A survey of filamentous organisms at the Deer Island Treatment Plant

The Deer Island Treatment Plant (DITP) treating both domestic and industrial wastewater, has a peak flow capacity of up to 1270 million gallons per day (MGD) (3342 m(3) min(-1)). The DITP contains a Pilot Plant, which consists of two identical pure oxygen activated sludge treatment trains, each with a maximum capacity of 1 MGD (2.63 m(3) min(-1)) to simulate the maximum flow of the full size facility. This study documents the community of filamentous organisms living in the activated sludge under various operational conditions in the Pilot Plant. Sixteen types of filamentous organisms were identified. The major filamentous organisms present in the Pilot Plant were Type 1701, Type 0041, Sphaerotilus natans, Microthrix parvicella, and Nocardia sp. Nocardia sp. was quite dominant in the early stages of the experimental period during high ambient temperatures (summer), indicating that temperature is one determining factor in the distribution of Nocardia sp. Thiothrix sp. was very sensitive to the dissolved oxygen (DO) level, with low DO values favoring the growth of the organisms. Microbiological observations made during the start-up and stable operation of the full-scale secondary treatment plant (maximum capacity 780 MGD) are also reported. No dominant filamentous species existed during the start-up period. Type 0803 and Type 1701, indicators of low oxygen level for the applied food to microorganism ratio, confirmed the low DO conditions of activated sludge tanks.