By Prof. Bob Andoh 

Communities with CSO issues lack adequate funds to undertake the required level of capital and operations and maintenance investments without a potential near doubling of local rates and fees. Conventional systems are costly and this, coupled with the funding constraints and issues of affordability, clearly highlights the need for more innovative, cost-effective and sustainable “alternative approaches” to resolving the current collection systems and wastewater treatment needs and challenges.

The use of satellite treatment systems located within collection systems provides the scope for resolving some of the challenges in urban wastewater infrastructure provision in a cost-efficient manner as demonstrated in Saco, Maine, and Columbus, Georgia. Monitoring and operation of these full scale systems has confirmed that high-rate processes such as vortex separator, either on its own or followed by compressed media filter, can be used to remove the gross solids and the lighter fraction of fine particulates while passively optimizing in-system storage.