Water Reclamation Facility Biosolids Upgrades

Jefferson City, Missouri, needed to reduce the operating costs of the biosolids processing at its Regional Water Reclamation Facility. Our team is providing progressive design-build services for upgrades to the facility.

The existing facility treats an average flow of about 8.2 million gallons per day (MGD) and is permitted for 11 MGD. Biosolids generated from the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treatment process are dewatered with two belt filter presses and stabilized with lime to achieve Class B biosolids. The city land-applies the biosolids at nearby agricultural sites.

The solids handling and treatment infrastructure at the existing facility is aging, and improved dewatering is desired to produce a drier biosolids cake and reduce associated operational costs. In 2021, our team completed a biosolids facility study outlining solids handling improvement alternatives to replace aging equipment and improve the solids handling efficiency.

In addition to evaluating the plant’s biosolids infrastructure, the study also analyzed the facility’s loadings, projections of future growth, and a forecast of regulatory trends to help identify system needs and deficiencies. An assessment of existing land application practices indicated that the current use of lime stabilization provided an economic and viable means of biosolids management into the future. Alternatives were developed that addressed the need to replace aging equipment and to optimize future biosolids operations. Recommendations included removal of the existing belt filter presses and installation of new centrifuges, new lime feed equipment, replacement of existing thickener equipment and other miscellaneous upgrades to system components.