ASKÄ° (Ankara Su ve Kanalizasyon Ä°daresi) is the responsible institution in Ankara city for the water and wastewater management. For the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater generated in Ankara, Tatlar Wastewater Treatment Plant has been constructed. The treatment plant has been started to operate in 1997. Before the operation of Tatlar wastewater treatment plant, all the wastewater was being discharged to Ankara Creek and eventually polluting Sakarya River. By the operation of this treatment plant, the water quality of the receiving water body is improved to class II from class IV. All the incoming wastewater is collected by gravity; there is no need for pumping station. Industries which have toxics, heavy metals or some special waste in their effluents are applying pre-treatment before discharging their wastewater to sewerage system. The treatment process applied now is activated sludge process with anaerobic sludge stabilization and mechanical dewatering for TSS and BOD removal. But future extension was planed in order to be able to treat nitrogen and phosphorus. Treatment efficiency of the system is 90 %. The biosolids produced in the treatment plant is used as fertilizer in the plant and also in the agricultural areas near the plant. Currently, there are 4 more treatment plants in Ankara. These are small and local treatment plants. In addition to these, new wastewater treatment plant projects are prepared for the small counties which have just been joined the municipality's adjacent area (http://www.aski.gov.tr/).
It is stated in Activity Report of ASKÄ° (2009), parallel to the construction of Tatlar wastewater treatment plant, sewerage system of city has been constructed by BAKAY Project (Büyük Ankara Kanalizasyon ve YaÄŸmur Suyu Projesi) which has started in 1998. The domestic wastewater and stormwater is collected separately in Ankara. The total length of the wastewater and storm water collection system is 8151 km by the end of 2009. The table below shows the predicted dimensions of the sewerage system for 2025.
Table 1: Predicted dimensions of sewerage system for 2025 (Activity Report of ASKÄ°, 2009)
wastewater collection system
8,662 km
stormwater collection system
2,025 km
subscriber connection
2,533 km
total
13,220 km
Presently, 99% of the population is connected to the sewerage system. But some parts of the sewerage system have completed the lifetime and being renewed periodically. ("Activity Report of ASKÄ°", 2009)
As stated before, the stormwater and wastewater is collected separately in Ankara. The stormwater collected is discharged to Ankara Creek untreated. Also, stormwater is stored in Çubuk and Hatip Creeks in heavy storms in order to prevent flooding events. ASKÄ° controls all the infrastructure of the city by AYBÄ°S (Altyapı Bilgi Sistemi) system (http://www.aski.gov.tr/).
Konya:
Konya city's wastewater treatment plant started operation in 2009. The plant is designed to serve a 1,000,000 population equivalents and to treat 200,000 m3 wastewater each day. At present time, it treats 130,000 m3/day wastewater. The treatment technology applied is Bardenpho process with carbon and partial nitrogen removal. The effluent water quality complies with EU standards. Treated effluent is discharged to Keçili Channel after UV disinfection. The discharge point is 122 km away from Tuz Lake. Konya wastewater treatment plant helped improving the environmental and public health in Tuz Lake region. It is planning to product 50,000,000 m3/year irrigation water by the operation of this treatment plant. Sludge stabilization is achieved by mesophilic anaerobic digesters. The biosolids produced in the plant is used as fertilizer or for soil recovery in agriculture. The biogas generated in plant is utilized for energy production and produced energy is used in the plant (http://www.koski.gov.tr)
Until 2005, wastewater and stormwater were collecting together in Konya. But, in 2005, municipality decided to take measures for water scarcity. Stormwater collection and usage is one of those measures. The usage of stormwater in some institutions, industrial facilities and houses as cleaning, cooling and washing water was planned. Also, it was planned to use stormwater in parks and gardens for irrigational purposes. In order to collect stormwater and prevent floods, existing flood creeks were recovered and open channels were constructed. Moreover, for the central districts, separate sewerage system has been constructed ("KOSKÄ° Activity Report", 2009)
Chicago:
In 1919, it was determined by the Board of Commissioners to construct wastewater treatment plants in Chicago to prevent Lake Michigan which is the primary water source of Chicago from pollution. The boundaries of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District include more than five million residents of Cook County. These people and also the thousands of industries within the district, generate 1.4 billion gallons of wastewater each day. The district is divided into 7 service areas and the wastewaters of these service areas are treated by 7 treatment plants. All of these plants meet the discharge limits set by National Pollutant and Discharge Elimination System. These 7 wastewater treatment plants are:
Stickney Water Reclamation Plant
Calumet Water Reclamation Plant
Egan Water Reclamation Plant
Hanover Water Reclamation Plant
Kirie Water Reclamation Plant
Lemont Water Reclamation Plant
North Side Water Reclamation Plant (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
Stickney wastewater treatment plant is the largest treatment plant in the world. The Plant serves 2.38 million people in a 260 square mile area including the central part of Chicago and 43 suburban communities. The Plant has a design capacity of 1,200 million gallons per day. It has two parts. First part has started operation in 1930 and second part in 1939. Secondary treatment is applied in the plant.
