District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

Innovation to Implementation

DC Water is unique in the water sector in its scientific approach to integrating technology into planning and operations. The science and technology research arm of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is where personnel identify emerging technologies and keep an eye to upcoming regulatory changes. They investigate concepts, then plan and undertake scientific research, the most promising of which leads to recommendations for the Authority. From concept to recommendation typically takes up to five years and it may be another five years to implementation.

This cycle of innovation to implementation exists for all major projects at Blue Plains. For example, before approval was secured for the thermal hydrolysis/digester project or Enhanced Nitrogen Removal project, many years of scientific inquiry, research, planning, modeling and evaluation were performed by the Blue Plains engineers. They formed the plan for the technology and the basis for the architecture and engineering of multi-million dollar, and first-of-its-kind, projects.

It is noteworthy that many research projects are undertaken to advance the body of knowledge ahead of regulations, so that regulators and those in the water sector have a better understanding of impacts of effluent and biosolids on the environment.

Advancing Science and Technology on a Global Scale

The research that comes from Blue Plains is recognized globally – the Blue Plains staff has been awarded numerous water sector awards for innovation and Blue Plains is the destination for dozens of international delegations investigating next-generation wastewater treatment technologies.

Engineers at Blue Plains are prolific in publishing their research, with more than 1,000 abstracts among them in just the last 10 years. Several of these individuals also hold patents for technology.

DC Water Partners with Distinguished Research Institutions

Blue Plains operates a year-round internship program that sponsors numerous Ph.D. and master's degree candidates. These students perform research for DC Water as they pursue their university degrees, while advancing the body of science and technology for the entire water sector.

Since 2002, Blue Plains has sponsored more than 75 master's and Ph.D. candidates doing their full-time investigation on DC Water science and technology projects. These individuals have been from the University of Maryland, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), George Washington University, Howard University, Bucknell University, and the University of Innsbruck at Austria, among other prestigious institutions.