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## Hotspot
### Tooltip
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7EF3C192_49C0_A875_41C0_1E0B9916BF63.toolTip = Anaerobic Digester
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B239A8A_48C0_7855_41CB_559A4E441B58.toolTip = Anaerobic Digesters
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_6C8A1F92_4840_D875_41B9_8FE6AA14F42A.toolTip = Balanced Bugs
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_588C3FE7_47C7_B7DB_4181_66A36A2E693C.toolTip = Bar Screens in Action
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_D0328437_971E_D53B_41B0_030E98DA807E.toolTip = Be a Superhero!
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7EF30ED0_49C3_D9F5_41D0_7B6746C2D078.toolTip = Bifloc Basins
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B23AA88_48C0_7855_41D1_98BFC0798DDA.toolTip = Bioflocculation Basins
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B20BA8A_48C0_7855_41C9_507EA962C77F.toolTip = Co-Digestion
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7EF0CC3F_49C0_D8AB_41B4_291D22D15E47.toolTip = Co-Digestion
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B22EA8A_48C0_7855_41C5_1AE6CC24576C.toolTip = Co-generation/RE Production
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7EE3E3E3_49C0_6FDB_41B8_9AB03E963C52.toolTip = Cogeneration Plant
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_619F4662_49C0_A8D5_41B2_B943F4C65396.toolTip = Did You Know?
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_634289E4_49C0_7BDD_41BE_44482BDE3607.toolTip = Did You Know?
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_8DB94BCE_C508_160C_4198_436365DA3B4E.toolTip = Digester Rooftop View
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_4C5E5D85_57F7_8ACA_41AC_68EAD7C07539.toolTip = Don't Flush Garbage
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_6CDB9488_4840_6855_41C9_2228AB90B919.toolTip = Flocculation Explained
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_67398896_47C0_587D_41CC_1DD32C9464C3.toolTip = Fork in the Road
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_098EB92B_48C0_58AB_41BC_C80384F2F011.toolTip = Got Gas?
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_1D84D5E4_3D9B_CD37_41CE_B54E010A328B.toolTip = Gravity in Progress
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7D071522_49C0_A855_419E_926D5375B93C.toolTip = Headworks
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B23AA88_48C0_7855_41AE_B77BCC203D51.toolTip = Headworks
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HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B237A8B_48C0_786B_41AC_17F65C27B6EF.toolTip = Laboratory
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HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_6E33B3D1_487F_AFF7_41CF_231392FB050C.toolTip = Microbe Apocalypse!
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_91785ED7_B4BC_0656_41D0_C2024B5E1C93.toolTip = Ocean Discharge
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_9272DBD5_B4A4_0EAA_41E0_7E98D6A8557C.toolTip = Ocean Outfall
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_65132E87_47C7_D85B_41C7_E3920795552C.toolTip = Organics to Energy with \
Co-Digestion Ribbon Cutting
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B231A88_48C0_7855_419E_60F9C72EB93A.toolTip = Primary Clarifiers
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_78E2201D_3844_0D27_41BB_DB9E6FE871E3.toolTip = Primary Clarifiers
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_0B225A8A_48C0_7855_41B6_366FBCB45831.toolTip = Screw Press
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_23AB623D_3D8B_C711_41C6_2E9A3A168F73.toolTip = Screw Press Solids
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7D0F8909_49C1_F857_41C4_722FA03993B4.toolTip = Screwpress
HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_7D08DEBA_49C0_59B5_41C6_8D75BDB7B788.toolTip = Secondary Clarifiers
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## Media
### Subtitle
panorama_2C3AE625_383C_3567_41C1_21076E54C9D9.subtitle = As our tour continues, prepare to be impressed! We now are going to visit Monterey One Water’s solids handling and power generation processes. \
We’re going to start by adding more to our flow-cabulary with a look at Anaerobic Digesters. Anaerobic simply means “without oxygen,” and these four massive tanks can hold 1.5 million gallons each of wastewater solids or sludge. This organic matter contains microscopic bacteria that work best in the absence of oxygen. \
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Where did the solids come from? It’s what settled out during step 2 – primary clarifiers. \
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It takes the helpful bacteria about 30 days to do their thing and break down biodegradable material. As the bacteria digest the solids, they produce two things: 1) biogas which we capture and use to generate power and 2) digested sludge also called biosolids. \
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But now things are going to get really cool. To help increase the amount of valuable biogas produced, we also collect food waste to increase the amount of organic material entering the Anaerobic Digesters.
