Steinbrecher, Paul

Paul Steinbrecher is Clay County Utility Authorities' Chief Engineer and has operational responsibility for four of the utilities 13 departments. He has 23 years of experience leading teams within the municipal utility sector. Prior to that, for 13 years he was a process engineer and project and client manager with CH2M HILL specializing in the planning, design and troubleshooting of water and wastewater treatment systems.

Titles from this speaker

A (Nearly) Full Public Reuse Regional Utility Evaluates Potable Reuse as an Alternative Water Supply

Abstract

Clay County Utility Authority (CCUA), serving the greater Clay County area in Northeast Florida, is a substantial water and wastewater service provider catering to 55,000 customers. The County is growing rapidly and is expected to double in population in the next 20-25 years. CCUA operates 7 Water Reclamation Facilities, five of which produce public access reclaimed water, and 22 water treatment plants. CCUA is situated in a region with limited groundwater resources. In response to the growing need to allocate water resources efficiently and limit groundwater withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer, the primary source of water supply, CCUA has embarked on a PAR optimization program while concurrently investigating alternative water supply (AWS) solutions such as potable reuse. Currently operating at 70% water reuse (non-potable reuse, known as public access reuse or PAR), CCUA is committed to achieving 100% PAR by 2030, and is evaluating potable reuse as an alternative water supply to expand the water portfolio. CCUA's potable reuse project is called 'Project Quench,' which uses reclaimed water (tertiary treated filtered and disinfected wastewater effluent) as source water for treating to drinking water standards. While there are other water sources in the area, such as surface water from the ocean, the St. Johns River and Black Creek, and stormwater, reclaimed water remains the most reliable from a quality and quantity perspective. Potable reuse takes careful early planning and piloting to demonstrate the feasibility of treatment techniques and multi-barrier treatment. With this goal, CCUA has completed several steps in the long-range planning efforts for potable reuse:

*Source Water Characterization: A comprehensive water quality sampling program was conducted at several of CCUA's interconnected treatment plants producing reclaimed water, which allowed an understanding of the quality and composition of available sources to ascertain their suitability as an AWS. Sampling was conducted for several regulated and unregulated contaminants, such as perfluoroalkyl substances and chemicals of emerging concern and pathogens. Data suggested that the Mid-Clay Water Reclamation Facility's reclaimed water was best suited for potable reuse from two perspectives: (i) proximity to areas of growth/development and the anticipated increase in water demand in the near future, and (ii) quality of reclaimed water due to lack of industrial wastewater contribution in the collection system and superior wastewater treatment. Reclaimed water quality at this facility averaged (n=4) at 2.5 mg/L total organic carbon (TOC), 350 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS), 6.6 ng/L perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 2.2 ng/L perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1.8 mg/L total nitrogen. Figure 1

*Selection of Treatment Train: Several factors were considered in the process of selecting the optimal treatment barriers for potable reuse at CCUA. These factors included the efficiency of treatment in removing pathogens and chemicals, associated treatment residuals handling, operational complexity, ability to permit a potential future facility, and cost considerations. Two primary treatment types were compared: reverse osmosis-based advanced treatment (RBAT) and carbon-based advanced treatment (CBAT). The selected processes to treat reclaimed water to drinking water standards include ozonation, biologically activated carbon (BAC) filtration, ultrafiltration (UF), granular activated carbon GAC) adsorption, UV disinfection, and chlorine disinfection. The table below shows the results of the different factors considered during process selection. Figure 2 Figure 3

*Design/ Construction, Test Plan, and Commissioning: Potable reuse project planning involves the development of a comprehensive roadmap encompassing design, construction, meticulous testing protocols, and commissioning stages for the potable reuse system. A 20 gallons per minute (gpm) demonstration pilot is currently under construction at the Mid-Clay Water Reclamation Facility site. Construction completion, facility startup, and commissioning will occur in the first quarter of 2024. Figure 4 Public Outreach A key component of potable reuse projects is the early engagement of internal and external stakeholders with clear and consistent messaging. During the facility's construction phase, CCUA developed several public engagement products, including a project website, handouts and brochures, a PowerPoint presentation slide deck, infographics for the pilot facility building, school and classroom resources, and a project video. Having a uniform theme for Project Quench and using clear, consistent, and correct messaging set CCUA up for success in communicating project details, its current investigative stage, and its future. Figure 5 The demonstration facility/evaluation of potable reuse is one element of CCUA's One-Water water supply planning approach. This abstract and presentation will encapsulate Project Quench's stages of comprehensive evaluation, outlining CCUA's vision to leverage reclaimed water as a superior AWS while navigating the complexities of water source integration and quality assurance.

Clay County Utility Authority (CCUA) in Florida serves 55,000 customers & operates multiple water reclamation & treatment facilities. With the population expected to double in 25 years & limited groundwater resources, CCUA must maximize water reuse & explore alternative water supplies. They launched Project Quench to pilot potable reuse as a long-term strategy. Key steps include source water characterization, selecting treatment methods, & engaging the public.

