Category: Earth/Climate science

Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant

Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant

Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant

11/10/25

“What is the largest sewage treatment plant in the western US, and what makes it special?”

The US has thousands of sewage treatment plants. The largest one west of the Mississippi, the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant, has many interesting properties. Located in the Los Angeles suburb of El Segundo, the Hyperion sewage treatment plant can treat nearly a half a billion gallons per day and recycles nearly 30 percent of its treated water for non-potable uses. The City of Los Angeles is working to make the Hyperion plant recycle 100 percent of its wastewater for beneficial reuse by 2035, including 174 million gallons per day of purified recycled water. These measures will help Los Angeles thrive in the drought-afflicted climate paradigm of the near future. The Hyperion sewage treatment plant is looking to add membrane bioreactor, reverse osmosis, and UV light disinfection capabilities to its processes.

Image credit: https://www.waterandwastewater.com/

Sole Source Aquifers

Sole Source Aquifers

Sole Source Aquifers

11/09/25

“How does the U.S. designate an aquifer that’s the only or principal source of drinking water?”

Municipalities in the U.S. use a plethora of different sources for drinking water, from groundwater aquifers to coastal desalination plants. But some communities rely on a single aquifer for their only or principal source of drinking water. If this aquifer gets contaminated, then it could spell huge trouble for the community. To protect themselves, communities can apply to the EPA to have their aquifer designated as a Sole Source Aquifer if they receive 50 percent or more of their water from a single aquifer and have no reasonable alternative sources if the aquifer becomes contaminated. Sole source aquifer designation provides legal benefits for communities such as extra environmental review for projects that may damage the aquifer, increasing public awareness, and open up potential federal grants.

No Net Increase

No Net Increase

No Net Increase

11/08/25

“How do we ensure new developments don’t increase the amount of hazardous substances in a body of water?”

People generally don’t want a water body to become more polluted, especially if it already has many hazards. Consequently, environmental regulators work to prevent more toxins from entering sewer systems using No Net Increase rules. No net increase regulations state that any development must not increase the amount of pollutants entering the water body of release. Infrastructure and construction operators must undertake best management practices to satisfy no net increase rules. One approach is to remove as much pollution as you discharge.

Embankments

Embankments

Embankments

11/06/25

“What’s the structure that holds canals in place?”

Canals are the lifeblood of societies all over the world. These waterways provide passageway for cargo while controlling water levels. But what structure keeps canals in place? Well, elevated trapezoidal structures parallel to the canals called Embankments constrain the movement of water outwards. Protecting embankments is core to keeping communities safe all over the world.

Why New York City’s Gowanus Canal is So Polluted

Why New York City’s Gowanus Canal is So Polluted

Why New York City’s Gowanus Canal is So Polluted

11/05/25

“Why is the Gowanus Canal so polluted?”

The Gowanus Canal has been a fixture of Brooklyn for the past 150 years. Built as a major industrial transportation route, the body of water was subject to decades of pollution from surrounding coal yards, tanneries, machine shops, and many other types of industrial activity. The canal’s design prevented regular movement between the more oxygenated water in New York Harbor and the deoxygenated water in the canal, leading to a filthy, pathogen-infested environment. People also used the Gowanus Canal to carry out illegal dumping activities. Combined sewer overflow events dump raw sewage into the canal during heavy rainstorms. When we look at these reasons together, it’s easy to see Why New York City’s Gowanus Canal is So Polluted.

Image credit: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/

Sludge Thickening

Sludge Thickening

Sludge Thickening

11/04/25

“Why do we need to add solids to wastewater before further treatment?”

Sludge treatment processes such as dewatering require conditioning before they can proceed. One of the first steps is to increase the solids concentration of sludge through Sludge Thickening. Sludge thickening ensures that the sludge is not too thin to handle in later processes. 

Image credit: https://aosts.com/

Why NYC Flooded So Badly on October 30, 2025

Why NYC Flooded So Badly on October 30, 2025

Why NYC Flooded So Badly on October 30, 2025

11/03/2025

“Why did NYC flood so badly on October 30, 2025?”

October 30, 2025, was a nightmare for NYC. Record-breaking downpours swept through the city, leaving destruction in its wake. Water levels were taller than people’s waists on some streets. Two people even lost their lives because of the storm. But why was flooding so bad? Well, there’s a multitude of reasons. NYC sewer systems were designed to handle around 1.75 inches per hour of rainfall, while rain reached 6.00 inches per hour in some neighborhoods. Furthermore, the fall leaves and trash blocked sewer catch-basins, preventing drainage and turning city regions into a giant concrete bathtub. Taken together, This is Why NYC Flooded So Badly on October 30, 2025.

For more in-depth information, please visit this page from the NYC-focused flooding blog The City Sponge.

Image credit: https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/

Soluble BOD

Soluble BOD

Soluble BOD

11/02/25

“How can we describe the portion of organic material that dissolves in water?”

BOD measures the amount of oxygen required to consume the organic matter present in a water sample. Some of the organic material, such as large chunks of food, is suspended and visible, while others are dissolved in the water itself. We can measure the BOD needed to consume the latter as Soluble BOD. Soluble BOD is easier to manage than the more visible, suspended, particulate BOD because of its smaller size.

Sludge Conditioning

Sludge Conditioning

Sludge Conditioning

11/01/25

“Why do we need to pretreat sludge before separating the water from the solids?”

Sludge is a mixture of solid waste and water. Sludge is processed by separating the solid waste from the water. However, sludge will require pre-treatment called Sludge Conditioning before dewatering to ensure successful processing. Sludge conditioning comes in numerous forms, ranging from aerobic digestion to thermal conditioning.

Image credit: https://www.waterexchemicals.com/