Author(s): M. E. Grismer; H. L. Shepherd; A. P. Stubblefield
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Abstract: Wine and associated grape production have a long history in the state of California as an industry of economic and social value. The wine m aking process generates a wastew ater having a high solids concentration and acidic pH not uncom m on to m any of the food processing industries. This effluent, variable in solids content and quantity, is often directly discharged into wastewater lagoons or ponds in anticipation of treatment or disposal. Once in the ponds, the effluent quickly becom es anaerobic, resulting in odor and eventual disposal problems for the industry. Disposal problem s are especially acute in the Mendeccino, Napa and Sonom a Valleys where surface w ater disposal options are extremely limited by Regional Water Quality Control Board regulation. A lthough little, if any work has been conducted using wetland systems for treatment of winery wastew ater, herein, weconsider development and design of a low-cost and low-energy intensive wetland treatm ent system, (a technology accessible to even small wineries), that is capable of treating the effluent to irrigation water quality, or better discharge standards such that the process waters may be reused. As part of this developm ent, we have measured the rem oval efficiency of a subsurface flow system with respect to suspended solids (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) as a function of depth and distance from the effluent source in a pilot-scale system. We found that most removal of both constituents occurs within the first few feet of the influent source and w e are incorporating that information into design protocols for wetland treatment systems. In this paper, we briefly discuss the results of a part of these measurements to illustrate some of the processes associated with subsurface flow wetland treatment of wastewater.
Year: 1997