SpeakerSteinbrecher, Paul

Presentation time

11:30:00

12:00:00

Session time

10:30:00

12:00:00

SessionAdvancements in Non-RO Treatment for IPR/DPR: Exploring Cutting-Edge Solutions

Session number530

Session locationRoom 235

TopicIntermediate Level, Microconstituents and Contaminants of Emerging Concern (Non-PFAS), Sustainability and Climate Change, Water Reuse and Reclamation

Author(s)

Steinbrecher, Paul, Kumar, Pranjali, Assouline, Jason

Author(s)P. Steinbrecher1, P. Kumar2, J. Assouline3

Author affiliation(s)1Clay County Utility Authority, FL, 2Carollo Engineers, FL, 3Carollo Engineers, CO

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2024

DOI10.2175/193864718825159631

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count16

Strategic Water Reclamation: CCUA Journey to 100% Reclaimed Water Utilization

Abstract

As a leading reclaimed water service provider in Florida, Clay County Utility Authority (CCUA) serves a region experiencing rapid growth, with population expected to double in 25 years. CCUA operates 5 interconnected reclaimed water facilities (RWFs), providing 70% reclaimed water to the region (Fig 1), allowing CCUA to meet total maximum daily loads (TMDL) nutrient load objectives, provide an alternate water source for irrigation, and reduce Floridan aquifer reliance. From inception, the reclaimed water system has organically grown in response to rapidly expanding reuse demands. CCUA plans to continue expanding to meet future reclaimed water demands. Through its expansion, CCUA aims to achieve complete reuse across the county by 2031; however, CCUA's service area faces an imbalance: there is an excess of reclaimed water in the northern service area and a growing deficit in the southern section. Objectives To address this imbalance, CCUA commissioned a study to identify optimized operating protocols and capital improvements to transition the system from approximately 70% to 100% reuse. The study involved (1) forensic analysis of the reclaimed water distribution system flow and level data to identify operational issues and (2) hydraulic modeling to recommend operational and capital improvements. Status The study is complete and proposed a suite of $12.3 million in capital projects and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) improvements that are being scheduled for design and construction in the next capital budget cycles. Methodology The study involved 4 tasks to identify subtle inefficiencies and inform model updates and recommendations. *Data Collection: A total of 3 years of flow, level, valve positions, and pump information were retrieved in as low as 2-minute intervals from the VT-SCADA historian to capture daily operations at a high resolution. Field inspections and operator interviews were conducted to understand operations under wet weather and seasonal conditions. *Data Analysis: Data analytics, mass balance, and statistics determined how system components typically operated: flow patterns, tank filling, and pump/valve operations. Initial results showed that wet weather had little impact on demand, but there were seasonal variations, with summer being the worst case. *Modeling: These data were used to update an Innovyze InfoWater Pro hydraulic model to simulate the existing system, proposed projects, and emerging demands. Given the database, SQL, python, and Power Query were used to develop summary tables and graphs. *SCADA Inspections: Metering, control automation, and data collection capability within the SCADA system were documented. Observations showed that some RWFs lacked output controllers to pace pumps and operate valves. Findings The study's findings underscore the need for enhanced automation coordination among the RWFs, more complete utilization of storage capacities, and isolation of transmission and distribution systems to optimize the distribution network. Key operational inefficiencies stemmed from RWFs operating independently without centralized control. This independent operation led to competitive behavior among facilities, resulting in inefficient water operation. For instance, Figure 2 illustrates frequent cycling of distribution pumps during non-peak times, far exceeding manufacturer recommendations. This not only risks water hammer and excessive wear on equipment but also results in erratic system pressures. Modeling also showed that water could not be transferred long distances without impacting pressure in local distribution systems. A focus area of analysis was periodic occurrence of discharge of treated reuse water into surface water concurrent with groundwater augmentation at the same facilities. These instances again showed an opportunity to automate the coordination of controls and fully utilize storage during peak irrigation demands. Again, Figure 3 presents river discharges for a major RWF predominantly occurring from late evening to early morning, tapering off to zero by hour 9. Concurrently, the facility experiences peak flow starting at hour 8., leading to a noticeable drop in tank levels by hour 7. Augmentation wells are activated by hour 9 to slow down this depletion. However, as the RWF's output reaches its peak and distribution demands decrease, tank levels recover, suggesting that if the tanks were allowed to deplete further without immediately resorting to well water, they could be replenished by the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) supply, thereby avoiding surface water discharges. The recommended projects are to separate transmission pipelines from distribution networks, install additional dedicated pumping systems, construct new storage tanks, adjust augmentation well setpoints, and develop a universal SCADA controller for efficient water transfers. Significance The resulting investments will allow the system to effectively wheel water from areas of lower demand in the north to areas of continuously increasing demand in the southern part of the service territory, fully utilizing this resource. The insights gained offer a valuable model for other utilities with multiple gridded reclaimed production facilities, demonstrating how detailed analysis can improve operational protocols and optimize the system to more fully utilize the resource for minimum investment.

Clay County Utility Authority (CCUA) in Florida manages a large, reclaimed water production & distribution system, providing approx. 70% beneficial reuse. The reclaimed system expanded to meet increasing demand driven by rapid population growth. A comprehensive system evaluation optimized operational protocols & identified capital improvements needed to make the system operate as a unified whole.

SpeakerSteinbrecher, Paul

Presentation time

13:30:00

14:00:00

Session time

13:30:00

15:00:00

SessionCoastal Water Management: Strategies to Eliminate Ocean Discharge

Session number611

Session locationRoom 235

TopicIntermediate Level, One Water Management, Water Reuse and Reclamation

Author(s)