Project Specifics

Geosyntec was engaged by a citrus juice production client that operates a fresh food production facility in Los Angeles County. The facility generates wastewater mixed with citrus pulp and other lemon debris from equipment and facility cleaning and refrigerator condensate. The facility’s industrial wastewater pretreatment process removes lemon particles, debris, and suspended oils from wastewater through a dissolved air flotation system (the GEM System) that causes the lemon material to float. This floating material (also known as flocculated lemon solids) is skimmed off the water, accumulates in a conical tank, and is later disposed of off-site. This facility is permitted to discharge industrial wastewater to the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) under the Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit (IWDP). LACSD notified the client that payment of supplemental sewer capacity fees could apply based on their industrial wastewater discharge quantity and quality characteristics.

Geosyntec Scope of Services

Geosyntec provided the following services on behalf of our client:

• Evaluated the industrial wastewater generation, pretreatment, and discharge processes
• Evaluated sewer capacity fees and potential source control and best management practices to reduce them
• Recommended an industrial wastewater sampling strategy to obtain representative performance indicators and sampling data
• Performed routine and compliance sampling of industrial wastewater, managed and evaluated wastewater data for sewer capacity unit projections
• Supported the client in negotiations with LACSD to implement corrective actions and mitigate significant fees caused by the increased sewer capacity units
• Conducted the sewer area study and prepared the IWDP revision application to accommodate the increased peak flow rate from the facility’s expansion
• Performed bench-scale experiments to evaluate ignitability hazard of the flocculated lemon solids, evaluated flashpoint test data of accumulated solids, and recommended testing requency for these materials to support appropriate hauling and disposal
• Maintained and calibrated the flow-monitoring system of industrial wastewater discharge for IWDP compliance
• Evaluated performance of the existing pretreatment systems, performed alternative design analysis, and recommended system upgrades
• Conducted a feasibility study to reduce the facility’s water footprint, including potential reuse options to achieve sustainability goals

Notable Accomplishments

The confidence resulting from Geosyntec’s work on this project has strengthened our working relationships with the client, LACSD, and Los Angeles County Public Works. In addition to helping the facility consistently maintain compliance with IWDP requirements and mitigate significant industrial wastewater surcharge and sewer connection fees, we also addressed various operational issues with the performance of pretreatment systems to help the client avoid significant maintenance costs or violation fees.

What is a Quick Qual?