panorama_A95095A5_94F6_37DF_41E1_D118F8EC52AC.subtitle = Biosolids from the Anaerobic Digesters are sent to the Screw Press, where a significant amount of water is removed, turning a mostly liquid sludge into a much drier, cake-like material. The solids left over are deposited in one of our 30 solar drying beds and spread out in a thin layer to dry naturally in the sun. Depending on the weather, this takes 30 to 60 days. By the end, the material is at least 50% dry and much lighter and easier to handle. It’s now ready to be hauled to the landfill, where it’s mixed in and buried, or taken outside the County to be utilized. \
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Dried biosolids are as rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus as store-bought fertilizer. Treated biosolids can be used to help grow crops, restore soil, and even landscape! Our dried biosolids material is hauled to the San Joaquin Valley, where it is beneficially reused through land application and composting.
panorama_2C2F64AB_383C_3563_4197_17AF9654296F.subtitle = Monterey One Water makes its own electricity using the biogas produced in our Anaerobic Digesters. The biogas fuels three on-site generators that provide most of the power we need to run the entire wastewater treatment plant. This reduces our energy demand on the power grid and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. We put the bad methane gas to good use instead of it escaping into the atmosphere. The next time you flush the toilet, you can feel proud that your waste will become energy!
panorama_2C2ED694_383C_1525_41C4_6EDFDE9265A0.subtitle = Monterey One Water received a $4.2 million dollar grant from CalRecycle to add a food waste receiving station and upgrade our Anaerobic Digesters so we can do Co-Digestion. What the heck does that mean and why are we so excited about it? Co-Digestion allows us to accept food waste — normally this would end up in landfills, leaking all that valuable gas into the air — and mix it with our wastewater solids. This increases our biogas production, meaning more opportunities to produce clean, usable energy.
panorama_2C2CA36A_383C_73ED_41C0_6B3B9EE6B334.subtitle = Now that our microscopic bugs have had their feast, the water flows into Secondary Clarifiers, giant settling tanks where everything slows down again. We let gravity take over again so all those floc clumps formed in the last step can sink to the bottom. The clean water stays on top to be skimmed off, while the heavier solids settle and are collected for further treatment. A portion of the microscopic bugs we met at the Secondary Clarifiers are returned to the Bioflocculation Basins so they can continue munching on wastewater contamination. The rest are sent to thickeners to feed the digesters, which we will visit later. \
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Now the clarified water looks much clearer, and most of the bacteria have been removed.
panorama_2C2E5B63_383C_73E3_41C3_C8C833D7A313.subtitle = Now we’re going to add to our flow-cabulary with our visit to the Bioflocculation Basins. Try saying that five times fast! \
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The water that arrives at the Bioflocculation Basins still has lots of tiny particles floating around that make it cloudy and dirty – we want to get those things out. To make it happen, we mix in large amounts of air into our Bioflocculation Basins to wake up billions of helpful microscopic organisms. We affectionately call them “bugs” and add them to the basins so they can feed on the leftover dissolved material in the water. The microscopic “bugs” munch away at anything too small to settle out earlier – think of them as conni-sewers (connoisseurs) of wastewater! As the bugs eat and swim around, the mixing air forces them to start bumping into each other and sticking together, forming soft clumps called “flocs”.
