The New Intermediate Pumping Station Odor Control BioTrickling Filter Project: Operations, Maintenance, and Performance Data at Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in the City of Los Angeles, California

The City of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) operates the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP) in the city of Los Angeles (City) which has an average dry-weather capacity of 450 MGD (million gallons per day). The HWRP has been operating since 1892, and its core mission is to champion the protection of public health and the environment. Separately from the primary and secondary water treatments, HWRP is currently applying an advanced system with the goal to be 100% recycled water by 2035. Part of the upgrade is at the new intermediate pumping station (IPS) odor control biotrickling filter (BTF) system. At the IPS, a total of 10 Archimedes Screws (hollow cylinder and spiral) lifts an average flow of 260 MGD wastewater from primary to secondary treatment at HWRP. The original IPS foul air treatment system had two (2) chemical wet scrubbers and two (2) chemical storage tanks. This old system was replaced by a new system featuring four (4) BTFs and four (4) carbon adsorber towers (CAT). The project was designed to remove hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) from the IPS foul air stream and on September 13, 2021, the first IPS BTF unit was put into service followed shortly thereafter by the other three BTF units. Results have been outstanding with an average of over 99% H₂S removal occurring in the BTF process with a design air flow rate of 40,000 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm). The total IPS BTF project cost is $7,849,000, and operations, maintenance, and performance data at HWRP will be discussed further. Performance data, air emissions measures, operations and maintenance challenges, and future BTF advancements will be presented for LASAN’s new technology IPS BTF odor control systems.