https://brr.fyi/posts/wastewater-plant

brr
Menu

  * Home
  * Subscribe
  * About
  * Contact
  * 

Search for Blog [                    ]
The McMurdo Wastewater Treatment Plant
infrastructure mcmurdo

The McMurdo Wastewater Treatment Plant

Sweet, sweet humidity.

brr
brr 23 Oct 2022

One of my favorite things about my time here so far is the ability to
get familiar with infrastructure I wouldn't be able to see back home.
I was recently able to take a tour of the McMurdo Wastewater
Treatment Plant (WWTP), Building 199.

The McMurdo Wastewater Treatment Plant is right at the waters' edge.
Water flows downhill! There's only a few buildings that require a
lift station to get their wastewater to the plant.

Most infrastructure in McMurdo is above ground. It's easier to
maintain this way, and it doesn't require (challenging and fraught)
below-ground excavation. Most everything has heat trace wiring and
thick insulation, to ensure the contents don't freeze.

Above-ground Plumbing Above-ground plumbing. Standing on a walkway,
looking toward Southern Exposure (far left, beige), Building 155
(center-left, blue) Gallagher's (right), with Building 120/121
(green) and Medical (red and white) in the background.

Wastewater all flows down to the wastewater plant.

Fun fact 1: The wastewater plant needs a comparatively small staff to
operate, which means this building has the most square footage per
employee. It's peaceful in here! Mostly the gentle hum of machinery.

Fun fact 2: Humidity! This building is heated and has a huge amount
of indoor open water. Pretty much nowhere else on station has this.
It feels and smells pleasant, like a slightly humid, earthy summer
day. Since I'm totally deprived of these sensations anywhere else on
station, it's really lovely in here. Even at my job, I've jumped to
volunteer for any tasks that allow me to spend time in this building.

I'll preface this by stating that I've come here for a single tour,
and I do not work here professionally! I'm purposefully being vague
on the details, because this isn't my area of expertise and I don't
want to misstate something about how the plant operates.

Raw wastewater enters the plant and flows through macerators. These
break up solids into manageable pieces.

Macerators

Here we can see the raw (macerated) wastewater flowing in. No...
visible chunks in this one, but this is where you'd see 'em.

Raw Inflow

The wastewater flows through a strainer, which catches solids that
don't belong in the system.

Inflow Strainer

Here's the main area of the plant, showing the broad layout of
equipment. You can see the aeration basins, where air bubbles are
used to mix the incoming wastewater with activated Sludge. The Sludge
helps break down and process food and solid waste particles in the
wastewater.

Wastewater Plant Overview 1

Wastewater Plant Overview 2

The water and Sludge mixture moves onto a clarifier, which uses
gravity to separate the two parts.

Some Sludge is recycled back into the system for processing more
wastewater, and some Sludge moves on.

The Sludge that isn't recycled gets sent to a digester, where it is
further processed over a period of weeks. Then it is sent to a
compressor system:

Solids Compressor

This squeezes out any remaining water, so the resulting Sludge is as
light as possible.

Here's the final solid product, a nutrient-rich soil-like material.
This is sent back to the United States.

Final Solids

The water itself moves onto a final UV disinfecting stage:

UV Room Door

UV Room Inside

At last, the treated wastewater is discharged into McMurdo Sound.

Here's the outflow pipe leaving the plant:

Outflow Indoors

And heading out into McMurdo Sound:

Outflow Outdoors

Here's a quick shot of the electrical room! I haven't talked much
about McMurdo's power infrastructure yet, but I hope to in a future
post.

Electrical

Maintaining the Sludge is a complex process. The plant has a lab,
where the Sludge is sampled, tested, and adjusted to maintain optimal
health:

Lab Scene The Sludge Lab((tm)).

Microscope Examining a Sludge Sample.

Microbial Critters Lil' critters in the Sludge

Sludge Troubleshooting Having issues with your Sludge? Consult this
handy troubleshooting chart.

Finally, as with any complex plant, there are elements of information
technology and digital controls used as part of the management
process. Sorry folks, this one has to be redacted quite a bit, but
you get the idea.

Status Dashboard

I love this kind of stuff, and I'll jump at any opportunity to see
more of it.

Until next time!

You may also like

See all infrastructure
29 Oct 2022 Credit Card Shenanigans

Credit Card Shenanigans

How to trigger a fraud alert in two transactions.

14 Oct 2022 Sea Ice Safety

Sea Ice Safety

Hands-on training, just outside town.

25 Sep 2022 Condition Two

Condition Two

Moderately unpleasant weather.

brr

brr

  *  

(c) brr