Veolia North America Upgrades Richmond, Calif. Wastewater Treatment Plant

Fine screens – Two new mechanical fine screens were installed to filter out trash, rags and other larger debris from the wastewater stream. This prevents that material from clogging pipes and pumps, and potentially polluting the San Francisco Bay.

Vortex grit removal system – Grit and sand settles at the bottom of wastewater treatment tanks, where it can cause wear and tear on machinery. The new grit removal system allows those fine materials to be easily separated from wastewater.

Biofilter – Gases released by the wastewater treatment process are captured and forced through a new filtration system. Many layers of porous materials in the biofilter promote the growth of specialized microorganisms that break down the odor-causing compounds.

Blower building – a new structure holds powerful mechanical turbo blowers, which ingest outside air that is diffused into wastewater to promote the treatment process.

Aeration basins – a new system in the bottom of wastewater treatment tanks diffuses air into the water as fine bubbles, rather than the previous mechanical mixing system. These fine bubble diffusers are more consistent, efficient and resilient than the prior system.