Environmental discharge requirements caused the City of Flowery Branch, Georgia, to seek a custom membrane system from Aria Filtra to meet new phosphorus limits for wastewater reuse.
In 2002, Georgia’s City of Flowery Branch faced strict new requirements about discharging water back into the nearby Lake Lanier, which is a drinking water source for the community, compelling the city to find an alternative wastewater system. At the time, the wastewater plant was using conventional sand filters that were unable to achieve the reduction of phosphorus to meet the new limit of 0.13 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Not only were the sand filters working improperly, but they were creating barriers to the plant’s ability to reach a higher level of treatment and recovery for discharging into the environment. If unable to meet the new phosphorus limit, the city would have been banned from discharging any additional water into Lake Lanier, resulting in an immediate negative impact on the city.
After a thorough evaluation of various wastewater treatment solutions, Aria FLEX membrane system from Aria Filtra® was selected due to its critical ability to meet the phosphorus limits. The quality and performance of our membranes for tertiary treatment were particularly important as this allowed the plant to meet the new permit requirements for phosphorus limits. Another important factor given the plant’s deadline for meeting the limit was that the Aria FLEX system needed minimal infrastructure and took the least amount of time to get up and running whereas other systems would have required the construction of a new plant.
Most notably, the implementation of the Aria FLEX system allowed Flowery Branch to meet the posed limits of 0.13 mg/L phosphorus reduction for the treated wastewater to continue to be directly discharged into Lake Lanier. This also brought the water quality to reuse standards and resulted in a reduced concentration of solids and other contaminants. Our system also helped the plant increase their maximum capacity and successfully meet Flowery Branch’s discharge limit.
Case Study: Exceeding Phosphorus Limits Required for Environmental Wastewater Reuse
“The Aria FLEX system helped us exceed phosphorus limits required for environmental discharge, and more than 10 years later, the system is still performing at a level where we will not need to make any adjustments when our phosphorus limits drop even lower. The design of the wastewater treatment system also made it so that no infrastructure or construction was needed, allowing us to meet a tight deadline for producing water within the phosphorus limit.”
- Jimmy Dean, director of water and wastewater quality, City of Flowery Branch
Flexible, customizable solutions
Custom Water Systems offer flexible designs for a wide range of capacities and applications. Our modular membrane-based systems are completely customizable, making them the perfect solution for new plants, replacements or facility upgrades.
