Operational Information
Flow through the Little Ferry WPC facility in 2014 averaged 77.307 million gallons per day (mgd), a increase of seven percent (7%) from the previous year. Of the flow processed during 2014, an average of 3.443 mgd of treated effluent was supplied to Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G) for use as cooling tower make-up water at its power generating facility across the Hackensack River in Ridgefield. On April 30th, there was a peak flow of 251 mgd as a result of wet weather. There were no sewage bypasses during the year.
Safeguarding the health of Bergen County residents and improving the water quality of the Hackensack River continues as one of the most important objectives; the BCUA’s success of the latter being independently verified by newspaper and NJDEP reports. Daily influent carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) concentration averaged 251 mg/l and after secondary treatment and disinfection was discharged at 14.2 mg/l, for a removal efficiency of 93.2%. Total suspended solids (TSS) removal was 93.6% based upon a yearly average daily wastewater influent concentration of 324 mg/l and 18.6 mg/l effluent discharge. A maximum daily average effluent concentration of 25 mg/l for CBOD and 30 mg/l of TSS as well as minimal removal efficiencies of 85% are required by the BCUA’s NJPDES permit. Therefore, based on these annual averages, the BCUA complied with NJPDES permit effluent limitations.
Materials removed from wastewater are thickened, stabilized by anaerobic digestion, and stored in tanks before barging or tanker-trucked by private contractors for dewatering and further treatment at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) Yantacaw treatment plant in Newark, N.J. In 2014, approximately 56,478,268 gallons of Class B biosolids, at an average percent solids of 5.68%, were transported by barge or tanker truck from the Little Ferry water pollution control facility. After application of the Zimpro® treatment process to further reduce pathogens and dewatering by belt press, the Class A biosolids were transported by dump trucks from PVSC plant to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission landfill in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, or the Amelia Landfill in Virginia.
Edgewater Water Pollution Control Facility
Flow from the Edgewater WPC facility, during the year 2014 averaged 3.65 mgd with a peak daily flow of 12.81 mgd on October 15th during a heavy rain storm. Influent TSS concentration averaged 174 mg/l and influent CBOD averaged 181 mg/l. During 2014, the effluent concentration of TSS averaged 20.0 mg/l and the effluent concentration of CBOD averaged 12.6 mg/l. Percent (%) removals were 89% for TSS and 93% for CBOD. Analytic analyses show the water pollution control facility is in compliance with NJPDES requirements for all parameters. 3,230,105 gallons of 6% average total solids concentration thickened sludge was processed through the gravity belt thickener and hauled by tanker truck to PVSC treatment plant in Newark for further treatment, dewatering, and off-site land application.