Broward County South District Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Broward County South Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWWTP) serves as a cornerstone of critical infrastructure for the rapidly growing municipalities of southern Broward County. Operated by Broward County Water and Wastewater Services (WWS), this facility is permitted for an Annual Average Daily Flow (AADF) of 50.0 million gallons per day (MGD). Located in Hollywood, Florida, the plant provides essential sanitation services to approximately 600,000 residents across a diverse service area including Miramar, Pembroke Pines, and Dania Beach.

Currently, the facility is at the center of one of the most significant engineering transitions in Florida’s wastewater history. In response to the state’s 2008 Ocean Outfall Legislation (Senate Bill 1302), the SRWWTP is undergoing massive capital improvements to transition effluent disposal from its historic ocean outfall to Deep Injection Wells (DIW). This multi-year, multi-million dollar undertaking positions the plant as a model for regulatory adaptation and large-scale hydraulic re-engineering in a dense urban environment.

1. FACILITY OVERVIEW

A. Service Area & Coverage

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The SRWWTP serves a dense, urbanized corridor in South Florida. The service area encompasses the municipalities of Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, Pembroke Park, and West Park. This region is characterized by flat topography and a high water table, necessitating an extensive collection system comprised of hundreds of lift stations and force mains. The facility manages a mix of residential (approx. 85%) and commercial/light industrial (approx. 15%) wastewater. The service area has seen substantial westward expansion over the last two decades, particularly in Miramar and Pembroke Pines, driving consistent hydraulic load on the plant.

B. Operational Capacity

The facility operates with a permitted design capacity of 50.0 MGD (AADF). However, like many South Florida facilities, it must manage significant peaking factors due to wet-weather Inflow and Infiltration (I&I).

• Design Capacity: 50.0 MGD
• Peak Hydraulic Capacity: >100 MGD (peak hourly flow)
• Capacity Utilization: Typically operates between 80-90% of permitted capacity.

Future capacity planning is driven less by population expansion—which has stabilized—and more by the regulatory necessity to treat water to higher standards for reuse or deep well injection.

C. Discharge & Compliance

Historically, the SRWWTP discharged secondary treated effluent via the Hollywood Outfall, a 60-inch diameter pipe extending approximately 10,000 feet offshore into the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of roughly 90 feet. Under Florida’s Ocean Outfall Legislation, the facility is required to cease routine ocean discharge by 2025. Consequently, the primary receiving body is transitioning to the “Boulder Zone” of the Lower Floridan Aquifer via Class I Deep Injection Wells.

2. TREATMENT PROCESS

The SRWWTP utilizes a High Purity Oxygen (HPO) activated sludge process, a technology selected for its ability to treat high organic loads in a smaller physical footprint compared to conventional aeration—a critical factor given the land constraints in Broward County.

A. PRELIMINARY TREATMENT

Raw wastewater enters the headworks where it passes through mechanical bar screens to remove large debris (rags, plastics, wood). Following screening, the flow enters aerated grit chambers where inorganic solids (sand, gravel, eggshells) settle out. The facility has recently upgraded its screenings and grit handling systems to improve capture efficiency and reduce downstream equipment wear. Odor control at the headworks is a critical operational parameter, utilizing chemical wet scrubbers to mitigate H₂S emissions.

B. SECONDARY TREATMENT (HPO)

The core biological treatment occurs in covered aeration basins using a High Purity Oxygen (HPO) activated sludge system.

• Oxygen Generation: Cryogenic or VPSA (Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption) on-site oxygen generation systems produce high-concentration oxygen.

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• Reactors: The oxygen is injected into covered, multi-stage aeration tanks. This high partial pressure of oxygen accelerates biomass growth and substrate utilization.
• Secondary Clarifiers: Mixed liquor flows to circular secondary clarifiers where biological floc settles. The clear supernatant flows over weirs to disinfection, while settled solids are recirculated as Return Activated Sludge (RAS) or removed as Waste Activated Sludge (WAS).

C. DISINFECTION

Historically, disinfection was achieved via chlorination (sodium hypochlorite) prior to ocean discharge. With the transition to injection wells and potential reuse, the facility is upgrading to High-Level Disinfection (HLD) capabilities where necessary, ensuring compliance with FDEP requirements for non-ocean disposal methods. Dechlorination is utilized prior to any remaining discharge events to the ocean outfall to protect marine life.

D. SOLIDS HANDLING

The SRWWTP generates significant volumes of biosolids.