panorama_2C2CBC2A_383C_156D_41B1_FD6FDCB1D8A2.subtitle = Our next tour stop is the Primary Clarifiers, where wastewater flows slowly through so solids can be removed. And yes, when we say “solids”, that includes poop! Primary Clarifiers are ginormous settling tanks where heavier stuff like poop, food scraps, and grit sink to the bottom, and lighter stuff like grease and plastics float to the top. In the tanks, mechanical arms scrape the bottom and skim the surface to remove all the gunk. The heavy gunk is pumped to thickeners where more water is removed, reducing the gunk into sludge. \
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Pause there. Wondering what we mean by sludge? Rhymes with fudge, but better not eat it! Sludge is the semi-solid, nutrient-rich byproduct left after liquids are separated from raw sewage. It’s composed of organic matter, inorganic solids (like plastics), pathogens, and heavy metals. Sludge material is removed from the water and sent to the landfill. Something really cool about this simple process is it removes 70-80% of solids without using any chemicals – just gravity and machinery.
panorama_2C2FDD35_383C_1767_41B0_48276129B04B.subtitle = The last stop on our tour is our on-site laboratory. The lab plays a critical role in making sure the water we treat meets strict environmental standards before it's reintroduced into the environment. Every day, our lab technicians collect and test samples at many points throughout the wastewater treatment process, checking for things like pH, bacteria, nutrients, and metals. This helps us monitor how well each step is working and adjust if needed. It’s all part of making sure the cleaned and treated water we return to the environment is safe for people, wildlife, and our local ecosystems.
panorama_2D3B572D_383C_1367_41A1_2CD8CB6AF1F5.subtitle = Wastewater generated by local homes and businesses is collected and conveyed to Monterey One Water for treatment before being safely returned to the environment. At the regional wastewater treatment plant, proven processes and environmental safeguards are used to protect public health, support agricultural irrigation, and replenish groundwater. \
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Located along Monterey Bay in northern Monterey County, the Monterey One Water Regional Treatment Plant is situated near a mix of coastal habitat and surrounding agricultural lands. The facility has served the region since 1990 and can treat 29.6 million gallons of wastewater per day for our ten municipal and district communities. Please visit www.montereyonewater.org to learn more about us.
album_A61680BE_951F_ED2D_41D9_819F073FAE99.subtitle = We have reached the end of the primary and secondary wastewater treatment process – we call this “The Fork in the Road.” \
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Water at this point is no longer called influent, it’s called “effluent.” Think of influent as water coming “in” to the treatment plant, and effluent water as water getting the eff out of here because it is now secondary effluent! At the fork in the road, this secondary effluent comes to the end of the regional wastewater treatment facility – from here, it will take one of three paths: \
- Right to our ocean outfall pipe that runs two miles out into the Monterey Bay
- Left to our tertiary treatment plant where we produce recycled water for farmers to irrigate 12,000 acres of food crops
- Or straight to our four-step purification facility where we produce clean drinking water for groundwater replenishment
Up until this point, we’ve followed the flow of water. But let’s be real, there’s more than water going down your kitchen sink and toilet. Back during primary clarification, we talked about the “gunk” or solids that were removed from the water. We’ll now rewind and follow the path the solids take and beneficial resources we can produce for that organic material.
panorama_92806CBB_B4A4_0ADE_41D4_F74182BC55F8.subtitle = We have reached the end of the primary and secondary wastewater treatment process – we call this “The Fork in the Road.” \
\
Water at this point is no longer called influent, it’s called “effluent.” Think of influent as water coming “in” to the treatment plant, and effluent water as water getting the eff out of here because it is now secondary effluent! At the fork in the road, this secondary effluent comes to the end of the regional wastewater treatment facility – from here, it will take one of three paths: \
- Right to our ocean outfall pipe that runs two miles out into the Monterey Bay
- Left to our tertiary treatment plant where we produce recycled water for farmers to irrigate 12,000 acres of food crops
- Or straight to our four-step purification facility where we produce clean drinking water for groundwater replenishment
Up until this point, we’ve followed the flow of water. But let’s be real, there’s more than water going down your kitchen sink and toilet. Back during primary clarification, we talked about the “gunk” or solids that were removed from the water. We’ll now rewind and follow the path the solids take and the beneficial resources we can produce from that organic material.
