In recent years, Pacific Northwest wineries have faced severe water issues. Droughts are worsening, and new rules aim to limit pollution from them. The Oregon Wine Symposium was held online from February 15 to 17, 2022. A session, Diving Deep Into Winery Water Usage & Treatment, discussed water use in wineries. It covered ways to manage water and treat wastewater. This topic is vital to the industry, as is easy access to gaming sites like Cookie Casino.
Emily Terrell, associate winemaker at Brittan Vineyards in McMinnville, Oregon, started the discussion. She gave an overview of water use in the Pacific Northwest. On average, West Coast wineries require three to 10 gallons of water to produce one gallon of wine.
Water regulations may increase due to municipal handling limits and local discharge standards. Also, Washington State and California set new general permits in the last few years. Tiered winery permitting systems include fees, monitoring, and inspections. They also require at least quarterly tests of the winery’s discharged water.
These standards protect groundwater and surface water. They do so based on the discharge methods and the site’s specifics. Such standards are necessary. Wastewater that is not treated can cause many problems, including:
- Damage to soil and crops
- Kill aquatic life.
- Contaminate surface water and groundwater.
- Degrade infrastructure in municipal treatment plants.
- Overwhelm municipal treatment systems.
Generally, the easiest solution to improve winery water use is to use less water. By tracking water use, wineries can see how they use process water. This can help them find ways to use it more efficiently. Sometimes, this is a simple fix. It may be as easy as adding water-saving spray guns, reducing the wine hose, or fixing leaky manifolds. We should rethink how to collect and dispose of wine lees, the solids left after fermentation. This could reduce both the volume and energy use of wastewater. It includes using a collection service available in some areas (not Oregon, unfortunately).
Finally, how can we lighten the energy load downstream once the wastewater is made? It means neutralizing pH, removing solids, and adding a digestion step to lower nutrients. Then, discharge the waste into a controlled environment or a sewage system. With drought conditions intensifying, many wineries are adopting water reclamation systems to conserve and reuse water. They treat, digest, filter, and reuse some or all their processed water.
Treating Wastewater In the Winery
John Haslett, the wastewater manager at 12th & Maple Wine Co. in Dundee, Oregon, shared his process for treating winery wastewater. His system discharges into a municipal facility with strict standards. The key steps include:
- I was mixing and Prepping. Wastewater is treated with magnesium hydroxide to balance its pH. It then passes through a side screen to remove large particles.
- Cavitation Air Flotation (CAF). This device uses micro-bubbles and a polymer to float solids to the surface. Paddles then remove the solids for composting. This step removes 90% of solids and reduces Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD).
- Digestion. Clarified water is treated again to break down dissolved solids. This reduces the load on the municipal system and allows more water to be processed.
This approach ensures efficient treatment while minimizing environmental impact.
To meet the wastewater’s digestion demands, Haslett sometimes needs to add bacteria. Upsets, such as adding or removing nutrients, can change the microbe population. So can changing the pH. Among the sources he uses to get bacteria are Clearblu and Aquafix. In his presentation, he quoted a statement from ClearBlu about the bacteria recommended for treating wastewater.
Historically, Haslett’s digestion system has been a series of aerated holding tanks. They digest the wastewater as it slowly passes through. He recently trialed a new system called the BioGill. It’s a space-efficient square tower. It has a ceramic matrix that pulls in oxygen. This system creates an ideal environment for microbial growth as the wastewater moves through it. It has proven highly effective in enhancing microbial health and speeding up digestion. Haslett cited a pH upset. The BioGills recovered in three days. The old system would have taken about three weeks. They have plans to get extra BioGill units. They are already using BioGill to seed the downstream holding tanks. It improves health and boosts BOD reduction.
