Emerging Trends

Another Observation From a Road Warrior: Emerging Challenges in Water and Wastewater

Across the water and wastewater industry, many utilities are facing similar challenges regardless of location.

During my travels throughout the country, I have seen communities in Arizona, Washington, California, New Jersey, and other states dealing with many of the same issues.

These challenges are not necessarily new, but they are becoming more widespread and more difficult for utilities to manage.

Aging Wastewater Infrastructure and Limited Funding

One of the most persistent challenges facing water and wastewater utilities is limited funding.

Many communities are operating treatment plants, collection systems, water mains, lift stations, and other infrastructure that has been in service for decades.

At the same time, utilities may be required to meet increasingly stringent treatment and discharge requirements.

This combination can create significant financial pressure, particularly for small and rural wastewater systems.

The Cost of Meeting New Permit Requirements

Changes to wastewater discharge permits can require utilities to:

  • Conduct additional laboratory testing

  • Upgrade treatment processes

  • Install new equipment

  • Improve nutrient removal

  • Increase monitoring and reporting

  • Hire or train additional operators

  • Construct new treatment facilities

For a small community, these requirements can represent a substantial financial burden.

In one example, a community with approximately 800 sewer connections was required to construct a wastewater treatment facility costing approximately $4.7 million to meet updated discharge requirements.

Situations such as this are often described by utility professionals as unfunded mandates because communities may be required to make major infrastructure improvements without receiving enough outside funding to cover the cost.

Aging Workforce and Wastewater Operator Shortages

Infrastructure is not the only thing aging in the water and wastewater industry.

Many utilities rely heavily on experienced operators and other longtime professionals who possess decades of institutional knowledge.

These seasoned professionals play an essential role in keeping water and wastewater systems operating, but many are approaching or have already reached traditional retirement age.

Attracting and training the next generation of operators has therefore become an important industry priority.

Building the Next Generation of Water and Wastewater Operators

Apprenticeship programs, technical schools, community colleges, and operator-training organizations can help introduce younger workers to careers in the water and wastewater industry.

Some colleges now offer certificate programs or associate degrees focused on:

  • Drinking water treatment

  • Wastewater treatment

  • Collection systems

  • Laboratory testing

  • Environmental technology

  • Utility operations

One program I have worked with is Clackamas Community College in Oregon, where I have had the opportunity to participate in water and wastewater training.

Similar educational and training programs can help utilities develop the skilled workforce needed to operate increasingly complex treatment systems.

Water and wastewater careers can offer long-term opportunities because communities will always require safe drinking water and reliable wastewater treatment.

More Complex Treatment Requires More Skilled Operators

New treatment requirements can also create staffing challenges.

As wastewater treatment processes become more complex, utilities may need operators with higher certification levels and more specialized technical knowledge.

At the same time, many facilities are already short staffed.

This can create a difficult situation in which communities invest millions of dollars in advanced treatment infrastructure but struggle to recruit and retain qualified personnel to operate it effectively.

Workforce development should therefore be considered alongside infrastructure investment.

Emerging Industrial and Commercial Wastewater Sources

Another growing challenge involves wastewater generated by new and changing industries.

Municipal wastewater systems may receive discharges from businesses and industrial processes that were not common when older pretreatment programs and sewer ordinances were originally developed.

Depending on the community, these businesses may include:

  • Agricultural processing facilities

  • Food and beverage manufacturers

  • Hemp-processing operations

  • Cannabis-related businesses

  • CBD-product manufacturers

  • Other emerging commercial or industrial operations

The specific wastewater characteristics can vary significantly from one business to another.

Potential concerns may include elevated:

  • BOD and COD

  • Nutrients

  • Suspended solids

  • Fats, oils, and grease

  • Cleaning chemicals

  • Solvents

  • Salts

  • Other high-strength or unusual wastewater constituents

Pretreatment Programs Must Continue to Evolve

As industries change, municipal industrial pretreatment programs should periodically evaluate new businesses and potential discharge sources within their service areas.

Understanding what is entering the collection system can help utilities protect:

  • Wastewater treatment biology

  • Collection system infrastructure

  • Treatment equipment

  • Operator safety

  • Effluent quality

  • Regulatory compliance

Utilities may need to update industrial surveys, sewer-use ordinances, sampling programs, discharge limits, or pretreatment requirements as local business activity changes.

Preparing for the Future of Wastewater Treatment

The water and wastewater industry is changing.

Utilities are being asked to manage aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, increasingly complex treatment requirements, and new wastewater sources—all while operating within limited budgets.

