Survey to Support National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies

Large capital investments to improve nutrient removal may not be affordable or necessary for all wastewater treatment facilities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water conducted the National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies to learn how publicly owned treatment works are reducing their nutrient discharges, without expensive upgrades, by modifying operation and maintenance practices. EPA wanted to conduct a voluntary survey of the nation-wide population of POTWs discharging to U.S. waters to provide information on treatment technology and nutrient removal ability. EPA sought ERG’s help with the survey.

To conduct the survey, ERG engineers leveraged in-house expertise, state contacts, and industry tools to identify and develop a database of more than 16,000 eligible POTWs from across the United States and its territories. In parallel, ERG’s survey design experts crafted a dynamic electronic questionnaire to capture technical data. ERG refined the electronic questionnaire to improve user experience and provided helpline services for respondents. ERG engineers analyzed response data to identify valuable trends and industry solutions.