panorama_2C2CFE63_383C_75E3_41B2_6EC4BA3D73FB.subtitle = We’re now at our third stop on the tour, the Trickling Filters. What a lovely name for the process to remove leftover gunk! \
After most of the gunk is removed in the Primary Clarifiers, the remaining water, called “primary effluent,” is sprayed over a giant bed of plastic, honeycomb-shaped filters that are covered in a living slime called zoogleal mass. The slime is a thriving community of helpful bacteria and tiny organisms that “eat” leftover organic waste. As the water trickles through the filters, the microbes go to work and clean it, breaking down what’s left behind. These little organisms work double duty to eat your doody – slime for the win! \
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As the organisms feed, they gain mass and become heavier, which reduces their access to oxygen. At that point, they either die or enter a dormant state and detach from the filter media. These heavier organisms wash back into the water and move on to the next treatment phase. This may sound like it would make the process dirtier but it’s actually intentional! The system is built to capture and use these “spent” organisms in the next step, which will be explained at the following tour stop.
panorama_2C2FD23C_383C_0D65_41CA_493CB60B2CBB.subtitle = We’re starting our tour at Headworks. Headworks is where all the wastewater we treat mixes to become “influent” – our first flow-cabulary word. This influent comes from four sources: 1) water we use to flush, brush, and wash our tush; 2) water from storm drains, 3) irrigation drainage from farms, and 4) water from food processing plants in Salinas. \
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As the water continues to move through the Headworks, it passes through a quarter-inch screen to catch things like corn, candy wrappers, and, way too often, wipes. \
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After the wastewater is screened, it flows into aerated grit chambers — basically a big strainer — where heavier things like sand and gravel separate and settle to the bottom.
panorama_2C2C8AE0_383C_1D1D_41BE_5E7599C89828.subtitle = Why is it important to squeeze water out using the Screwpress? Imagine if you took your clothes out of the washing machine without the spin cycle; it would take FOREVER to dry that sopping wet pile. The Screwpress is the spin cycle of the solids handling process. This machine removes water from the biosolids, making the remaining biosolids lighter and reducing disposal costs when the material is hauled off site.
panorama_0B0A4A83_48C0_785B_41C5_0EFE8923BF43.subtitle = Wow – what do you think? That was quite the journey through wastewater treatment. This essential infrastructure is critical to keep our community and environment thriving. It’s serious work, but we hope you found some humor throughout and you have a better understanding of what happens after you flush. \
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Please take a deeper dive and learn more about our water and energy projects at www.montereyonewater.org
### Title
panorama_2C2FD23C_383C_0D65_41CA_493CB60B2CBB.label = 1. Headworks
panorama_2C2CBC2A_383C_156D_41B1_FD6FDCB1D8A2.label = 2. Primary Clarifiers
panorama_2C2CFE63_383C_75E3_41B2_6EC4BA3D73FB.label = 3. Trickling Filters
panorama_2C2E5B63_383C_73E3_41C3_C8C833D7A313.label = 4. Bioflocculation Basins
panorama_2C2CA36A_383C_73ED_41C0_6B3B9EE6B334.label = 5. Secondary Clarifiers
panorama_2C3AE625_383C_3567_41C1_21076E54C9D9.label = Anaerobic Digesters
photo_A13EFF57_950E_737B_4191_BB7495413D40.label = Cleaning Secondary Clarifier
panorama_2C2F64AB_383C_3563_4197_17AF9654296F.label = Co-generation
panorama_2C2ED694_383C_1525_41C4_6EDFDE9265A0.label = Food Waste Receiving
album_A61680BE_951F_ED2D_41D9_819F073FAE99.label = Fork in The Road
