Water reuse is becoming a critical function of most wastewater treatment facilities in arid regions. However, these projects can have significant impacts to the existing treatment processes. One such impact is how separating reclaimable and non-reclaimable flows can cause greater divergence between low dry-weather and high-wet weather influent flow conditions. These conditions are also becoming more problematic at many facilities due to higher frequency extreme flows that can be attributed to climate change. Various methods exist for accommodating lower minimum flows without compromising peak flow capacity, but all of these methods require careful analysis, modeling, and field testing to select the optimum facility modifications. The modifications to the OCSD Plant No. 2 Headworks Facility—including pump replacement, pump maximum speed adjustment, flow recirculation, and collection system storage—provide a useful of example of an approach that can be used at similar facilities.
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