Located in Westbrook, Conn., Westbrook Factory Stores is the first project in the state to utilize state-of-the-art technology for wastewater management. Since there are no sewers in this area, the designing engineers had to find a cost effective method to handle all the wastewater from the shopping center. A conventional system with a septic drain field for that much water would have been prohibitively expensive.

ZENON Municipal Systems, Inc., (ZMS) was called upon to design, install and maintain the advanced membrane bioreactor system for the shopping center. The system was selected because of its ability to deliver tertiary quality biological treatment in a compact system while reducing the discharge by 85 percent, thus dramatically reducing the size of the septic field.

This innovative treatment technology, proven in over 15 years of operation in numerous locations around the world, can accommodate wide flow variations and provide seamless system upgrades. Additionally, the wastewater is treated to a very high quality before being discharged, thereby eliminating any adverse environmental impact in the area. The reclamation of the treated water is saving approximately 13,000,000 gallons of water per year.

Michigan-based ZMS has installed more than 100 of these systems throughout North America. The system meets the most stringent discharge requirements including California Title 22 Standards for water reuse and reclamation.