(http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
Calumet Water Reclamation Plant is the oldest of the seven wastewater treatment plants within the metropolitan Chicago area. Calumet treats the wastewater from an area of approximately 300 square miles which includes parts of the City of Chicago and the southern suburbs. The Plant provides both primary and secondary treatment which removes more than 90 percent of the contaminants. The Calumet Tunnel helps control pollution and eliminates 85 percent of the combined sewer over-flows. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
The Egan Plant applies a two-stage secondary process as well as an advanced tertiary system for the removal of water-born pollutants. It has a design capacity of 30 million gallons of wastewater per day. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
Hanover Plant was the nation's first major tertiary wastewater treatment plant. It has a design capacity of 12 million gallons of wastewater per day and removes 98 percent of the contaminants. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
Kirie Plant is the District's newest treatment plant. It is completed in May 1980. The Plant is fully automated. This Plant serves a predominantly residential area. Kirie has a design capacity of 72 million gallons of wastewater per day. The Kirie wastewater treatment plant also stores excess flows during rainstorms.
(http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
North Side Water Reclamation Plant began operation in 1928 and was a model for modern sewage treatment technology. The Plant serves more than 1.3 million people residing in a 141 square mile area. North Side Plant removes pollutants from wastewater through a series of physical and biological processes. The Plant has a design capacity of 333 million gallons per day. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
The Lemont Water Reclamation Plant is the smallest of the seven wastewater treatment facilities and began operation in 1961. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/waterreclamation)
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) processes the solids produced in anaerobic digesters which are heated to 95°F and uses microorganisms for further reduction of odorous and non-odorous volatile organic compounds and pathogens. After digestion, the biosolids are stored in lagoons for a minimum of 18 months to further reduce volatile organic compounds and pathogens. The biosolids are then removed from the lagoons and placed on asphalt pads for air-drying. This process is accelerated by mechanical agitation and the resulting biosolids contain only 35% water. The final product is the topsoil used by landscapers. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/faq)
In its website, the MWRD is said to have a long history of operating wastewater treatment facilities and it has been land applying biosolids successfully for over a quarter of a century. The MWRD has an approved Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) biosolids management plan and operates under an IEPA controlled biosolids distribution permit. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/faq)
The MWRD makes an effort to insure the safety of its biosolids. In addition to processing the biosolids to meet the strictest standards of the USEPA, the MWRD's Research and Development Department limits the input of industrial wastes to its treatment plants and studies the behavior of biosolids in the environment.
