AWWA JTMGT57473

The Alexandria, Virginia Sanitation Authority (ASA) owns, operates and maintains a 54million gallon per day (MGD) advanced wastewater treatment plant, 3 pump stations andrelated interceptor infrastructure, serving the City of Alexandria and portions of FairfaxCounty. With a discharge located one quarter mile from the Potomac River and ultimatelyreaching the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, regulatory change in the form of more stringentpermit limits are constant. A new permit with much stricter limits and a signed voluntaryagreement for Total Nitrogen removal with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality(VDEQ) required a massive upgrade to the Authoritys treatment facilities. Not only wouldthis upgrade change the physical appearance of the plant, but it would drive an even moreimportant event, an organizational change, from command and control to teams and fromdependence on manual labor and unskilled tasks to almost complete automation and highlyskilled employees.It was not only important to spend considerable time and effort on the design andconstruction elements of the project, but also the people part. Key to this was to develop acomprehensive training approach for operations, maintenance and laboratory staff to insurebuy in and understanding of the new equipment being installed. Not only was the plantgoing to biological nutrient removal at very low limits, but it was also changing fromsimplistic, fixed film rotating biological contactors to an advanced activated sludge systemwith the flexibility to be operated in two modes - MLE and step feed, with or withoutmethanol addition.Several opportunities for training were reviewed. Vendor training, while always a part of aconstruction contract, is usually overlooked in terms of quality for the owner. ASAscontracts required lesson plans from the vendors, resumes from the actual vendor trainerand coordination in scheduling the training date with operations and maintenance start upteams. Staff was involved during design reviews, which required close contact with theengineering consultants and with the equipment and buildings, helping to familiarize staff tothe updates to existing facilities and the new equipment planned. The designers developedtraining modules to review the design specifications of the new equipment and buildings. Aseparate consulting firm, specializing in efficient wastewater operations, was hired toprovide fifteen modules of defined classrooms, hands-on and on-the-job training, as well asstart up assistance. The engineering consultant contract also calls for monthly ProcessDemonstration reviews with the start up and operations team to review nutrient removalprocessing and efficiencies and learn how to operate the facility in different modes. Thetraining effort in dollars is less than $1 million, while the total program cost is $330 million.These efforts have created a greater team spirit among staff, as well as a genuineanticipation for operating the new facilities as they begin operation. The Authority feels thatits large capital expense in construction will be well served by its parallel commitment toinvesting in staff education and skill enhancement.



Keywords: Training; Equipment; Startup; Construction; Contracts; Design; Virginia; Advanced Wastewater Treatment; Chesapeake Bay