Do a treatment plant operations audit first

A typical approach to correcting the non-compliant operation of water or wastewater treatment facilities includes developing an engineering report to evaluate and recommend ways to improve the plant's performance through process modifications or newer treatment alternatives.

A different—and potentially less costly—approach involves plant optimization as the first step in finding a non-compliant solution. An operations consultant can provide an unbiased perspective and evaluation audit of the treatment facility's operation.

A proven framework for a successful operations audit typically contains three major categories:

  • Evaluate existing performance
  • Identify opportunity for improvement
  • Optimize corrective action/plant

When performing the audit, it is important to bring together a team of stakeholders. This team will embark upon a rigorous program to assess existing performance limitations and develop improvement methods to meet performance goals.

With this holistic approach, a utility can identify and correct performance limitations without major capital improvements.

Evaluate Existing Performance

The audit's first step determines if treatment levels meet performance goals. Existing processes evaluation can be accomplished with a review of historical data. After data compilation is complete, trend graphs can be developed to represent seasonal impacts on water demand and quality. If problems are identified, steps should be taken to alleviate the reasons behind substandard performance.

To determine why a performance goal was not met, the operations consultant must determine if the unit processes are adequate. If the major unit processes are adequately sized and no major equipment repairs are necessary, then the likely culprit is related to operations.

Typically, operations non-compliance is linked to unit process control functions. The plant operations staff must routinely gather and record relevant data to develop trends that typically forecast unit process failure. Once an individual unit process begins to exhibit limited performance trends, standard operating process control parameters should be referenced and implemented.

The ultimate success in preventing non-compliant operation is through rapid implementation of the proper process control adjustment. However, beyond the operations staff's ability to recognize when an adjustment is necessary, they must also understand the technical concepts of why a change is necessary. As such, utility administrators must properly train their staff in the concepts and methods of treatment plant operations.

Identify Opportunity for Improvement

The first step in outlining an improved treatment plant operation plan starts with prioritizing the list of performance-limiting factors. These factors are prioritized in order of their adverse effect on achieving desired plant performance.

PriorityEvaluation Criteria

1.

Poor performance is routinely repeated and has a detrimental effect on the water quality.

2.

Poor performance is periodically repeated and has a detrimental effect on the water quality. Poor performance is routinely repeated and has a minimal effect on the water quality.

3.

Poor performance is periodically repeated and has a minimal effect on the water quality.

 

Minor adjustments to these items can significantly impact the plant's ability to return to compliant operation. Many times a change in chemical feed point, a different type of chemical or a new process control test will result in system-wide benefits.

Optimize Corrective Action/Plant

Once the performance-limiting factors are prioritized, corrective action must be taken to bring the treatment plant's operation back into regulatory compliance. A Corrective Action Plan (CAP) should list the items to be addressed, the party responsible and a timeline for implementation. Often, the CAP focuses on developing written operating procedures or guidelines that document the necessary operator activities that lead to compliant plant operation.

Optimization activities typically include development of process control data sheets to standardize the sample collection, testing and interpretation of unit process data. Also, operators should be trained on the development and interpretation of trend charts or graphs. These tools become very valuable in assisting an operator with identifying the onset of poor unit process performance and establishing correlations between process upsets and other variable plant conditions.

Make the Operations Audit Step One

Although capital improvements may still be necessary after the completion of an operations audit, utility administrators can use the audit as a tool to evaluate the treatment plant's current level of performance and confirm what costly capital improvements are needed. By conducting the operations audit, utility administrators will have a tool for continuous plant optimization, operator training and compliant operation for years to come.

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