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Reduction of Enteric Microorganisms at the Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority Water Reclamation Plant
Author(s) -
Rose Joan B.,
Huffman Debra E.,
Riley Kelley,
Farrah Samuel R.,
Lukasik Jerzy O.,
Hamann Carl L.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143001x143457
Subject(s) - coliphage , reclaimed water , fecal coliform , effluent , wastewater , sewage , sewage treatment , land reclamation , microorganism , water quality , cryptosporidium , indicator bacteria , environmental science , biology , environmental engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , ecology , feces , escherichia coli , bacteriophage , biochemistry , genetics , gene
The Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority (UOSA) Water Reclamation Plant, Centreville, Virginia, is a state‐of‐the‐art wastewater treatment plant that was created to treat area wastewater and provide protection for the Occoquan Reservoir. This study investigated UOSA's unit processes as barriers to pathogenic as well as alternative and traditional indicator microorganisms. Samples were collected once a month for 1 year from eight sites within UOSA's advanced wastewater reclamation plant. The eight sites were monitored for indicator bacteria total and fecal coliforms, enterococci, Clostridium , coliphage (the virus that infects Escherichia coli ), human enteroviruses, and enteric protozoa.
Overall, the plant was able to achieve a 5‐ to 7‐log 10 reduction of bacteria, 5‐log 10 reduction of enteroviruses, 4‐log 10 reduction for Clostridium , and 4.6‐log 10 reduction of protozoa. Total coliforms, enterococci, Clostridium , coliphage, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia were all detected in four or fewer samples of the final effluent. No enteroviruses or fecal coliforms were detected in the final effluent. The microbiological quality of reclaimed water and the reservoir water were compared. In every case, the treated wastewater was of a better quality than the ambient water in the reservoir, thus indicating that the reclaimed water will not adversely affect the water quality for downstream users.