NEW Water: Our History at a Glance - Magazine - Page 24
What is wastewater?
Wastewater is comprised of “liquids” and “solids,” the
latter of which has been called “the Achilles’ heel” of
the treatment process. Solids, measured in pounds,
are a wide-range of pollutants that include mercury,
phosphorus, grit, and sediment. Residential wastewater
– as in what’s flushed down the toilet or poured down the
sink of your home – is fairly standard as far as treatment
processes are concerned, as it’s relatively predictable.
Industrial wastewater, however, requires more stringent
processing, as there are more types of pollutants and in
far greater quantity.
Resource recovery is an exciting new
era for wastewater. In fact, there is gold
in wastewater. A study conducted by
NEW Water staff in 2018 determined that
on average, 2,788 troy ounces of gold
comes through the facility in a given year,
valued at $3 million at the time of study.
Unfortunately, there are no cost-effective
strategies at this time to extract the gold.
Perhaps, one day, technological advances
will make this possible.
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NEW WATER | OUR HISTORY AT A GLANCE
