Garver, LRWRA awarded Gascoigne Medal from WEF

For helping a long-time client research an alternative to achieving adequate disinfection levels, Garver was recognized recently by the Water Environment Federation when a paper highlighting the work was awarded the Gascoigne Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Improvement Medal.  

The paper, titled “Doubling Down on Disinfection” and authored by Senior Process Engineer Michael Watts, Ph.D.; Senior Water Project Manager Paul Strickland, Water Project Manager Aaron Stallmann, and the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority’s Walter Collins detailed a pilot testing program developed by Garver and the LRWRA. By assessing the benefits of supplemental peracetic acid (PAA) before the LRWRA’s ultraviolet system, the pilot testing program helped address disinfection deficiencies brought on by increased flow rates.

The award was a part of a week-long participation by Garver at the 90^th annual WEFTEC, the WEF’s annual meeting that offered water quality and training to attendees held in Chicago.

In addition to the award, National Wastewater Practice Leader Sean Scuras presented at workshops detailing nutrient removal fundamentals and wastewater microbiology, while Texas Region Water Director Jeff Sober and Texas Water Business Planning Manager Heather Wootton (pictured below) were each integral in coordinating and judging the annual Operations Challenge.

Watts and Collins (pictured at top) accepted the Gascoigne Medal during Tuesday night’s awards ceremony. 

“By working closely with LRWRA staff we were able to determine the benefits that PAA can have in meeting effluent limits when ultraviolet transmittance is impaired,” Watts said. “We commend the LRWRA staff for committing to find a creative solution to their problem, which produced a more robust disinfection system.”

Created by Garver’s Water Technology Team and LRWRA staff at its Adams Field Water Reclamation Facility in Little Rock, the program found that the proposed PAA improved disinfection within discharge requirements, which then led to a full-scale trial.

The WEF has awarded the Gascoigne Medal annually since 1943 to the authors of an article that presents the solution of an important and complicated operational problem within a full-scale, operating wastewater treatment plant. The paper was originally published in the February 2018 issue of Water Environment & Technology magazine.

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