Meeting these challenges will require a combination of:

  • Long-term infrastructure planning

  • Sustainable funding strategies

  • Operator education and training

  • Workforce development

  • Effective industrial pretreatment

  • Proactive wastewater monitoring

  • Flexible treatment strategies

The communities that prepare for these challenges today will be better positioned to maintain reliable water and wastewater services in the future.

Another Observation From a Road Warrior: Emerging Challenges in Water and Wastewater

Across the water and wastewater industry, many utilities are facing similar challenges regardless of location.

During my travels throughout the country, I have seen communities in Arizona, Washington, California, New Jersey, and other states dealing with many of the same issues.

These challenges are not necessarily new, but they are becoming more widespread and more difficult for utilities to manage.

Aging Wastewater Infrastructure and Limited Funding

One of the most persistent challenges facing water and wastewater utilities is limited funding.

Many communities are operating treatment plants, collection systems, water mains, lift stations, and other infrastructure that has been in service for decades.

At the same time, utilities may be required to meet increasingly stringent treatment and discharge requirements.

This combination can create significant financial pressure, particularly for small and rural wastewater systems.

The Cost of Meeting New Permit Requirements

Changes to wastewater discharge permits can require utilities to:

  • Conduct additional laboratory testing

  • Upgrade treatment processes

  • Install new equipment

  • Improve nutrient removal

  • Increase monitoring and reporting

  • Hire or train additional operators

  • Construct new treatment facilities

For a small community, these requirements can represent a substantial financial burden.

In one example, a community with approximately 800 sewer connections was required to construct a wastewater treatment facility costing approximately $4.7 million to meet updated discharge requirements.

Situations such as this are often described by utility professionals as unfunded mandates because communities may be required to make major infrastructure improvements without receiving enough outside funding to cover the cost.

Aging Workforce and Wastewater Operator Shortages

Infrastructure is not the only thing aging in the water and wastewater industry.

Many utilities rely heavily on experienced operators and other longtime professionals who possess decades of institutional knowledge.

These seasoned professionals play an essential role in keeping water and wastewater systems operating, but many are approaching or have already reached traditional retirement age.

Attracting and training the next generation of operators has therefore become an important industry priority.

Building the Next Generation of Water and Wastewater Operators

Apprenticeship programs, technical schools, community colleges, and operator-training organizations can help introduce younger workers to careers in the water and wastewater industry.

Some colleges now offer certificate programs or associate degrees focused on:

  • Drinking water treatment

  • Wastewater treatment

  • Collection systems

  • Laboratory testing

  • Environmental technology

  • Utility operations

One program I have worked with is Clackamas Community College in Oregon, where I have had the opportunity to participate in water and wastewater training.

Similar educational and training programs can help utilities develop the skilled workforce needed to operate increasingly complex treatment systems.

Water and wastewater careers can provide long-term opportunities because communities will always require safe drinking water and reliable wastewater treatment.

More Complex Treatment Requires More Skilled Operators

New treatment requirements can also create staffing challenges.

As wastewater treatment processes become more complex, utilities may need operators with higher certification levels and more specialized technical knowledge.

At the same time, many facilities are already short staffed.

This can create a difficult situation in which communities invest millions of dollars in advanced treatment infrastructure but struggle to recruit and retain qualified personnel to operate it effectively.

Workforce development should therefore be considered alongside infrastructure investment.

Emerging Industrial and Commercial Wastewater Sources

Another growing challenge involves wastewater generated by new and changing industries.

Municipal wastewater systems may receive discharges from businesses and industrial processes that were not common when older pretreatment programs and sewer ordinances were originally developed.

Depending on the community, these businesses may include:

  • Agricultural processing facilities

  • Food and beverage manufacturers

  • Hemp-processing operations

  • Cannabis-related businesses

  • CBD-product manufacturers

  • Microbreweries

  • Distilleries

  • Other emerging commercial or industrial operations

The specific wastewater characteristics can vary significantly from one business to another.

Hemp, Cannabis, and Food-Production Wastewater

The growth of hemp, cannabis, CBD, and THC-related businesses has created new wastewater-management considerations for some communities.

Edible and infused products may include beverages, candies, baked goods, oils, and other food products.

Manufacturing these products can generate wastewater containing:

  • Fats, oils, and grease (FOG)

  • Food residues

  • Organic material

  • Cleaning chemicals

  • Suspended solids

  • High-strength wastewater

Without appropriate pretreatment and disposal practices, these discharges can increase loading on municipal collection and wastewater treatment systems.

