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Treatment Plants

Treatment Plants

HRSD operates nine major award-winning treatment plants in Hampton Roads and four smaller plants on the Middle Peninsula with a combined capacity of 231 million gallons per day (MGD).

Wastewater flows from municipal piped systems to HRSD’s interceptor system of pipes and pump stations to our treatment plants. Highly skilled and trained staff operate and maintain the processes and equipment in our treatment plants, meeting the technological and regulatory challenges of the wastewater industry.

HRSD is recognized as a leader in the industry, with an impressive record of environmental permit compliance. HRSD must comply with Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) permit limitations. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issues the permit, which is reviewed, revised (if necessary), and reissued every 5 years.

Innovation As Well As Excellence

One of HRSD’s greatest contributions to the wastewater industry is the innovative Virginia Initiative Process, used at both the Virginia Initiative Treatment Plant (Norfolk) and Nansemond Treatment Plant (Suffolk). HRSD and the engineering firm CH2M Hill developed and patented this technology, offered free of charge to other wastewater agencies. The process, a type of biological nutrient removal, is an environmentally sound technique that eliminates much of the nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater.

Meeting the Needs of Small Communities

Our reputation for not only meeting but exceeding environmental regulations prompted the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission to ask HRSD to serve the major population centers of the area. Protecting the quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is critical to the livelihood and recreational activities of these small communities. HRSD agreed to operate and maintain four treatment plants, 21 pump stations, and the collection systems. We have initiated the extensive improvements needed to meet safety regulations, comply with regulatory requirements, and ensure responsive, reliable customer service.

Stepping in to Help the Environment

HRSD has agreed, in some cases, to assume responsibility for operating small treatment facilities in our service area. In 2001, Chesapeake turned over the Hickory Plant, which treats wastewater from four public schools. The design capacity is 43,000 gallons per day. HRSD will operate the facility until flow can be diverted into our interceptor system after the construction of the South Battlefield Boulevard pipeline. HRSD also operated a small package plant that was experiencing difficulties, Queen Anne’s Court in Isle of Wight County, until a pump station was built to transfer the flow to our lines.

The Treatment Process

Treating wastewater protects human and environmental health. Without adequate wastewater treatment, there would be more waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, and we would not be able to swim or fish in local waterways.

When wastewater arrives at our treatment plants, it is referred to as influent. After it is treated and returned to local waterways, it is referred to as effluent. Effluent is typically cleaner than the waterways into which it is released.

Wastewater treatment is highly complex, involving physical, chemical, and biological processes. There are several steps, or phases, to wastewater treatment:

Preliminary Treatment: Removes grit (sand), debris, and manmade objects.

Primary Treatment: Allows for the settling and flotation of organics and solids. Heavy solid particles such as food waste sink to the bottom, and lighter organics such as oil and grease float to the top. About 35% of the organics and 50% of the solids are removed.

Secondary Treatment: Uses naturally occurring microorganisms to remove additional organics and solids such as sugars, starches, proteins, detergents, and soaps.

Nutrient Removal: Eliminates at least 2/3 of the phosphorus and 1/3 of the nitrogen from wastewater. Those treatment plants with Biological Nutrient Removal eliminate an additional 1/3 of the nitrogen.

Disinfection: Kills disease-causing bacteria. Effluent is typically chlorinated and then dechlorinated before it is released to local waterways, making it safe for aquatic life.

Recycling

Typically, wastewater is treated and returned to local waterways. Rather than dispose of highly treated effluent, HRSD encourages reclaiming this resource through additional treatment processes, where environmentally and economically justified, to replace the potable water now meeting nonpotable demands (e.g., landscape irrigation and many industrial uses). Water reclamation (also called water reuse) maximizes the existing drinking water supply and results in more effective stewardship of precious water resources.

When operationally and economically feasible, HRSD recycles biosolids--nutrient-rich organic matter resulting from extensive treatment processes. Recycling helps eliminate landfill disposal of this resource. There are many beneficial uses for biosolids, which must meet stringent federal and state standards for safety. Biosolids collected locally are processed into Nutri-Green® compost, applied to land as fertilizer, or incinerated into ash. Through HRSD’s Pretreatment Program, businesses and industries reduce toxics and other pollutants entering HRSD’s system, helping to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

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