Budget Message / Highlights - Metropolitan Water Reclamation ...

METROPOLITAN WATER RECLAMATION DISTRICT OF GREATER CHICAGO
2009 BUDGET
In addition, a contract to handle approximately 30 percent of the solids stream at Stickney (approximately 55,000 dt), via an
alternative biosolids facility, was awarded in 2001 with operations starting in late 2008. Once this facility is operational, it is
anticipated that M&O will recognize a net budgetary increase of
approximately $5 to $7 million per year in costs to process and
utilize biosolids due to this alternative, but this alternative will
provide additional outlets for biosolids that do not compete with
our established markets.
In pursuing the use of cost effective outlets for our biosolids, we
have significantly reduced our biosolids inventory.
TREATMENT OF INTERCEPTED SEWER
FLOWS AND TARP CAPTURE
Several key District objectives, which are accomplished by the
M&O Department, are the collection of wastewater, including
TARP capture, and the treatment of these flows to meet all
permit requirements with an ongoing goal of improving water
quality in the Chicago area waterways. The charts on this page
show the long term trends of the District’s operation of the TARP
System, the improvement of plant performance and the resulting
improvement in the water quality of the receiving waterways.
The TARP Tunnel System is designed to capture the “first flush”
of the pollution load that would otherwise be discharged to the
waterways. In addition to maintaining the readiness of this $2.4
billion system, we are also charged with operating it to maximize
its available storage capacity upon arrival of rainstorms while
simultaneously minimizing the energy requirements and demand
charges associated with pumping the tunnels out. The ongoing
effort to minimize energy costs has been well documented over
the years. The effectiveness of M&O’s operation of the TARP
System can be seen from the steadily increasing quantities of
pollutants that have been captured by TARP over the years. The
District has estimated the concentration of various pollutants
found in combined sewer overflows that are captured by TARP
by multiplying these concentrations by the volume of flow
captured by TARP. The average annual capture of suspended
solids (SS), carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD)
and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) are 70.09, 25.4, and 2.5 million
pounds. This ongoing effectiveness of TARP operations is shown
in the bottom graph.
The intercepted wastewater flows and the pump out from TARP
are then treated at our water reclamation plants. In spite of
increasing flows due to the ongoing build out of TARP and the
associated increase of captured pollutants, our plants continue to
discharge a decreasing quantity of pollutants in their effluents.
This combined plant performance is shown for the North Side,
Stickney, and Calumet WRPs in the top graph. These plants
consistently discharge pollutant loadings well below those
allowed in their respective NPDES permits. To more fully
appreciate this achievement, it should be remembered that the
average daily treated flow at these three plants is approximately
1.4 billion gallons and none of these three plants have had an
NPDES permit violation for the parameters shown during the
represented time frame.
Pounds
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
M illions
2,000
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
0
1982 to 1997
1998
Stickney, Calumet, & North Side WRPs
Combined Effluent
1993 through 2007
(Average Daily Discharge)
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
Suspended Solids
Combined TARP Capture
Mainstream, Kirie, and Calumet
1982 through 2007
(Cumulative Pounds Captured)
1999
2000
Suspended Solids
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Ammonia Nitrogen
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Ammonia Nitrogen
245
245