Contact Water Discharge Best Achievable Technology Study

project overview

Integrated Sustainability conducted a best achievable technology assessment to support regulatory compliance for discharge of contact water containing elevated selenium, nitrate, and sulfate. The work evaluated source control, diversion, and treatment options using feasibility, reliability, control, and cost-effectiveness criteria. A biologically based treatment system and flow diversion strategy were identified as the most suitable options to reduce contaminant concentrations prior to discharge and guide future permitting.

project deliverables

• Reviewed site hydrology, contaminant sources, and existing model outputs to characterize baseline discharge conditions.
• Screened more than 20 mitigation options, including source control measures, diversion systems, and water treatment technologies targeting key contaminants.
• Shortlisted five feasible mitigation approaches using a multi-criteria analysis based on reliability, cost, and treatment performance.
• Identified biological treatment systems and diversion pipelines as the highest-ranked solutions due to performance reliability and adaptability to site conditions.
• Evaluated passive and semi-passive treatment systems, including packed bed reactors, saturated rock fill systems, and ion exchange technologies.
• Delivered a detailed technical report documenting evaluated alternatives, decision-making rationale, and permitting support requirements.