New Type of Clean

The cleanest sewage effluent ever seen is surging out of high-tech treatment plants being installed across the United States and throughout the world.

A spreading wave of technology promises to clean up polluted beaches, conserve precious water supplies and spur residential growth in targeted areas. Government officials at all levels are struggling to keep up with the advancements.

John Poppe of Karcher Creek Sewer District can barely contain his enthusiasm for an advanced technology that uses biological membranes to filter out virtually all bacteria and microscopic particles from wastewater. His eyes sparkle with excitement when he talks about the clean water being discharged from his district’s sewage-treatment plant near Port Orchard, the first of its kind in the state.

"This water quality is Class A," he says, holding up a flask of clear water. "It is very clean. It could be used for irrigation, maybe streamflow augmentation."

Poppe (pronounced pop-ee) is eager to begin watering South Kitsap ballfields with a small portion of the 1.6 million gallons of fresh water pumped each day from the South Kitsap plant into Puget Sound. A pilot project is planned for this summer.

But Poppe, who ran Bremerton’s sewer system for years, is already looking beyond the big, regional treatment systems to scaled-down versions of his district’s plant. Miniature treatment systems are being used throughout Europe for single homes or clusters of homes. Poppe wants his district to install — and maintain — such systems anywhere there’s a need in Kitsap County along with portions of Mason County.

from the Kitsap Sun (WA)