local sewer district concerns on water use, BOD, TSS

[et1883]

We are looking at a 3000 sq ft site.  the local sewer district director has "concerns the operation may exceed ... discharge limits with the Water & Wastewater District .   Please provide us with a report on the planned Total Flows, BOD’s and TSS’s for your operation. "   (that's biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids...)

We are planning on near-zero waste (recycled spent grains, recirculated/re-used cooling water, no solids down the drain, heads/tails picked up as needed by qualified recycling group).

Have any of you heard of this?  Recommendations on replies?  Estimates?

Thanks in advance for thoughts and advice. 

[Falling Rock]

I realize every local is different, but...

Ours was the State Dept of Environmental Quality's worry about our discharge into our captive septic system..

As you have said, we planned a zero waste foot print and we had a disbeliever in the Health Department. He wanted to keep comparing us to a brewery and the breweries in our local had a bad reputation.

We wrote a detailed explanation of our process: recycled cooling water, recycled stillage to next wash/mash, that not recycled is fed wet to cattle, we stated the use of fores/heads used in sterilizing equipment, tails re-run,...write it down like your going to do it! Plan your distilling days with time and labor, so that hot cooling water starts a mash and hotter stillage goes in last.

You should already know what your quantities are based on your equipment. Make the quantities jive. 600L still. 100L of product, 200L used in next wash/mash, 300 out to feed, 200 gallons of cooling water recycled either into next mash or into a storage tank,  NO CHLORINE, we use PBW,  Starsan and alcohol (heads), our waste consists of floor mopping, toilet and minimal equipment washing (10 gallons). MUCH less sewage than any restaurant!

Water (especially hot water) and grain down the drain is as much an economic issue for a distillery as an environmental issue and I'm a cheap SOB. SAVE the BTU's!!! Feed the stillage!

Write and answer questions about your process. After reading, DEQ told the Health Dept they weren't even interested in auditing us! And it has worked out fine.

Notice I said feed wet grain to the livestock. I looked at every possible means of drying it and they were all expensive. I read every reference I could find. Even a wash can be fed wet to most critters.  They will drink it, just harder to move offsite wet than dry. Pump or dump it into a tank/trough and they line up for a healthy drink.

 

[et1883]

Thanks, Falling Rock!   I had composed something to that effect and was able to improve the text using your thoughts and ideas!  Thanks so much for the assist!

[richard1]

Best way to fatten up your beef herd. 

[Black Creek]

On 11/20/2017 at 10:23 PM, Falling Rock said:

I realize every local is different, but...

Ours was the State Dept of Environmental Quality's worry about our discharge into our captive septic system..

As you have said, we planned a zero waste foot print and we had a disbeliever in the Health Department. He wanted to keep comparing us to a brewery and the breweries in our local had a bad reputation.

We wrote a detailed explanation of our process: recycled cooling water, recycled stillage to next wash/mash, that not recycled is fed wet to cattle, we stated the use of fores/heads used in sterilizing equipment, tails re-run,...write it down like your going to do it! Plan your distilling days with time and labor, so that hot cooling water starts a mash and hotter stillage goes in last.

You should already know what your quantities are based on your equipment. Make the quantities jive. 600L still. 100L of product, 200L used in next wash/mash, 300 out to feed, 200 gallons of cooling water recycled either into next mash or into a storage tank,  NO CHLORINE, we use PBW,  Starsan and alcohol (heads), our waste consists of floor mopping, toilet and minimal equipment washing (10 gallons). MUCH less sewage than any restaurant!

Water (especially hot water) and grain down the drain is as much an economic issue for a distillery as an environmental issue and I'm a cheap SOB. SAVE the BTU's!!! Feed the stillage!

Write and answer questions about your process. After reading, DEQ told the Health Dept they weren't even interested in auditing us! And it has worked out fine.

Notice I said feed wet grain to the livestock. I looked at every possible means of drying it and they were all expensive. I read every reference I could find. Even a wash can be fed wet to most critters.  They will drink it, just harder to move offsite wet than dry. Pump or dump it into a tank/trough and they line up for a healthy drink.

 

I went through pretty much the same. Local health dept has no clue what to do with us as we are the first distillery ever in our county. Had to get DEP to give us a 5 yr exempt permit for wastewater after we submitted plan showing 0 waste.

[MG Thermal Consulting]

I have went around with clients- on the subject of cooling systems with regards to discharges. Simple, but it costs money. Extra equipment that isn't investigated before budgets are put into stone to collect hot water in reservoirs, extra heat exchangers to collect heat to transfer to boilers and hybrid cooling systems.

The smaller the distillery, the tougher the payback return.

[Patio29Dadio]

Early on I did a grid of the water use and the waste-water pollution potential.  It was a hit with every water official in all three of the communities we worked with to find a location.  Let me know if you are interested and I can email you a copy of that document... two pager.

[et1883]

 

Water will be a continuing discussion, I think, Patio29Dadio, send me a copy?   With thanks in advance,