• Thickening: Gravity belt thickeners or rotary drum thickeners concentrate the WAS.
• Digestion: Anaerobic digestion stabilizes the solids and reduces pathogen content. This process produces biogas (methane), which is captured for energy recovery.
• Dewatering: Centrifuges dewater the digested sludge to form a cake.
• Disposal: Dewatered cake is typically transported to the nearby Broward County North District facility (which houses a larger biosolids drying operation) or hauled off-site for land application/disposal as Class AA or Class B biosolids depending on the final processing stage.

3. INFRASTRUCTURE & FACILITIES

A. Energy Systems & Cogeneration

The SRWWTP is a leader in energy recovery. The facility utilizes Cogeneration (Combined Heat and Power – CHP) units fueled by methane gas produced in the anaerobic digesters. These internal combustion engines generate electricity to offset grid consumption and produce heat that is captured to maintain optimal temperatures in the digesters. This circular energy loop significantly reduces the plant’s operational carbon footprint.

B. Odor Control

Given the plant’s proximity to the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and residential zones, odor control is paramount. The facility employs a multi-stage approach, including:

• Covered process tanks (Headworks, HPO basins, Thickeners).
• Centralized chemical scrubbers (Acid/Caustic/Hypochlorite).
• Biofilters for lower-concentration air streams.

4. RECENT UPGRADES & MAJOR PROJECTS

The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the South District plant is dominated by the mandate to comply with the 2008 Ocean Outfall Legislation.

Other Key Projects:

• Headworks Rehabilitation: Replacement of aging bar screens and grit removal mechanisms to handle increased non-dispersible debris (wipes/rags).
• Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Receiving Station: Upgrades to the hauled waste receiving station to improve the handling of high-strength waste, which boosts biogas production in the digesters.
• Electrical Distribution Upgrades: Modernization of switchgear and motor control centers (MCCs) to improve resilience against storm events.

5. REGULATORY COMPLIANCE & ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

A. Permit Requirements

The facility operates under Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Permit FL0035106.

• CBOD5: 25 mg/L (Annual Average)
• TSS: 30 mg/L (Annual Average)
• Disinfection: Basic disinfection for ocean disposal; High-Level Disinfection (HLD) required for any potential public access reuse.
• Deep Well Injection: Requires compliance with Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulations, ensuring non-migration of fluid into underground sources of drinking water (USDW).

B. Ocean Outfall Legislation (OOL)

The 2008 Leah Schad Memorial Ocean Outfall Program requires six South Florida utilities, including Broward County, to:
1. Eliminate routine wastewater discharge to the ocean by 2025.
2. Reduce nutrient loading to the ocean.
3. Implement 60% reuse of the baseline flow (cumulative target).
The SRWWTP is currently on track to meet the discharge elimination deadline through the commissioning of its injection well field.

6. CHALLENGES & FUTURE PLANNING

A. Saltwater Intrusion & Aging Infrastructure

As a coastal facility, the SRWWTP faces challenges related to corrosion and saltwater intrusion into the collection system. High chloride levels in the influent can inhibit biological treatment processes and limit the potential for beneficial reuse of the effluent (irrigation), as desalinating wastewater is prohibitively expensive.

B. Climate Resilience

Broward County is at the forefront of climate change adaptation. The South District plant is integrating sea-level rise projections into all capital projects. This includes elevating critical electrical infrastructure, hardening pump stations against storm surge, and ensuring the new injection wells remain operational during extreme weather events.

7. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS SUMMARY

8. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Technical Questions

Q: What is the depth of the deep injection wells at SRWWTP?
A: The Class I injection wells target the “Boulder Zone” of the Floridan Aquifer, typically found at depths between 3,000 and 3,500 feet in this region.

Q: Does the plant use pure oxygen or air for aeration?
A: The plant utilizes a High Purity Oxygen (HPO) system, which uses covered tanks and high-concentration oxygen rather than conventional atmospheric air blowers.

Q: Is the facility meeting the 2025 Ocean Outfall deadline?
A: Yes, Broward County has been aggressively implementing its compliance plan, primarily through the construction of deep injection wells to divert flow away from the ocean outfall.

Public Interest Questions

Q: Why is the county moving away from ocean discharge?
A: State legislation (SB 1302) passed in 2008 mandates the end of routine ocean discharge to reduce nutrient loading on coastal reefs and encourage water conservation/reuse.

Q: Does this plant treat drinking water?
A: No. The SRWWTP treats sewage (wastewater). Drinking water is treated at separate water treatment plants located elsewhere in the county.

Q: What happens to the “sludge” removed from the water?
A: The solids (biosolids) are thickened, digested to reduce pathogens and create energy (biogas), dewatered, and then typically processed into fertilizer or disposed of in accordance with EPA regulations.