Wastewater Utilities: Are You Ready for Kansas' Nutrient Removal Policy?

In 2004, the EPA mandated all states to develop Action Plans and nutrient water quality criteria to rehabilitate impaired waters. In accordance with this mandate, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has developed a nutrient removal policy whereby wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with capacity greater than 1 mgd must meet technology based biological nutrient removal (BNR) goals to concentrations of 8 mg/L total nitrogen (TN) and 1.5 mg/L total phosphorus (TP). These guidelines were set to achieve the recommended overall nitrogen and phosphorus reduction of 30% for the State's lakes and streams (KDHE Water Bureau, 2004). This total reduction will involve best management practices for non-point sources as well as the previously stated goals for the point source contributors. This paper will discuss the key issues of BNR upgrades in Kansas: (1) capital costs, (2) data collection, (3) staff requirements, (4) operating costs, and (5) sustainability. While other states have established enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) or limit-of-technology (LOT) standards for severely impaired waters, the state of water quality in Kansas enables most utilities to upgrade their systems for BNR goals. This provides essential time for planning, training, and funding, while improving the overall water quality in Kansas.