Hi all,
Getting ready to open up a 3BBL brewery in southern CO and have been trying to get more information on determining estimated BOD, TSS, TDS, etc. counts. The waste water manager is new to the position in our town and is looking for me to provide all the information on what we expect to be sending down the drain since he is unfamiliar with the brewing process. I have been asking around with all the brewers I know and no other brewery I have talked to has ever had to present this information to their waste water plant manager. Does any one have a source or matrix on determining estimated BOD and TSS counts? Ultimately I think that with the small brewery we are opening we will not be sending a lot down the drain compared to the big breweries out there, so basically I just need to educate the guy. But first I need to educate myself…
Not sure about water usage for an operation that small. I think estimating would be pretty hard, since there are a lot of variables.
We are estimating about 130 BBL for the first year, so that was the number I was planning to go off of.
My municipality does not want anything below 6 and above 9 pH go down the drain. They want that you neutralize acids and caustic before you send it down the drain. You are also supposed to flush the drain with fresh water after disposal. I am not supposed to have more then 25 gallons of caustic / acid in site.
Interesting. What size brewhouse do you have? Where are you located?
You can send a sample of cleaning solutions or other matrices you will be flushing down the municipal sewage system to an analytical laboratory. If you PM me I can recommend a lab. The tests are inexpensive.
Do you think it would help or hurt to show the waste water manager around the brewery?
If its a smaller community, I think it would be beneficial to make the connection and show him that brewing is not a large threat to a municipal waste water system.
However - working in larger cities in industrial utilities/wastewater, we opt for a “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” policy. We give the minimum info required and try to avoid visits from inspectors or city officials.
I’d be interested to hear the current pros’ take on it.
You may need a strainer in the brewery figure that into your costs