PROJECT INFORMATION
The Grand Canyon Railway Boiler Wastewater Pretreatment and Storage Project (GCRP) has been tasked with designing a management plan for the wastewater from two biodiesel-fired steam locomotives. Over the course of weekly commutes to and from the Grand Canyon, the boiler wastewater becomes highly concentrated with total dissolved solids and discharges at a pH of 10.8. At the end of each season, to prevent freeze damage to the piping system, the Grand Canyon Railway (GCR) performs a “blowdown” process which heats and pressurizes the closed boiler system and subsequently blows out all the wastewater and impurities from the boiler and tender. The wastewater had previously been discharged to the local wastewater treatment plant however, due to new influent standards implemented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the wastewater requires pretreatment in order to adhere to these newly implemented standards. The GCR is currently transferring the boiler wastewater to an industrial wastewater treatment plant in Phoenix, a process that is costly and cumbersome. The GCRP will present the client with a management plan recommendation that is both effective and more fiscally responsible than the current disposal methods.
Detailed information on the project is accesible through the links above.
