanor Allen, CEO of Water For People

Katherine Milligan

Katherine is a Director at the Collective Change Lab, a think tank and capacity builder that provides social change leaders with practical inspiration, insight, and guidance on how to do the work of systems change. Named a “Top 100 Women in Social Entrepreneurship” by the Euclid Network, Katherine is affiliated with many innovation and entrepreneurship networks, including as a founding member of the Geneva Innovation Movement, an elea Fellow at IMD Business School Center For Social Innovation, an Accelerate2030 Advisory Council Member, an Unreasonable Mentor, and an advisor to The Wellbeing Project. She teaches courses on social innovation and entrepreneurship at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and Fordham University and is the author of over 17 publications, articles, and blogs published by International Institute of Economics, Stanford Social Innovation Review, MIT journal Innovations, Forum Agenda, and the Harvard Business School. Previously, she was the Executive Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the sister organization of the World Economic Forum, which supports the largest community of late-stage social entrepreneurs in the world. Katherine received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University where she was a Pforzheimer Scholar and Sheldon Knox Fellow.

Pauline Idogho

Pauline is the Founder/CEO of Mocktail Club, a line of premium crafted ready-to-drink non-alcoholic cocktails inspired by her quest to find sophisticated and better-for-you alternatives to alcohol. Prior to founding the company, Pauline had a 15-year career in investment banking, international development, and renewable energy finance. This included companies such as the International Finance Corporation (the private arm of the World Bank), Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo, and the AES Corp. She has lived, worked, and traveled in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, which helped to inspire the rich and sophisticated flavor profiles of the Mocktail Club line. One percent of Mocktail Club’s sales go to support clean water access globally through donations to Water for People. Pauline is also the Treasurer and head of the Finance Committee of the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA). Pauline holds a B.A. in Economics from Howard University and MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Shannon Music

Shannon is Co-Director of VIVA Idea, a think-action tank that contributes to solving the key sustainability issues in Latin America through research, capacity building, and knowledge management. She is Co-Chair of the Board of the Central American chapter of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investing (GSG) or Plataforma de Inversión de Impacto Centroamericana (PiiC). Ms. Music also serves on the Boards of VIVA Trust, FIFCO, the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), and her family skating rink business. She sits on the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee of the Lincoln School Board. She was Interim COO for the Social Progress Imperative (SPI), where she helped develop the methodology for measuring social and environmental progress around the world. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group and was Program Manager at New Sector Alliance. She has an MBA, MPA, and Psychology degree from Harvard University. Ms. Music lives in Costa Rica with her husband and three children.

Rich D’Amato

Rich is the CEO of Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction services firm. He excels in developing strategy and leading teams to deliver innovative services and solutions to municipal and private sector clients throughout North America and the Pacific. Throughout his 30-year career, Rich has worked in operations and maintenance, consulting, process engineering, design, and construction businesses focused on developing client solutions for environmental, water, and wastewater infrastructure. He advocates for inclusive workplace culture and empowers staff to create an environment that works for everyone. He promotes diversity and inclusion through participation in numerous employee networking groups at Brown and Caldwell, including pride alliance, women at BC, and rising professionals. He regularly participates at industry conferences and panel discussions around diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Additionally, Rich is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Brown and Caldwell and a member of the Leadership Council for Water For People. He previously served on various non-profit boards, including the Board of Directors for the National Association of Water Companies.

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About Water For People

Founded in 1991 in Denver, Colorado, Water For People is a global nonprofit working across nine countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa to achieve lasting access to clean water and sanitation services. Water For People brings together communities, local entrepreneurs, and governments to build, operate, and maintain their own systems so that every family, health clinic, and school has access to safe water and sanitation that will last for generations to come. This impact model is called Everyone Forever. Learn more at www.waterforpeople.org.

An industry in transition (part 3 of 3): Watershed replenishment

Dec 13, 2021

An industry in transition (part 2 of 3): water risks to data centers

Dec 6, 2021

Camarillo doubles local potable water supply as desalter plant comes online

Dec 6, 2021

CAMARILLO, Calif. — The City of Camarillo has announced the start-up and commissioning of its North Pleasant Valley (NPV) Groundwater Desalter Plant, moving the city closer to a more self-reliant, affordable potable water future.

For nearly two decades, groundwater quality in the northern portion of the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basin in Ventura County continuously declined due primarily to the infiltration of poor-quality surface water. These challenges compelled the city to reduce groundwater pumping and increase the blending of imported water with Wells A and B, two of Camarillo’s largest wells.

Thus, imported water made up 60% of Camarillo’s water supply. Local groundwater accounted for the remaining 40%.

The new desalter plant doubles water supply production from local groundwater sources, reducing the dependence on imported water and saving customers an estimated $43 million over the next 20 years.

Under construction since the fall of 2019, the $66.3 million desalter project is an immediate water supply solution with many local and regional benefits as described by City Director of Public Works Dave Klotzle:

“This once-in-a-generation project creates an affordable, drought-resistant potable water supply while serving an estimated 43,000 people within the City’s water service area. By removing salts from the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basin and reducing basin degradation, the project helps preserve this natural resource in the region.”

Designed by Brown and Caldwell and constructed by W.M. Lyles Co., the initial phase of the desalter plant can treat 4,500 acre-feet per year (AFY) of salty groundwater from the Calleguas Creek watershed. Treatment will yield up to 3,800 AFY of high-quality drinking water using greensand filtration and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies.

