The City of Douglas wastewater treatment plant experienced more problems on February 25, 2020, though according to the city, nearby waterways experienced adverse effects.
On February 25, the City of Douglas wastewater treatment plant experienced a biochemical oxygen demand (B.O.D.) exceedance of 26.6 mg/L. The reporting limit is 25 mg/L for a daily BOD sample. Although all wastewater for that day was processed through the wastewater plant, a BOD exceedance above 25 mg/L requires public notice by state law and qualifies as a technical spill. The total volume of wastewater treated that day was 10.05 million gallons. The result and flow reports were reported to Georgia Environmental Protection Division on March 2, 2020.
B.O.D. represents the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic (oxygen is present) conditions at a specified temperature. The testing procedure for B.O.D. is a five-day test. The test began on February 26 and the final results were read on March 2. Due to high flows at the wastewater plant, electrical and mechanical processes became submerged causing aerators to become inoperable, which resulted in a drop in dissolved oxygen that caused the effluent B.O.D. to increase.
Immediately following this event, upstream and downstream river testing showed no adverse effects to aquatic life. The tests were performed according to Georgia Environmental Protection Division standards.
For further information, please contact Kevin Davis, Project Manager of ESG Operations – Douglas, at 912-389-3447.