Operations Management International is about people
and the environment. When Key West built their state-of-the-art wastewater treatment
facility in 1989, the decision was made to hire an operations firm that knew how to make
their plant perform at its highest level immediately upon startup. Key West's concern for
the coral reef and surrounding waters was apparent in this decision, and there has been no
looking back. After years of study, local groups had formed an opinion that the living
coral reef located six miles off Key West's shore is in a state of decline. As a result, a
strong movement had been started to identify the reasons for this die-off and begin
corrective action. The cause of death of coral polyps has been attributed to many things
including disease such as black-band and yellow-band, and increased turbidity of
near-shore waters. Elevated nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the water at the reef had
been singled out by some groups as major contributors in the decline of the reefs.
Popular opinion was that the wastewater discharge from the Richard A. Heyman Environmental
Protection Facility was the single major source of nitrogen and phosphorus at the reef.
This opinion was not supported by effluent quality data collected by OMI over the previous
ten years, or by the surface water quality data collected in the vicinity of the outfall
for the previous seven years. We had been monitoring the whole effluent (undiluted) water
quality since the treatment plant was placed into service in February of 1989. Through
efficient control of the biological, mechanical, and chemical processes, the treatment
plant had been able to exceed typical secondary treatment standards and consistently
approached advanced wastewater treatment standards. Although not originally designed for
biological nutrient removal, the effluent frequently met the advanced wastewater treatment
standards for nitrogen and phosphorus of 3 mg/l and 1 mg/l respectively. This was achieved
by careful control of both the dissolved oxygen levels and the food-to-microorganism ratio
in the aeration basin. In September 2001 Key West discontinued discharging to the
ocean by diverting 100% of the treated effluent to a deep injection well located on the
Fleming Key plant site.
In late 1991, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was formed to develop
policies in regard to the protection of the reef. The Water Quality Steering Committee and
the Technical Advisory Committee of the FKNMS were formed to evaluate data concerning
degradation of water quality and to make recommendations based on this data to the FKNMS.
The Key West outfall had been a major target of local groups in their efforts to improve
water quality.
The US EPA studies spanned a period of over a year and incorporated NOAA tidal current
velocity data with water quality sampling, fluorescent tracer dye studies, nitrogen and
carbon isotope enrichment studies and chemical and biological benthic evaluations. In the
report summarizing the data collected, Dr. Roland Ferry of the US EPA reached the
conclusion that there was no measurable impact on the environment from the discharge at
the ocean outfall. The report indicated that nitrogen and phosphorus in Key West and
Garrison Bights were five times higher than the level at the outfall and levels north of
the outfall were also above the level in the vicinity of the outfall. The conclusion to be
drawn from this information is that the discharge at the outfall was a negligible
contributor to the decline of water quality and the reef in the Key West area.
The data and conclusions in the EPA reports were supported by the FDEP report on sampling
performed by their staff at the outfall. The water column and benthic analyses again
showed no significant difference in the health of the environment in this area when
compared to a remote location with similar and bottom structure. The data were also
consistent with the water quality data collected by OMI for the City of Key West over the
previous seven years. Both the FDEP and the NPDES operating permits required the Outfall
Monitoring Program. It consisted of quarterly testing of the whole effluent for all
Florida Class III Marine Waters criteria and quarterly testing of samples sites at the
outfall during both flood and ebb tide phases as well as testing of an unaffected
background station. The surface water sites were sampled at three depths at each site and
tested for a variety of water quality indicators, including chlorophyll A, nitrogen,
phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen.
These parameters are typical indicators of water quality,
and in every instance, there was no measurable difference between the sites at the outfall
and the background site.
Despite
these findings, in 2001 the City of Key West
decided to eliminate the use of it's ocean outfall by constructing a Class
VI deep injection well (please see the future page), and upgrading the
facility to meet much more stringent advanced wastewater treatment standards.
Although OMI was able to manipulate the biological
process to routinely meet these standards using the original secondary
treatment design, we could not guarantee these results 100% of the time.
After the well was completed and placed into service, the ocean discharge
line was valved closed never to be opened again.
The ocean outfall was available in case of a catastrophic emergency, but
luckily that never occurred. Since that time the City has constructed
a second well and that allowed us to abandon the original outfall line once
and for all. This was accomplished by physically removing a section of
pipe from the line located at Amelia and Thomas Streets.
OMI believes that there will always be a need to provide
accurate information to the public about
water and wastewater
treatment. An educated public will make informed
decisions about funding infrastructure repairs and upgrades. By providing tours and presentations to elementary
and high school classes, particularly the science and biology classes, has been
successful. We have also provided tours of the treatment plant and laboratory to the
Florida Keys Community College Marine Technologies Program and have given hands-on
training in laboratory techniques to the courses teaching assistants.
A tour of the
Richard Heyman Environmental Pollution Control Facility has been featured on Channel 5's
Waterways program. The City of Key West is
definitely leading the way when it comes to wastewater treatment in Monroe County.
In
Key West and at over 200 projects throughout the world, OMI is dedicated to the
preservation of our environment. Operating and maintaining municipal wastewater treatment
facilities is only one way to accomplish this mission. We partner with
private industry to
assure their compliance with state and federal regulations.
We also work closely in the
research and development of new, innovative treatment methods to enhance current
technologies. In 1990 OMI assisted war-ravaged Kuwait in re-establishing their
infrastructure after Iraq's invasion left them without any water or wastewater
treatment capabilities. We were there because raw sewage was flowing in the streets and
into the Persian Gulf, an insult from Iraq to Kuwait and to the rest of the world
community. OMI is people. The people get the work done; keep the machinery maintained and
operational, and make the decisions that enable the plant processes to
make polluted water clean. The
pride, the integrity, and the talent of OMI's people are the key to its
success in the protection of the world's environment. OMI was founded in
1979 and has grown to over 2600
water treatment, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, and environmental
specialists. The drive and dedication of these people spreads to our corporate
support staff as
well. You can learn more about them at http://www.omiinc.com