panorama_92806CBB_B4A4_0ADE_41D4_F74182BC55F8.label = Fork in the Road
photo_6C1422BA_4841_A9B5_4180_C4CA3654F8AF.label = Fork-in-the-Road
album_A61680BE_951F_ED2D_41D9_819F073FAE99_0.label = Fork-in-the-Road
panorama_2D3B572D_383C_1367_41A1_2CD8CB6AF1F5.label = Introduction
panorama_2C2FDD35_383C_1767_41B0_48276129B04B.label = Laboratory
photo_914D9019_C508_3214_41B9_79ADBA808987.label = Mixers
photo_B87D9218_950A_6CF5_41CE_797362AFD305.label = Mophead
photo_9D98CBC1_B4AC_0EAA_41C4_FD388B808B9C.label = Outfall Map
photo_1FDF80C6_3D99_C373_41CB_AC7AE6D34993.label = Primary Clarifier_Water Over Weir_photo
panorama_A95095A5_94F6_37DF_41E1_D118F8EC52AC.label = Screw Press
panorama_2C2C8AE0_383C_1D1D_41BE_5E7599C89828.label = Screwpress Solids
photo_A603746B_957A_352B_41E2_1C11C058C12C.label = Slime on Rocks
panorama_0B0A4A83_48C0_785B_41C5_0EFE8923BF43.label = Thank You For Watching
## Popup
### Body
htmlText_8C4D4BD0_C508_1614_41BD_7A9519F88886.html = Did You Know?
The mixers on top of these digesters are built to handle thick materials like food waste. Their energy-efficient design keeps everything evenly mixed inside the tank, helping the digestion process run smoothly while using less power.
Did you know?
By removing such a large portion of the solids early in the process, we reduce the workload of all the treatment stages that follow. Our clarifiers help make the entire plant more efficient.
Did you know?
Each of our Primary Clarifier tanks holds one million gallons of water – enough to fill over 15,000 bathtubs!
Did you know?
In addition to equipment measuring water quality throughout the system and an alarm to alert us if anything unusual is detected, we conduct about 3,000 tests every year to ensure the water we release back to the environment is safe. We take water safety seriously, so you don’t have to worry!
If you would like to learn more about water quality standards, you can take a deeper dive by clicking here: WaterQuality Did you know?
The average person in Monterey County uses about 50-60 gallons of water per day – and nearly all of it becomes wastewater. That’s why cleaning wastewater is a 24/7 job!
Did you know?
The living slime on the Trickling Filters is very similar to the slippery stuff that grows on rocks in a stream.
Did you know?
The number of microbes living inside one Trickling Filter could outnumber the entire human population of California.
Did you know?
The “bugs” in our treatment process aren’t just random. They’re carefully balanced ecosystems that act like tiny wastewater workers that work around the clock!
Did you know?
There’s no such thing as a flushable wipe! Wipes may clean up your gross mess, but they create a gross mess in the pipes. They clump up and form nasty tangles called “mop heads” or “rag balls” that our team must remove by hand. Do you want to stick your hand in wastewater to pull out wipes? Neither do we! So please never flush your wipes – wipes in the trash, not in the pipes!
Flocculation
Imagine your mom telling you to clean your room, and she wants it spotless! You have junk everywhere, including dirt from your shoes, crumbs from your snacks, and so much more. It would be almost impossible to pick up every single speck of mess one by one. If it’s all clumped together, it’s much easier to clean. That’s what flocculation does to the tiny particles left – creates bigger clumps that take less effort to separate from the water.
Helpful Bacteria
Like Goldilocks, the helpful bacteria need things to be just right – they need an environment that stays at 98 degrees, and they prefer a steady diet of thickened sludge – which kind of looks like Goldilocks’ porridge, except this is poo-rridge! If we aren’t careful and feed the bacteria too much too quickly, or let the temperature dip, they get upset and don’t do their job, and our energy costs soar. We have to pamper those bugs!
