When the Town of Crewe, Va., upgraded its wastewater treatment facility in 1997, it was designed for traditional treatment, removing BOD and TSS. Then along came nutrient loading requirements designed to protect the Chesapeake Bay, to which the plant’s receiving stream ultimately flows.Plant manager John Hricko (pronounced RICK-o) and his team would have to operate under a General Permit for Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus Discharges and Nutrient Trading in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. That meant making changes in the secondary treatment process.Local engineers devised a plant upgrade that would have cost at least $250,000 — a big burden for
