The ribbon has been cut at the Terrence J. O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) in Skokie, Illinois. The TrojanUVSigna™ is now online and able to disinfect a peak flow of 525 million gallons of wastewater per day. The plant serves more than 1.3 million people within 143 square miles and was the first among the top 10 largest wastewater plants in the U.S. to implement UV disinfection.
TrojanUVSigna at the Terrence J. O'Brien Reclamation Plant
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) – of which the Terrence J. O’Brien WRP is part of – has made a number of upgrades to its treatment process in recent years. The addition of UV disinfection has been a critical part of these upgrades; it plays a key role in improving water quality throughout the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS), and helps to protect the region’s drinking water supply in Lake Michigan.
A Need for Innovation
The need for change was recognized by the MWRD Board of Commissioners in 2011, when new regulations required the facility add a disinfection process to their wastewater system. With the goal of re-classifying the CAWS to allow primary contact, the Commissioners set out to research the most economical and optimal disinfection technology. In October 2013, it was announced that our TrojanUVSigna™ had been selected by the MWRD for installation at the Terrence J. O’Brien WRP.Industry-leading Technology
The TrojanUVSigna™ was introduced in 2010. It was the industry's first large-scale wastewater disinfection system to utilize high-powered, high-efficiency amalgam lamps (TrojanUV Solo Lamp™ Technology) positioned in a staggered, inclined array.
Municipalities around the world are installing the TrojanUVSigna™ for several reasons. For the MWRD, those reasons included simplified maintenance, demonstrated disinfection performance, and UV’s environmental benefits. We are proud that our technology is helping them protect and safeguard their waterways.
The ribbon-cutting ceremonies took place on March 23, 2016.
Further Reading
- Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Press Release , March 24, 2016
- MWRD Uses UV Rays to Disinfect Chicago Area Waterway System, Water & Wastes Digest, March 28, 2016
- World's Largest Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility Tackles Chicago River, Chicago Tonight, March 23, 2016