Waste Water Management using Plants

Agricultural Need for Sustainable Willow Effluent Recycling
Irrigation schemes:
Bridgend, Ballinacarrick,
Churchtown Co. Donegal
Con McLaughlin
Donegal County Council
Senior Engineer
Acknowledgements
• Colleagues in Donegal County Council with
key inputs
o Hugh Doherty (M&E design)
o Patrick Doherty (Construction Supervision)
o Joanne Holmes, (Planning /design etc)
o Michelle McDaid (Project claims)
o David Robb (Lifford Landfill Project)
• Prof Alistair McCracken, AFBI
• Donal Doyle, RPS Consulting Engineers
• Aila Carty, Vesi Environmental Limited, Cork
it enough
to change
change your
game?it self
or isIs your
goal to
the game
GAME CHANGERS!
ANSWER Project sites in County Donegal
• 14 ha SRC willow plantation irrigated with
effluent at Bridgend wastewater treatment
plant
• Lysimeters on cap at Ballinacarrick Landfill
• Combined technologies in Churchtown Landfill
Restoration
o Bioremediation with src willows plus
o Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICW)
Lands identified are in close proximity to
Bridgend Wastewater Treatment Works
Bridgend
WWTW
Field 2,
Field 1,
Low pressure
pumping of
effluent to
willow
plantations
Field 3
to Derry
Irrigation layout by Laqua showing rising
main & 25no zones at Bridgend
Irrigation zones at Bridgend
25 zones each with a valve
wired back to an irrigation controller
These jobs bring their own challenges!
Irrigation system at Bridgend Wastewater Treatment
(emerging src willows in background)
Laterals through buffer area
into willows
(Holes 9m centres)
Header pipe
(for one zone)
Rising main
(pumped from the Bridgend works)
Bridgend Treatment plant
Before and After
the ANSWER Project
Irish Water have progressed a screen
which will further enhance the works
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
5pm
11am
5am,
Pumps on
All data trended and available online, this example
showing inlet flow, irrigation flow and no flow to
river
Data capture during commissioning
• 1st July – 8th October
– Total inlet flow
– Total irrigated Flow
– Overflow to River
11,300m3
9,363m3 [83%]
1,937m3 [17%]
• These figures will be improved on, we
established (8th Oct) one set point in the
controls which was causing an overflow
Ballinacarrick landfill General arrangement of trial plots (lysimeter's)
Lysimeters at Ballinacarrick Landfill
The Ballintra Landfill site
12 no lysimeter's
Willows in lysimeters at Ballintra
(Ballinacarrick Landfill)
Willows in lysimeters at Ballintra
The Lifford Landfill site
.. works managed by
David Robb, DCC
Restoration works financed by
q Department of Environment, Community & Local
Government
q The ANSWER Project
River Finn
Churchtown Landfill, Lifford– situated between
N15 Road and River Finn
Haul road
Stripping topsoil
River Finn
View from
the air
shortly after
the work
started in
May 2014
The ‘Master Plan’ at Lifford, with . . .
• willows irrigated in the core
• ‘ICW’ ponds either side
(flow split 60 : 40 based on area)
• ‘ICW’ A floor area
6,547m2 (62%)
• ‘ICW’ B floor area
4,018m2 (38%)
62%
Total ‘ICW’ floor area
10,565m2 (2.6 acres)
38%
Indication of Proposed
Boreholes / Site monitoring
Ground water
Piezometers
Gas
Leachate extraction
Leachate collection design
Pumping Stations 1, 2 & 3
Capturing leachate from
toe drains which is
returned to head of works
for treatment
(Willows and / or ICW’s)
PS1
Pumping Stations 4
Leachate Extraction from
waste body also to head of
works for treatment
(Willows and / or ICW’s)
PS3
PS2
Constructing toe drain and shaping side
slopes
Importing clay / forming the Cap
Proposed Emission Limit Values
Extensive site!
clay cap works ongoing
Stone drain through topsoil to capture any run of
following heavy rains
or leachate not absorbed by the willows
Imported material (to October)
Type
Vol (t)
No of loads
Subsoil
57,000
2,850
Clay cap (500mm)
93,457
4,673
Topsoil (450mm)
19,500
975
Drainage stone
3,079
140
TOTALS 173,036
8,638
Enhanced design –
receiving cell incorporated in pond 1A
Receiving
Cell under
construction
within
Pond 1A
Pond
1A
Ponds 4a & 5a under construction
Progress at end of August with willows emerging
and ‘ICWs’ under construction
Construction at 19th September
Ponds flooded
for planting
Access Road
around site
Embankments
top-soiled
Control philosophy
(north half only shown)
Online analyser
(composite sampler )
(with ‘a’ or ‘b’)
a) Compliant – routed to
storm drains
Any run off
b) Non compliant – to head of
from willows
site for further treatment
to central
drains
Option at head of works to send to either ICW and/or
willow depending on hydraulic loading
Some early words of encouragement ..
‘It is therefore important that this type of
sustainable technology is actively
encouraged in today’s environmentally
aware and financially constrained climate’
Mr. John McMillen, Chief Executive, NIEA speaking enthusiastically
about the potential of using SRC willow at the ANSWER Project launch
In the same vein, I wish to acknowledge the
support we received from the EPA’s Office of
Environmental Enforcement,
Dr Mick Henry, Senior Inspector
Mr John Gibbons, Inspector
Lifford Landfill - 3rd October 2014
Thank You

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