What does mustard and waste water treatment facilities have in common, you might ask. At the Rochester Waste Water Treatment Facility, mustard – or more specifically acetic acid leftover from mustard, vinegar, and fruit juice production at Pilgrim Foods in Greenville, NH – provided a carbon source to feed the microbes upon which the plant depends.
The match making was a courtesy of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. In 2013, this was the latest in a series of innovative upgrades the city of Rochester had implemented to improve the quality of water it releases into the Cocheco River – which flows into the Great Bay Estuary.
The partnership helped Rochester reach levels of 6mg/L for total nitrogen. In our estuaries, nitrogen is often the most critical nutrient for growth, but too much can lead to too much algae and harm the overall ecosystem. We always feel inspired by these collaborations, and you never know where the next might happen!
This post was originally published in October, 2017 by PREP, a proud partner of the Every Drop Alliance.
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