JUNEAU, Alaska -- The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Alaska Cruise Association (ACA), international waste water experts, sanitation engineers and wastewater treatment vendors converged on Juneau yesterday for a day-long, wastewater technology workshop. This important workshop was designed to harness new technology discussions relevant to finding onboard wastewater treatment solutions that would put cruise ships in compliance with the new water quality standards imposed by the voter-approved initiative in 2006.
Yesterday's workshop was part of an on-going effort by the DEC to bring together industry experts, cruise lines, and vendors and share the results of a draft feasibility study conducted by Oasis Environmental, a comprehensive environmental consulting firm.
Wastewater treatment vendors such as NORAM, ROCHEM, Burns and McDonnell, and Hamworthy shared current capabilities on how land-based wastewater treatment systems could be applied to ships given the restrictions of space limitations, areas of dilution zones, labor requirements for maintaining equipment and the need for consistent results that would keep ships in compliance. Academic presentations were also shared on two exploratory technology concepts.
Because the new wastewater standards are the most stringent in the world, it will take an on-going collaboratio