Wastewater Treatment Workgroup

Upcoming Meetings

No upcoming meetings.

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Scope and Purpose

The scope of the Wastewater Treatment Workgroup (WWTWG) is to facilitate implementing regulatory approaches to wastewater treatment in the Bay watershed. The group is mostly composed of state and federal National Pollution Discharge Elimination System managers from around the Bay watershed.

The purpose of the workgroup is to:

  • Track and report wastewater data. Track and report on wastewater nutrient and sediment point source loads from both significant and non-significant facilities, and septic sewer systems.
  • Identify and evaluate new wastewater treatment technologies. Discuss the implementation of new wastewater treatment technologies to remove nutrients and sediments. Activities include initiating panel reports on specific topics.
  • Engage in peer-to-peer learning and provide a discussion forum. That is, sharing regulatory approaches to improve wastewater treatment to help improve water quality. Exchange information between the Bay partners, stakeholders, and the Chesapeake Bay Program on point source nutrient and sediment removal and the associated implementation costs.
  • Leverage resources. Identify and harness opportunities with other workgroups on co-benefits associated with reducing wastewater and septic nutrient loads in the Bay watershed. Provide and receive information (e.g., data, models, methods, and approaches) from other workgroups and committees.
  • Respond to Water Quality Goal Implementation Team. Initiate and coordinate activities on wastewater topics in response to WQGIT requests.

Projects and Resources

Phase 6 Model Review Resources

Repository for resources related to the WWTWG's review of the Phase 6 Watershed Model documentation.

General phase 6 model and midpoint assessment resources, webinar links, and a log of fatal flaw comments are available under WQGIT Projects and Resources: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/who/group/water_quality_goal_implementation_team

Link to wastewater calibration data: https://archive.chesapeakebay.net/?prefix=VT/Phase_6_Calibration_Data_Review/1-Wastewater/

Link to draft Phase 6 Model documentation: https://archive.chesapeakebay.net/?prefix=Modeling/Phase6/Draft_Phase_6/Documentation/

Please contact Michelle Williams, WWTWG staffer (williams.michelle@epa.gov) with any questions.

Publications

Advanced OWTS BMP Panel report

The Chesapeake Bay On-site Wastewater Nitrogen Removal BMP Expert Review Panel was reconvened to specifically evaluate two proposed BMPs:

  1. Drip irrigation (at a higher TN reduction credit than currently given under the “Shallow-Placed, Pressure-Dosed Dispersal” BMP) and
  2. Peat biofiltration systems discharging to a pad or trench

Upon review of available data, the Panel recommends creating a new, creditable BMP for Drip Irrigation, which has been shown to result in a 50 percent net TN reduction through Zone 1 in the drainfield. Qualifying characteristics for the new BMP, which are described in detail in the report, require the use of pressure compensating emitters, maximum not to exceed loading rates for three different soil types and exclusion of the credit for drip systems installed in Type I (sand textured) soils.

The Panel recommends that peat systems discharging to a pad or trench not be included by the CBP as a new BMP. In particular, existing data were from studies not designed to explicitly address nitrogen removal and the TN results were highly variable and thus inconclusive. The data do appear to support crediting peat filters a 20 percent net TN reduction as an ex situ BMP, consistent with similar technologies which fall under creditable BMPs: Intermittent Media Filters and NSF Standard 40 Systems.

The Panel further recommends that the CBP track efforts underway in EPA Regions 1 and 2 to develop nitrogen sensors specific to monitoring on-site wastewater systems and to consider using such sensors (or other appropriate methods) to verify the performance of BMPs that have been approved and are being implemented in the watershed. Recommendations for outstanding research questions are also provided (the reader is further referred to the 2014 predecessor report on OWTS Nitrogen Removal BMPs and the 2016 OWTS Nitrogen Attenuation report for additional recommendations for the CBP).

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Members
Matt Ries (Chair), DC Water as the Director of Sustainability and Watershed Management, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority
Address:
1385 Canal St SE
Washington, DC, districtOfColumbia 20003

Email:  Matt.Ries@dcwater.com
Phone:  (202) 787-2140
Jackie Pickford (Staffer), Water Quality Goal Implementation Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
Address:
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, maryland 21401

Email:  pickford.jacqueline@epa.gov
Robin Pellicano, Maryland Department of the Environment
Address:
1800 Washington Blvd
Baltimore, maryland 21230

Email:  rpellicano@mde.state.md.us
Phone:  (410) 537-4215
Zachary Steckler, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Address:
P.O. Box 8774
Harrisburg, pennsylvania 17105

Email:  zsteckler@pa.gov
Phone:  (717) 787-4003
John Rebar, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Address:
89 Kings Highway
Dover, delaware 19901

Email:  John.Rebar@delaware.gov
Dana Hales, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 3
Address:
1650 Arch Street
Phiadelphia, pennsylvania 19103

Email:  hales.dana@epa.gov
Phone:  (215) 814-2928
Megan Thynge, Deputy Data Center Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Address:
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, maryland 21401

Email:  thynge.megan@epa.gov
Phone:  (410) 267-5786
George Onyullo, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
Address:
1200 First St. NE
5th Floor
Washington, districtOfColumbia 20002

Email:  george.onyullo@dc.gov
Rashid Ahmed, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Address:
625 Broadway
Albany, newYork 12233

Email:  rashid.ahmed@dec.ny.gov
Allan Brockenbrough, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Address:
629 East Main St
Richmond, virginia 23219

Email:  abrockenbrough@deq.virginia.gov
Phone:  (804) 698-4147
Dave Montali, Tetra Tech
Address:
601 57th St SE
Charleston, westVirginia 25304

Email:  dave.montali@tetratech.com
Phone:  (304) 414-0054 x104
Adrienne Kotula, Chesapeake Bay Commission
Address:
60 West Street
Annapolis, maryland 21401

Email:  Akotula@chesbay.us