Wastewater plants extract nutrients from sewage
<p><span word="Sewage">Sewage</span> <span word="treatment">treatment</span> <span word="plants">plants</span> <span word="around">around</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="beginning">beginning</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="put">put</span> <span word="value">value</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="waste">waste</span>, <span word="turning">turning</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="marketable">marketable</span> <span word="resource">resource</span>.</p><p><span word="Blue">Blue</span> <span word="Plains">Plains</span> <span word="Advanced">Advanced</span> <span word="Wastewater">Wastewater</span> <span word="Treatment">Treatment</span> <span word="Plant">Plant</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Washington">Washington</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="largest">largest</span> <span word="facility">facility</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="among">among</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="leaders">leaders</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="effort">effort</span>.</p><p><span word="On">On</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="day">day</span>, 1.4 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="liters">liters</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="raw">raw</span> <span word="sewage">sewage</span> <span word="flow">flow</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plant">plant</span>, <span word="delivered">delivered</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="around">around</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="through">through</span> 2,000 <span word="kilometers">kilometers</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="underground">underground</span> <span word="sewer">sewer</span> <span word="pipes">pipes</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="pumping">pumping</span> <span word="stations">stations</span>, <span word="an">an</span> <span word="amount">amount</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="fill">fill</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nearby">nearby</span> <span word="sports">sports</span> <span word="stadium">stadium</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="waste">waste</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="loaded">loaded</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="nitrogen">nitrogen</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="nutrients">nutrients</span>.</p><p><span word="General">General</span> <span word="Manager">Manager</span> <span word="George">George</span> <span word="Hawkins">Hawkins</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="sure">sure</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="discharge">discharge</span> <span word="doesn">doesn</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="pollute">pollute</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="river">river</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="million">million</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="region">region</span> <span word="depend">depend</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="drinking">drinking</span> <span word="water">water</span>.</p><p><span word="Limited">Limited</span> <span word="discharge">discharge</span></p><p><span word="By">By</span> <span word="law">law</span>, <span word="Blue">Blue</span> <span word="Plains">Plains</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="dump">dump</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="small">small</span> <span word="percentage">percentage</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="nutrients">nutrients</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Potomac">Potomac</span> <span word="River">River</span>.</p><p>“<span word="We">We</span> <span word="know">know</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="buy">buy</span> <span word="nutrients">nutrients</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="time">time</span>," <span word="Hawkins">Hawkins</span> <span word="says">says</span>. "<span word="So">So</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="question">question</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="things">things</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="we">we</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="treating">treating</span> <span word="here">here</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="re">re</span>-<span word="use">use</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="resource">resource</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span>?”</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="massive">massive</span> $4 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="environmental">environmental</span> <span word="program">program</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="under">under</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="Blue">Blue</span> <span word="Plains">Plains</span>.</p><p><span word="Among">Among</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="three">three</span> <span word="projects">projects</span>, <span word="two">two</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="mandated">mandated</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="government">government</span>, <span word="including">including</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="cut">cut</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="half">half</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="amount">amount</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="nitrogen">nitrogen</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="waste">waste</span> <span word="nutrients">nutrients</span> <span word="discharged">discharged</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Potomac">Potomac</span> <span word="River">River</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="underground">underground</span> <span word="tunnel">tunnel</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="prevent">prevent</span> <span word="accidental">accidental</span> <span word="sewage">sewage</span> <span word="overflow">overflow</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="network">network</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="ageing">ageing</span> <span word="pipes">pipes</span>.</p>
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