Live Oak - OMI, Inc. Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants CEU Program (2003)

PROJECT SUMMARY
Operations Management International, Inc. (OMI), operator of the City of Live Oak water and wastewater facilities, and the Lake City Community College's researchers developed a program for the management of residuals found in the City of Live Oak's wastewater treatment facility. This partnership grew out of a need to reduce electrical costs experienced by the City of Live Oak in the processing of its domestic wastewater.

This public-private partnership is an example of benefits that arise from utilizing the resources of the public sector and ingenuity of the private sector. The citizens of the City have an electrical consumption program on the cutting edge of known science and technology without the expenditure of ad valor resources. OMI provided the operator expertise and the research model, and Lake City Community College provided the researchers and the facility for the project.

This partnership resulted in a program that not only reduced the electrical consumption for the treatment of wastewater at the Live Oak Wastewater Treatment Facility, but also resulted in a decrease in pollutants discharged from the treatment plant. The College used this research to meet its program goals, and OMI used this research to reduce electrical costs for the City of Live Oak and to reduce the discharge of pollutants to the environment, which saves all citizens the costs associated with the endangerment of their natural resources.

Originality
The City of Live Oak, Florida asked OMI to develop and implement an energy conservation program in the operation of the water and wastewater treatment utilities to curb the cost of electricity for the citizens of Live Oak. Expertise in developing this program was supplied by the OMI staff of Lake City Community College. OMI and the researchers from the College began to evaluate all of the processes in the treatment and management of the Live Oak wastewater utility.

This contractual arrangement between the City of Live Oak and OMI allowed OMI to inquire into the availability of expertise in this area at the local college, Lake City Community College. In order to develop and to implement an electrical consumption program for the City, each of the City's water treatment processes had to be studied. Through exhaustive research it was determined that the major process using electricity that could be controlled was the aeration process (used to reduce and to digest the sludge in the wastewater treatment facility's aerobic digester). Sludge digestion was under study at the College, and the school had determined that domestic wastewater residuals were reduced to a greater extent through anaerobic digestion.

Implementation
OMI developed a plan for the study of anaerobic microorganisms to be used in the sludge digestion process at the City of Live Oak's wastewater treatment facility. Lake City Community College donated their physical plant and expertise for the purpose of discovering the best mixture of facultative and anaerobic bacteria for the purpose of reduction or digestion of sludge found in the wastewater treatment plant.

This strategy was targeted because the blower that delivered the air to aerobic digester consumed approximately 800 kilowatts (KW) of electricity each day. This motor consumed more electricity than any other electrical device associated with the wastewater treatment process. The OMI staff committed many hours of training and study in the development of this program, and through the support of the partnership forged between the College and OMI, a very effective mixture of microorganisms was developed so the aerobic digestion used at the facility could be transformed into an anaerobic digestion process.

This study was instituted in order to control electrical consumption at the wastewater treatment plant, and the electrical consumption was reduced, but also, the institution and the OMI staff discovered there was a 20% reduction in residuals collected at the wastewater treatment facility and there was an improvement in contaminates discharged from the plant. OMI established the mixture of microorganisms to control the sludge digestion process anaerobicly. By changing the digestion process, the 50 HP motor used to aerate the digestion vessel was turned off; thereby, reducing the electrical power use at the wastewater treatment facility by 800KW each day.

Quality
Through the research process conducted by Lake City Community College and OMI, a unique mixture of microorganisms was developed which were peculiar to the environment in Live Oak, as well as to the domestic wastewater produced by the municipality. The mixture of treatment bacteria is still under investigation, and at this time OMI along with the College researchers believe the blend of microorganisms must change during the year depending on temperature, primarily, and also organic loading.

Economics
This program of wastewater treatment residuals reduction was established without any City funds being utilized, and ultimately, the City realized a reduction in electrical costs to operate the treatment facility. The City realized an electrical power cost reduction in the transformation of the wastewater digestion process from aerobic digestion of more than $28,000 over the year following the implementation of the research, and at the same time, due to the more efficient reduction in solids residuals in the wastewater treatment plant, the treatment facility experienced a 30% reduction in CBOD and TSS discharged from the treatment plant.

Public-Private Partnerships
OMI (a private entity) is a water and wastewater O&M service provider who provides such services under a contractual agreement with the City (a public entity). OMI operates and maintains the City's water and wastewater facilities and equipment. OMI and the City enjoy cost savings, improved service delivery, and an increased efficiency in operations. OMI and the City share responsibilities, complimenting each other's efforts.