Ocean Discharge
You’re watching secondary effluent flow through our ocean outfall pipe into the Monterey Bay. The video was taken around 3:00 in the afternoon. The water you see now started its journey when you took your morning shower and finished up those dishes from last night’s dinner. Wastewater treatment takes about nine hours.
Ocean Outfall
Our ocean outfall pipe is 60 inches in diameter. It runs two miles from our Regional Treatment Plant to the shoreline and another two miles along the bottom of the Monterey Bay. To safely mix in our more buoyant fresh water, the last 1,000 feet of the pipe use 129 horizontal discharge ports that allow us to diffuse the secondary effluent into the salty sea.
Pressurized Gas Tank Storage
This place makes a lot of power – enough to provide more than 90% of the electricity required for wastewater treatment! That’s about the same amount of energy it would take to power 15,000 homes for a year.
Screw Press Solids
Why is it important to squeeze water out using the Screw Press? It helps save money. When hauled away, we pay by the tonnage or weight of the biosolids.
Imagine if you took your clothes out of the washing machine without the spin cycle; it would take FOREVER to dry that sopping wet pile. The Screw Press is the spin cycle of the solids handling process. This machine removes water from the biosolids, making the remaining biosolids lighter and reducing disposal costs when the material is hauled off site.
Secondary Effluent
By the time water leaves the Secondary Clarifiers, the pollutants have been removed-using just machinery, gravity, and a whole lot of tiny microbes. No chemicals needed!
The clarity of the water leaving the Secondary Clarifiers is an important tool to figure out how well the water treatment processes are working. If the clarity of the water leaving the Secondary Clarifier is poor, it may mean that the initial treatment process isn’t working efficiently.
Take Action
Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. As this waste decomposes, it emits 20% of California’s methane, a short-lived climate super-pollutant. We can have the fastest impact on the climate by reducing these harmful emissions.
You can be part of the solution! When you put food scraps in your green bin, and not into the trash, you are helping the community keep these pollutants out of the atmosphere and convert them into energy!
Take a Look Inside
Meet Wade, one of our skilled operators! Here, he's standing inside a massive, one-million-gallon Secondary Clarifier that's been drained for a thorough spring cleaning and inspection. Just like tidying up your room keeps things running smoothly (and your parents happy), regular maintenance of our equipment is essential for keeping the treatment process reliable and efficient.
What's Next
We’re already working on another project to install five linear generators and gas conditioning equipment that will allow us to convert even more biogas into electrical power and renewable natural gas, so much that we’ll even be able to add to the Monterey Peninsula’s natural gas supply. Pretty cool, huh?
We have reached the end of the primary and secondary wastewater treatment process – we call this “The Fork in the Road.”
Water at this point is no longer called influent, it’s called “effluent.” Think of influent as water coming “in” to the treatment plant, and effluent water as water getting the eff out of here because it is now secondary effluent! At the fork in the road, this secondary effluent comes to the end of the regional wastewater treatment facility – from here, it will take one of three paths:
• a right turn to our outfall pipe that is two miles out into the Monterey Bay
• a left turn up to a third process, called “tertiary” treatment, where recycled water for farmers to irrigate 12,000 acres of crops is filtered and disinfected
• or straight through a four-step purification process to produce clean drinking water
We inject water from the third process into an underground aquifer where it’s stored to filter and mix before it’s pumped back out for use by local water agencies for everyday use.
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About Us:
At Atalanta, our vision is to be a part of every food experience. For over 75 years, we've been a leading food importer, specializing in cheese, meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables from around the world. Our vast portfolio features over 6,000 different food items sourced from more than 60 countries. We pride ourselves on building relationships with our customers and suppliers to create long-lasting partnerships through consistent service, complimentary marketing resources and field support. As part of the broader Gellert Global Group, comprised of eight individual companies, Atalanta exhibits strength in sourcing, insurance, finance, logistics, food safety and information technology. With the GGG network of distribution centers, our team can quickly service the needs of our retailers, distributors, foodservice chains, hotels, cruise lines, airlines and food manufacturers.
About Us:
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