FOG is particularly important because excessive grease can contribute to sewer blockages, lift-station maintenance, collection-system buildup, and treatment challenges.

Microbreweries and Distilleries

Microbreweries and distilleries can also generate wastewater with substantially different characteristics than typical residential sewage.

Depending on the production process, brewery and distillery wastewater may contain elevated concentrations of:

  • Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

  • Chemical oxygen demand (COD)

  • Total suspended solids (TSS)

  • Organic sugars and starches

  • Yeast and fermentation residues

  • Cleaning and sanitation chemicals

Sudden or concentrated discharges of high-strength wastewater can increase the organic loading entering a municipal treatment plant.

For smaller wastewater facilities, these loads can create challenges with aeration, biological treatment, sludge production, and process stability.

How Can Communities Respond to Emerging Wastewater Trends?

The important question is not simply which new industries are developing, but how municipalities and wastewater operators can prepare for them.

One of the most effective starting points is education.

Community and Industrial Education

Utilities should communicate with residents, businesses, developers, and industrial users about how their activities affect the wastewater system.

An informed community is better prepared to understand why requirements such as pretreatment, FOG control, discharge monitoring, and sewer-use ordinances are necessary.

Education can support the development and implementation of:

  • Industrial pretreatment programs

  • FOG ordinances

  • Sewer-use ordinances

  • Discharge limits

  • Sampling requirements

  • Industrial-user surveys

  • Public outreach programs

  • Cost-recovery and surcharge programs

Policies should reflect the specific wastewater challenges present within each community.

Pretreatment Programs Must Continue to Evolve

Municipal industrial pretreatment programs should periodically evaluate new businesses and potential discharge sources within their service areas.

Understanding what is entering the collection system can help utilities protect:

  • Wastewater treatment biology

  • Collection system infrastructure

  • Treatment equipment

  • Operator safety

  • Effluent quality

  • Regulatory compliance

Utilities may need to update industrial surveys, sewer-use ordinances, sampling programs, discharge limits, or pretreatment requirements as local business activity changes.

Bioaugmentation and Biostimulation in Wastewater Treatment

Utilities may also consider biological strategies such as bioaugmentation and biostimulation when addressing wastewater-treatment challenges.

Although these approaches have been used within the wastewater industry for decades, they continue to receive increasing attention as operators look for ways to support biological treatment and improve process stability.

What Is Bioaugmentation?

Bioaugmentation involves adding selected microorganisms to a wastewater treatment system to supplement or rebuild the existing microbial population.

It may be considered when a facility is experiencing:

  • Biological treatment upsets

  • Toxic shocks

  • Biomass loss

  • Plant startup or restart

  • Poor organic degradation

  • Specific treatment challenges

The objective is to support the biological community already responsible for treating the wastewater.

What Is Biostimulation?

Biostimulation focuses on improving conditions for microorganisms already present in the treatment system.

Depending on the process, this may involve providing or adjusting:

  • Organic carbon

  • Nutrients

  • Oxygen

  • pH

  • Mixing

  • Other environmental conditions

Bioaugmentation and biostimulation may also be used together as part of a broader biological wastewater-management strategy.

Preparing for the Future of Wastewater Treatment

The water and wastewater industry continues to evolve.

Utilities are being asked to manage aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, increasingly complex permit requirements, emerging industrial discharges, and limited budgets.

Meeting these challenges will require a combination of:

  • Long-term infrastructure planning

  • Sustainable funding strategies

  • Operator education and training

  • Workforce development

  • Industrial pretreatment

  • FOG management

  • Wastewater characterization

  • Bioaugmentation and biostimulation

  • Proactive process monitoring

The communities that identify emerging wastewater challenges early will be better positioned to protect treatment performance, maintain regulatory compliance, and provide reliable wastewater services in the years ahead.

Another Observation From a Road Warrior: Emerging Challenges in Water and Wastewater

Across the water and wastewater industry, many utilities are facing similar challenges regardless of location.

During my travels throughout the country, I have seen communities in Arizona, Washington, California, New Jersey, and other states dealing with many of the same issues.

These challenges are not necessarily new, but they are becoming more widespread and more difficult for utilities to manage.

Aging Wastewater Infrastructure and Limited Funding

One of the most persistent challenges facing water and wastewater utilities is limited funding.

Many communities are operating treatment plants, collection systems, water mains, lift stations, and other infrastructure that has been in service for decades.

