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Project No.: 0317.02.005.510 Page 1 of 3

Project Name: DMR2013 CBI?

Yes

No

TELEPHONE CALL RECORD

Incoming

Outgoing

Date: 12/19/14 Time: 2:00 am

pm

Company Name: City of Tolleson AZ WWTP ERG Staff Name: Kimberly Bartell

Contact Name: David Tyler Contact Phone Number: (623) 936-3381

General Subject: 2013 Hydrogen Sulfide Discharges at POTWs

TOPICS DISCUSSED AND ACTION TAKEN

On December 19th, I called the City of Tolleson WWTP and left a message. 

On December 22nd, I called the City of Tolleson WWTP and left a message. 

On December 30th, I called the City of Tolleson WWTP and was transferred to David Tyler who I left a 

message for. 

On January 5th, David Tyler returned my call and state that there are liquid phase testing (the H2S concentration 

itself) and gas phase testing (H2S gas in manholes) for H2S.The WWTP does liquid phase testing, they have 

daily max and monthly avg limits in their NPDES permit for H2S. The WWTP monitors once every 2 weeks 

when discharging to a water body. The WWTP only discharges a few times a year to a water body, the rest of 

the time the facility discharges to a nuclear treatment facility. Mr. Tyler requested an email, please see attached 

email correspondence. 

Email: dtyler@tollesonaz.org
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Email Correspondence with City of Tolleson WWTP:

From: David Tyler (dtyler@tollesonaz.org)

To: Kimberly Bartell

CC: William Swietlik, Kim Wagoner

Date: 1/15/15 1:06 PM

Subject: RE: Hydrogen Sulfide Discharges at POTWs

Dear Ms. Bartell:

Thank you for your patience. The following response answers questions 1 & 2 in your email, and provides the data you requested. 

1a) As requested, below are the Raw and Effluent treatment plant data for hydrogen sulfide. The data covers 2013 & 2014. Our 

facility discharges on an intermittent basis; therefore, some months there is no data for hydrogen sulfide.

 Hydrogen Sulfide Total Sulfide Dissolved Sulfide

 (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l)

TREATED PLANT EFFLUENT

October 2014 <0.50 0.017 ----

April 2014 <0.013 0.040 ----

January 2014 <0.01 0.35 ---- 

October 2013 <0.013 0.020 ----

September 2013 0.01 ---- ----

May 2013 <0.013 0.040 ----

April 2013 <0.013 0.045 ----

February 2013 <0.013 ---- ----

RAW INFLUENT

October 2013 0.23 3.86 0.343

August 2013 0.742 6.9 1.35

1b) Our facility incorporates the Trickling Filter/Solids Contact method of treatment. Primary clarifiers, 2 First Stage Bio-Towers 

(with Plastic Cross-flow Media), Intermediate clarifiers, 2-Second Stage Trickling Filters (with rock media), sludge reaeration basins, 

anaerobic sludge digestion. Note, Chlorine is used for effluent disinfection, followed by dechlorination using Sodium Bisulfite.

 

For odor control within the facility (namely the reduction of sulfides in the influent stream so as to minimize hydrogen sulfide released 

into the atmosphere); the facility has both liquid phase (chemical addition) and air phase (the collection of foul odors followed by bioscrubber and carbon filter) treatment systems. Above data reflects both systems being on-line. The liquid phase odor control system 

consists of the capability of dosing the RAW Influent streams with either Ferric Chloride, Hydrogen Peroxide or both. We routinely 

use only Hydrogen Peroxide at about 80 to 100 gallons per day. The influent flow is 5.5 MGD average daily flow.

2) In general, hydrogen sulfide is a parameter of concern due to its corrosive nature, its toxicity to human health (collection system 

staff), and its contribution toward nuisance odors. Additionally, hydrogen sulfide’s role or its potential to contribute to whole effluent 

toxicity is unknown, at least to me. Outside of this general concern, our pretreatment section has not identified hydrogen sulfide 

specifically as a parameter of concern.

Please feel free to contact me if you should have any questions.

Regards,

David L. Tyler

Superintendent Wastewater Utilities

Dir (623) 478-8722

Fax (602) 352-0053
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From: Kimberly Bartell

To: David Tyler

CC: William Swietlik, Kim Wagoner

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2015 1:16pm

Subject: Hydrogen Sulfide Discharges at POTWs

Dear Mr. Tyler:

Thank you for returning my phone call. As discussed, Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) under EPA Contract No. EP-C-12-021, is 

e-mailing you to request information on hydrogen sulfide discharges at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). See below 

for background on what the information is used for.

EPA reviews publicly-available discharge monitoring report (DMR) and Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data to fulfill its review 

obligation under Section 304(b) of the Clean Water Act. The CWA requires EPA to annually review and, if appropriate, revise its 

water pollution control technology-based regulations, called "effluent guidelines and standards," that limit the discharge of 

pollutants directly to waters of the U.S. and to POTWs from various categories of industrial facilities. EPA is currently conducting its 

2015 annual review of existing effluent guidelines and standards and new potential industrial guidelines which may need to be 

included (see http://www.epa.gov/guide/304m/ for further information). EPA will discuss this review and the results in its 2015 

Effluent Guidelines Program Plan scheduled for publication in the Federal Register sometime in 2015 or 2016.

As part of this year’s annual review, EPA is reviewing 2013 TRI data. In 2011, TRI began requiring facilities to report wastewater 

discharges of hydrogen sulfide to surface water and POTWs. Since this is a relatively new pollutant in TRI, we are trying to determine 

how facilities are reporting the discharges and also gather a sense of the removal of this pollutant upon treatment at a POTW. To help 

us with this investigation, we would appreciate your input on the following questions about hydrogen sulfide discharges from 

industrial facilities discharging to your POTW:

1) Do you have any treatment data on hydrogen sulfide (influent or effluent concentrations, treatment technologies used at your 

POTW and its expected effectiveness for removing H2S)?

2) Do you have any concerns about the hydrogen sulfide loads coming from industrial facilities?

Please call me at (517) 515-1721 if you have any questions. If you would like to speak directly with EPA regarding this request, you 

can contact William F. Swietlik of EPA's Office of Water/Engineering Analysis Division by phone at (202) 566-1129 or by 

email: swietlik.william@epa.gov.

Thank you,

Kimberly

--------------------------------------

Kimberly D. Bartell

Environmental Engineer

Eastern Research Group, Inc.

kimberly.bartell@erg.com

Phone: 517-515-1721