At Philip Morris USA, our goals are to reduce both water usage and nutrients in wastewater discharge. We've set measurable goals, including the creation of a natural treatment system at our Park 500 facility. The system is believed to be the largest of its kind in Virginia.
Philip Morris USA’s Park 500 facility, located in Chesterfield County, Va., directly withdraws water from the James River at a rate up to 1.8 million gallons per day. The facility treats the water used in this process in an on-site treatment plant before discharging it to the James River. The treated water contains substances such as nitrogen and phosphorus that are present in tobacco. The current levels of nutrient discharge are within the permit levels issued to PM USA by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Beginning in 2001, PM USA voluntarily implemented improvements at its Park 500 facility's wastewater treatment plant and, by 2006, succeeded in reducing nitrogen loadings to the river by almost half of their 2001 levels.
In 2008, PM USA completed construction of a natural treatment system - a 48-acre engineered wetlands project aimed at further reducing nutrient levels in wastewater discharged into the James River from Park 500. This innovative wastewater treatment approach was recognized by Global Water Intelligence as a finalist for the 2010 Industrial Water Project of the Year.
The natural treatment system includes a series of ponds interspersed with native shrubs and trees. After two years of operations, the natural treatment system has reduced nitrogen output by more than 57 percent and phosphorous output by 75 percent, which is beyond the company’s permit requirements. The plants in the system are expected to experience the most growth in the initial years, so it remains to be seen whether the system will sustain these levels over time. However, it is clear that the natural treatment system has surpassed expectations based on system design.