At the same time, utilities may be required to meet increasingly stringent treatment and discharge requirements.

This combination can create significant financial pressure, particularly for small and rural wastewater systems.

The Cost of Meeting New Permit Requirements

Changes to wastewater discharge permits can require utilities to:

  • Conduct additional laboratory testing

  • Upgrade treatment processes

  • Install new equipment

  • Improve nutrient removal

  • Increase monitoring and reporting

  • Hire or train additional operators

  • Construct new treatment facilities

For a small community, these requirements can represent a substantial financial burden.

In one example, a community with approximately 800 sewer connections was required to construct a wastewater treatment facility costing approximately $4.7 million to meet updated discharge requirements.

Situations such as this are often described by utility professionals as unfunded mandates because communities may be required to make major infrastructure improvements without receiving enough outside funding to cover the cost.

Aging Workforce and Wastewater Operator Shortages

Infrastructure is not the only thing aging in the water and wastewater industry.

Many utilities rely heavily on experienced operators and other longtime professionals who possess decades of institutional knowledge.

These seasoned professionals play an essential role in keeping water and wastewater systems operating, but many are approaching or have already reached traditional retirement age.

Attracting and training the next generation of operators has therefore become an important industry priority.

Building the Next Generation of Water and Wastewater Operators

Apprenticeship programs, technical schools, community colleges, and operator-training organizations can help introduce younger workers to careers in the water and wastewater industry.

Some colleges now offer certificate programs or associate degrees focused on:

  • Drinking water treatment

  • Wastewater treatment

  • Collection systems

  • Laboratory testing

  • Environmental technology

  • Utility operations

One program I have worked with is Clackamas Community College in Oregon, where I have had the opportunity to participate in water and wastewater training.

Similar educational and training programs can help utilities develop the skilled workforce needed to operate increasingly complex treatment systems.

Water and wastewater careers can provide long-term opportunities because communities will always require safe drinking water and reliable wastewater treatment.

More Complex Treatment Requires More Skilled Operators

New treatment requirements can also create staffing challenges.

As wastewater treatment processes become more complex, utilities may need operators with higher certification levels and more specialized technical knowledge.

At the same time, many facilities are already short staffed.

This can create a difficult situation in which communities invest millions of dollars in advanced treatment infrastructure but struggle to recruit and retain qualified personnel to operate it effectively.

Workforce development should therefore be considered alongside infrastructure investment.

Emerging Industrial and Commercial Wastewater Sources

Another growing challenge involves wastewater generated by new and changing industries.

Municipal wastewater systems may receive discharges from businesses and industrial processes that were not common when older pretreatment programs and sewer ordinances were originally developed.

Depending on the community, these businesses may include:

  • Agricultural processing facilities

  • Food and beverage manufacturers

  • Hemp-processing operations

  • Cannabis-related businesses

  • CBD-product manufacturers

  • Microbreweries

  • Distilleries

  • Other emerging commercial or industrial operations

The specific wastewater characteristics can vary significantly from one business to another.

Hemp, Cannabis, and Food-Production Wastewater

The growth of hemp, cannabis, CBD, and THC-related businesses has created new wastewater-management considerations for some communities.

Edible and infused products may include beverages, candies, baked goods, oils, and other food products.

Manufacturing these products can generate wastewater containing:

  • Fats, oils, and grease (FOG)

  • Food residues

  • Organic material

  • Cleaning chemicals

  • Suspended solids

  • High-strength wastewater

Without appropriate pretreatment and disposal practices, these discharges can increase loading on municipal collection and wastewater treatment systems.

FOG is particularly important because excessive grease can contribute to sewer blockages, lift-station maintenance, collection-system buildup, and treatment challenges.

Microbreweries and Distilleries

Microbreweries and distilleries can also generate wastewater with substantially different characteristics than typical residential sewage.

Depending on the production process, brewery and distillery wastewater may contain elevated concentrations of:

  • Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

  • Chemical oxygen demand (COD)

  • Total suspended solids (TSS)

  • Organic sugars and starches

  • Yeast and fermentation residues

  • Cleaning and sanitation chemicals

Sudden or concentrated discharges of high-strength wastewater can increase the organic loading entering a municipal treatment plant.

For smaller wastewater facilities, these loads can create challenges with aeration, biological treatment, sludge production, and process stability.

How Can Communities Respond to Emerging Wastewater Trends?

The important question is not simply which new industries are developing, but how municipalities and wastewater operators can prepare for them.

One of the most effective starting points is education.

