Headworks Zone
The headworks area of a treatment plant is the very first step in the wastewater treatment process, and it is frequently overlooked, misunderstood and difficult to manage. This is the location where wastewater enters the facility and the first chance to treat the flow—typically by removing large solids and grit. The more thoroughly wastewater is treated at the headworks, the more efficient and less costly it is to manage the rest of the process downstream.
Today, new screening technologies are making it possible to remove and process more unwanted solids than ever before. Fine screens with openings of 2-6 mm can capture and remove many of the unwanted solids that typically cause problems downstream. This includes particularly nasty materials like rags, condoms and plastics.
The MBR (membrane) treatment process is growing in popularity, and requires newer, more robust fine screens that can remove all inorganic solids down to 2 mm without becoming clogged. This pulls tremendous amounts of wet sloppy screenings out of the channel, requiring more efficient and effective washer-compactors to handle and reduce the heavy load. Controlling the odor and volume of discharged screenings is one of the hottest topics in headworks operation.
Wastewater managers face increasing pressure in terms of costs, regulations, capacity needs and equipment demands. They need more for less. There are roughly 16,000 publicly owned treatment plants in the U.S. and they need $20 billion in repair, replacement and upgrade each year to keep in compliance with the Clean Water Act. Currently only about half that amount is authorized and spent.
Investing in and carefully managing an efficient headworks system is an important step in making the entire wastewater treatment process more efficient.
Congressman John Duncan (R-TN) succinctly summarized the need for better wastewater equipment when he said, “we must meet the challenge of finding more efficient and less expensive ways to address our wastewater treatment needs.”
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