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Boonville wastewater pre‑optimization cuts nitrogen and phosphorus, staff says
Summary
City staff and contractors reported substantial nutrient reductions and energy savings at the Boonville wastewater plant after a roughly $12,000 pre‑optimization effort; the Missouri DNR and contractor Alliance highlighted the results at a recent wastewater conference.
City wastewater staff told the Boonville City Council on March 17 that a recent pre‑optimization of the wastewater treatment plant has sharply reduced nutrient discharges and cut energy costs.
Kevin (staff member) said the plant is designed for 2,000,000 gallons per day with surge capacity to 3,000,000 gpd and that current average flow is about 950,000 gpd. He said measured influent concentrations at the start of the process were about 30 milligrams per liter for total nitrogen and about 5 milligrams per liter for total phosphorus. After the optimization steps presented to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and contractors, effluent total phosphorus is now about 1 mg/L and total nitrogen removal has improved substantially.
The presentation cited an initial investment of $12,000 for the pre‑optimization work. Staff said annual total‑nitrogen removal rose from roughly 18 tons per year before the work to about 35 tons per year after — an increase the presenter described as an approximately 85% improvement in removal efficiency for the measured period. Staff also reported energy savings from the changes: the presenter stated the plant has reduced energy use by about 20,000 kilowatt‑hours per month and that that reduction has averaged roughly $2,100 in monthly energy cost savings. Staff said those savings, if sustained, will allow the city to recoup the $12,000 investment in a short time frame and credited contractor Alliance and DNR collaboration for the results.
Councilors and staff framed the work as both a compliance and cost‑saving measure. The presenter noted that the optimization supports state nutrient‑reduction goals and that Boonville’s results were presented alongside other facilities at a recent wastewater conference. The city administrator praised the work and said the DNR views the project favorably.
All figures above are reported by city staff during the March 17 meeting. The transcript used some nonstandard unit phrasing; this article uses standard technical units (kilowatt‑hours) and metric concentrations as reported by staff.