The greensand filters will remove naturally occurring iron and manganese. The RO water purification process uses a semi-permeable membrane to filter out unwanted, dissolved molecules, contaminants, and other parameters like chlorine and salt from drinking water. RO cleans water down to a molecular level, leaving only pure H2O behind.

The projected 11 million tons of salt removed from the watershed annually will be sent to the Pacific Ocean via an existing ocean outfall, helping state, federal, and local stakeholders meet regulations to protect the watershed’s long-term health. Furthermore, reducing water imports will enhance the Bay-Delta ecosystem through reduced diversions and increase habitat for endangered species.

New infrastructure associated with the desalter project includes nine monitoring wells at three locations, connection to Calleguas Municipal Water District’s Salinity Management Pipeline, and conveyance pipelines to connect the refurbished Wells A and B to the treatment site and transport treated water to the City’s system.

Forming the design project team, Separation Processes, Inc. brought leading RO design, and Platt/Whitelaw Architects provided sustainable facility architectural design and energy efficiency expertise.

“This is a landmark moment for Camarillo’s long-term water future,” said Brown and Caldwell Project Manager Andrew Lazenby. “We applaud the City’s visionary approach to reclaiming and reusing groundwater and doing so in a way that is both cost-effective for customers and beneficial to the environment.”

The NPV Groundwater Desalter Plant has been configured to include educational elements, including tours, informational signage, and learning opportunities for students and the public.

Brown and Caldwell’s Rod Pope elected DBIA Fellow

Dec 1, 2021

DENVER, Colo. — Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm, today announced Vice President Rod Pope has been inducted to the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) College of Fellows.

DBIA is an association of leaders in the design and construction industry utilizing design-build and integrated project delivery methods to achieve high-performance projects. Its prestigious fellow status acknowledges the achievements, stature, and contributions of the institute’s most accomplished designated design-build professionals based on input from industry peers and leaders.

Pope’s impressive 44-year water and wastewater career has focused on design-build project delivery. He has presided over $1.4 billion in projects as an owner’s advisor, design partner, and design-builder. Delivery methods have included fixed fee and progressive design-build for the award-winning construction, expansion, and rehabilitation of water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, and conveyance pipelines throughout the U.S.

“I’m delighted Rod’s peers have awarded his dedication to advancing design-build delivery with this prestigious recognition. Rod has distinguished himself throughout the industry for his technical innovation and his ability to collaborate with owners and the broader engineering, design, and construction community. All at Brown and Caldwell are proud of Rod’s achievements and grateful for his leadership.”

Brown and Caldwell CEO Rich D’Amato

Pope’s most notable project involvement is his role as project executive on the $300 million progressive design-build expansion to the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility for Fulton County, Georgia. Currently under construction, the project to increase capacity, replace aging infrastructure, and produce cleaner water, is the largest single capital expansion project in the county’s history. The project is being delivered by the design-build joint venture of Archer Western and Brown and Caldwell.

Outside of project responsibilities, Pope advocates for the design-build profession through involvement on several national and regional committees, engagements with academia/universities, and presenting at technical conferences.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Pope is a licensed professional engineer in numerous states, a certified design-build professional, and holds a master’s in sanitary engineering and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Georgia Tech.

An industry in transition (part 1 of 3): data center water use

Nov 29, 2021

Water reuse: a California perspective

Nov 23, 2021

Principles of O&M engagement for design-build projects

Nov 18, 2021

Brown and Caldwell’s Natalie Sierra appointed vice chair of the Water Environment Federation’s Residuals and Biosolids Committee

Nov 17, 2021

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has appointed Brown and Caldwell’s Natalie Sierra as vice chair of its Residuals and Biosolids Committee (RBC) with immediate effect.

The RBC develops, recommends, and conducts programs to provide information on management options, regulatory compliance, and environment-friendly practices for residuals and biosolids.

Bringing over 20 years of biosolids treatment, management, and planning experience, Sierra will help drive the RBC’s mission to educate WEF members, the public, and policymakers on complex residuals and biosolids issues and encourage stakeholder collaboration per the role’s scope.

As Brown and Caldwell Solids and Energy National Practice Lead, she has led numerous large-scale biosolids management strategies for utilities across the country. Her expertize includes end-use planning, solids treatment technology assessment, co-digestion methods, waste-to-energy applications, and regulatory management.

In the role of RBC vice chair, she will work with committee and WEF members to support and promote cost-effective, science-based biosolids and energy technology practices and policies related to municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater residuals for environmental protection.

With a passion for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, Sierra aims to boost the participation and visibility of underrepresented groups within the committee, WEF, and the industry as a whole. Furthermore, she will act as an ambassador to assist the RBC in advancing the industry through recruiting, mentoring, and developing the residuals and biosolids profession.

“I’m thrilled Natalie is taking on this WEF leadership role. Her technical expertise and insight, paired with a dedication to inclusivity, will benefit the industry as we strive to boost young professional interest and positively impact our communities.”
Brown and Caldwell Chief Technical Officer Cindy Paulson

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Sierra is a licensed professional engineer and holds a master’s in water resources engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s in agricultural and biological engineering from Cornell.

Poop-derived fruits are known to grow in sewage plants

Nov 1, 2021

Data center water sustainability and stewardship

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