Background | Camp Emunah, an overnight summer camp for Jewish girls, has resided in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Wawarsing, NY since it first opened in 1953. The camp uses its own wastewater treatment plant to collect and treat wastewater from the camp facility and associated buildings. The treatment plant consists of a facultative lagoon system, where treated wastewater is land applied each spring after being held through the fall and winter months. The SPDES permit for the facility was obtained many years ago, and each year the plant is re-inspected by the NYSDEC to confirm the facility continues to meet conditions specified in the permit and observe the facility’s general condition.
Challenges | The DEC requested additional information regarding the plant design and effectiveness and additional testing during discharge due to a unique component of the treatment system: the combination of facultative lagoons and land application. This facility is one of the only ones of its type operated in New York State. The lagoons utilize natural biological processes to break down the wastewater components, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical mixing and aeration equipment. The wastewater is then detained for 9 months, and the resulting effluent is discharged through sprayers onto the surrounding vegetated land. This system simplifies operations and reduces overall energy usage.
Solutions | Our team coordinated with the NYSDEC to renew the SPDES permit and created an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Manual for the lagoon and land application system. The manual describes the treatment system in detail and outlines the land application process’s three distinct operation intervals. We supervised upgrades and required maintenance at the facility and also provided operation supervision throughout the season and during discharge of the lagoons.