Troubleshooting Wastewater Woes: What to Do When Your Plant Isn’t Performing
September 4, 2025
What’s the condition of the nearest wastewater lagoon or treatment plant? Is it sluggish and smelly or balanced and efficient? With so many variables in play, the path to clean water can be challenging— but not impossible. Troubleshooting tips from Bionetix® International are here to help nudge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operators in the right direction toward more efficient wastewater treatment.
What Are Some Common Wastewater Problems?
Foaming, lagoon color, and excessive sludge are among the many indicators of wastewater problems. That is why the first step toward the solution should be visual inspection, paired with a look at data on BOD/COD ratio (to assess biodegradability), pH, contaminants, nutrient imbalances, and oxygen levels. Together, these factors can help identify the source of the problem and suggest the key to the solution.
How Can Wastewater Treatment Plants Improve?
Bioaugmentation (the addition of beneficial microbes) and/ or biostimulation (the addition of nutrients to feed beneficial microbes) can solve many wastewater problems. For example, if a certain type of foam indicates high surfactant concentration, WWTP operators can send in targeted microbial nutrient blends like BCP35M™ or BCP10™ to address the overload. BIOBOOSTER SR™ tablets help digest excess sludge at the bottom of the lagoon, while BCP655™ can serve as an ammonia converter when the color of the water indicates high levels of this toxin. Sometimes, a boost of oxygen from aeration or AEROBOOSTER-02™ is needed. The list goes on, but once problems have been identified and the solution applied, the wastewater should be monitored for improvements or adjustments as needed.
Troubleshooting Expert at Your Side
When something is wrong in the nearest lagoon or WWTP, but the cause is unclear, Bionetix® experts can walk operators through assessing the problem, selecting the treatment, and monitoring the results for ongoing success. Wastewater treatment can be challenging, but with the support of Bionetix® International and proven microbial solutions, operators can optimize system stability and performance. Contact Bionetix® today for more tips on troubleshooting wastewater problems for better treatment efficiency!
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