Community and Industrial Education

Utilities should communicate with residents, businesses, developers, and industrial users about how their activities affect the wastewater system.

An informed community is better prepared to understand why requirements such as pretreatment, FOG control, discharge monitoring, and sewer-use ordinances are necessary.

Education can support the development and implementation of:

  • Industrial pretreatment programs

  • FOG ordinances

  • Sewer-use ordinances

  • Discharge limits

  • Sampling requirements

  • Industrial-user surveys

  • Public outreach programs

  • Cost-recovery and surcharge programs

Policies should reflect the specific wastewater challenges present within each community.

Pretreatment Programs Must Continue to Evolve

Municipal industrial pretreatment programs should periodically evaluate new businesses and potential discharge sources within their service areas.

Understanding what is entering the collection system can help utilities protect:

  • Wastewater treatment biology

  • Collection system infrastructure

  • Treatment equipment

  • Operator safety

  • Effluent quality

  • Regulatory compliance

Utilities may need to update industrial surveys, sewer-use ordinances, sampling programs, discharge limits, or pretreatment requirements as local business activity changes.

Bioaugmentation and Biostimulation in Wastewater Treatment

Two biological strategies wastewater operators may consider are bioaugmentation and biostimulation.

Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they describe two different approaches to supporting biological wastewater treatment.

What Is Bioaugmentation?

Bioaugmentation is the process of adding selected microorganisms to a wastewater treatment system to supplement or rebuild the existing microbial population.

These beneficial microorganisms can be introduced to support biological treatment when the existing biomass has been weakened, lost, or disrupted.

Bioaugmentation may be considered during:

  • Wastewater plant startup

  • Plant restart

  • Biomass loss

  • Toxic treatment upsets

  • Hydraulic washouts

  • Poor organic degradation

  • Nitrification challenges

  • Recovery from process disturbances

Wastewater facilities can obtain microbial cultures through specialized biological treatment suppliers.

The effectiveness of a bioaugmentation program depends on factors such as the microorganisms selected, product viability, wastewater characteristics, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrient availability, and application method.

What Is Biostimulation?

Biostimulation focuses on improving the environmental conditions needed by microorganisms already present in the wastewater treatment system.

Instead of primarily adding new microorganisms, operators provide or optimize the resources that existing bacteria need to remain active.

Biostimulation may involve managing:

  • Dissolved oxygen

  • Organic carbon

  • Nitrogen and phosphorus

  • pH and alkalinity

  • Temperature

  • Mixing

  • Hydraulic conditions

  • Other essential nutrients

Aeration is one of the most familiar examples because oxygen is essential for many aerobic biological treatment processes.

Depending on the treatment objective, supplemental carbon sources, nutrients, or other process adjustments may also be used to stimulate microbial activity.

Bioaugmentation vs. Biostimulation

The primary difference is straightforward:

Bioaugmentation adds microorganisms.

Biostimulation improves conditions for microorganisms already present.

In some wastewater treatment systems, both strategies can be used together.

For example, operators may add beneficial microorganisms through bioaugmentation while simultaneously improving oxygen, carbon, nutrients, or other environmental conditions through biostimulation.

Choose Biostimulation Materials Carefully

Wastewater operators have experimented with many unconventional materials over the years in an effort to provide additional organic carbon or nutrients to biological treatment systems.

Some facilities have even used products such as animal feed or dog food.

These materials are generally not ideal for controlled wastewater treatment because their composition, nutrient content, solubility, and biological availability can vary significantly.

A purpose-designed carbon or nutrient source provides operators with greater control over dosing and treatment performance.

Preparing for the Future of Wastewater Treatment

The water and wastewater industry continues to evolve.

Utilities are being asked to manage aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, increasingly complex permit requirements, emerging industrial discharges, and limited budgets.

Meeting these challenges will require a combination of:

  • Long-term infrastructure planning

  • Sustainable funding strategies

  • Operator education and training

  • Workforce development

  • Industrial pretreatment

  • FOG management

  • Wastewater characterization

  • Bioaugmentation and biostimulation

  • Proactive process monitoring

The communities that identify emerging wastewater challenges early will be better positioned to protect treatment performance, maintain regulatory compliance, and provide reliable wastewater services in the years ahead.

Learn More About Emerging Wastewater Treatment Strategies

If you would like to learn more about bioaugmentation, biostimulation, emerging wastewater trends, or wastewater operator training, contact BioLynceus® for additional information about available educational programs and classes.

© 2019 Rick Allen, CEO, BioLynceus, LLC. All rights reserved.