(http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/faq)
There is a stormwater management plant of Cook County. The mission of the countywide stormwater management program is to provide Cook County with effective rules, regulations, and projects that will reduce the potential for stormwater damage to life, public health, safety, property and the environment. Nineteen stormwater management goals have been developed by the District for Cook County Stormwater Management Plant. The goals extend from protecting new and existing development from flooding to preventing the loss of water quality and habitat. Detailed watershed management plans were prepared for each watershed in Cook County to be able to identify problems caused by stormwater and determine the most effective solutions. (http://www.mwrd.org/irj/portal/anonymous/stormwateroverview)
Washington District of Columbia:
DC water is water and sewer authority of District of Columbia. DC Water receives and treats wastewater collected from the District of Columbia sewer system and from the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. On an average day, more than 330 million gallons of raw wastewater comes to Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant which is in operation since 1983. It is has a capacity of 370 million gallons per day. Industrial wastewater is monitored for metals and hazardous compounds, in accordance with state and federal regulation, before it enters the city's sewer system and flows into the Blue Plains plant. Tertiary treatment is applied in this treatment plant with biological carbon and nutrient removal. Treated effluent is discharged to Potomac River. Blue Plains Treatment Plant is required to meet some of the strictest National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System standards (NPDES) in the United States. Historically, the plant's effluent parameter levels have remained well below established limitations. The Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant has taken an important role in improving the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay and their watersheds. (http://www.dcwater.com/wastewater/default.cfm )
DC Water has a long-range biosolids management program. The main target of the program is to recycle an organic and nutrient rich material in an environmentally safe and beneficial way. All of the more than 1,200 wet tones of biosolids produced daily is reused through a diverse land application program that improves the soil for agricultural production and other projects. The biosolids produced in the plant is applied as nutrient-rich fertilizer to agricultural areas in Maryland and Virginia. (http://www.dcwater.com/education/biosolids.cfm )
DC Water's wastewater collection system consists of approximately 1,800 miles of sanitary and combined sewers, 16 storm sewers, storm sewer lines and catch basins, 125,000 building sewers, 22 flow-metering stations and 9 wastewater pumping stations. While major part of the system contains separate sanitary and storm sewers, combined sewers serving both sanitary flow and stormwater drainage are common in the downtown area and in older portions of the service area. Combined sewer overflows (CSO) occur during certain storm events when the capacity of the combined sewer system is unable to convey the mixture of wastewater and stormwater to the treatment plant. There are currently 53 CSO outfalls listed in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit issued by EPA to DC Water. By the implementation of the current CSO Abatement Program in DC, it is targeted to maximize in-line storage and minimize combined sewer overflows to receiving water. The CSO Abatement Program involves collection system optimization using inflatable dams, dynamically controlled weirs, outfall gates and other flow regulating devices, sewer separations, and a swirl treatment facility. The Northeast Boundary Swirl Facility provides preliminary treatment including disinfection and some solids removal for combined sewage overflows prior to discharge. The facility only functions during wet weather periods. (http://www.dcwater.com/wastewater_collection/default.cfm )
The table below makes up a comparison of the four cities in terms of wastewater, stormwater and biosolids management.
Table 2: Comparison table for 4 cities
City
Wastewater Treatment Technology
Stormwater Management Strategy
Biosolids Management Strategy
Ankara
Secondary Treatment with biological carbon removal only, but further upgrading to nutrients removal is planned
Has no stormwater management strategy. Separate collection of sewage and stormwater is applied the fate of collected stormwater is ambiguous.
Biosolids are reused as fertilizer. There are studies on this topic but not as professional as in US.
Konya
Tertiary Treatment with biological carbon and partial nitrogen removal
New actions are taken to collect stormwater separately and recover but there is not a professional management plan.
Biosolids are reused as fertilizer. There are studies on this topic but not as professional as in US.
Chicago
7 wastewater treatment plants present. Some applies secondary treatment, some applies tertiary treatment. Also, a few of these plants designed to treat stormwater.
Has a professional and well-applied stormwater management plan
Has a professional and well-applied biosolids management plan
Washington District of Columbia
Tertiary treatment with biological carbon and nutrient removal
Has a professional and well-applied stormwater management plan
Has a professional and well-applied biosolids management plan
