Assessments of nine factories highlight the need to combine suitable technology with operator training, maintenance and affordable running costs.
Installing a wastewater treatment system is only the first step towards effective pollution control. Technical assessments undertaken under SPNL’s DIMFE-funded freshwater restoration project found that operational knowledge, maintenance and energy costs are equally important to keeping systems working.
Following initial outreach to municipalities and dairy producers, SPNL engaged a dairy wastewater treatment expert to assess all nine factories identified in the project area. Each assessment examined conditions at the facility and developed recommendations covering treatment options, rehabilitation of existing systems, and whey recovery and reuse.
Installed systems were not delivering effective treatment
According to the expert’s assessment, four medium-sized factories had on-site wastewater treatment systems, while the five smaller facilities did not. Three of the installed systems were out of service. The fourth, at a newly established factory, remained operational but was not achieving the required treatment performance.
The findings demonstrate that treatment infrastructure needs sustained technical and operational support to deliver results.
Technical and financial barriers
The three inactive systems had been installed approximately six years before the assessment, following a Ministry of Industry decision requiring installation within a short timeframe. The assessment found that owners had limited knowledge of treatment technologies, insufficient support in identifying qualified specialists and little capacity to evaluate proposed designs.
The resulting systems were poorly matched to the factories’ wastewater characteristics, while operational difficulties further undermined biological treatment.
Lebanon’s economic crisis compounded these problems. Electricity costs became difficult to sustain, leading some operators to switch off the air blowers needed for biological treatment. At the newly established factory, gaps in technical knowledge prevented consistent operation and satisfactory performance.
A proposed plan centred on local capacity
SPNL’s proposed implementation plan combines support for existing systems with training and whey recovery.
Selected factories would receive maintenance support and operational adjustments, alongside intensive practical training for operators. Joint sessions for the assessed dairy producers would address pollution prevention, the basics of on-site treatment and the benefits of whey recovery.
A local whey recovery and reuse network is also proposed, particularly for smaller factories and those with limited treatment capacity. Separating whey before it enters wastewater streams can reduce the organic pollution load and help facilities work towards wastewater quality suitable for acceptance by municipal treatment plants.
The work forms part of “Sustainable Water Ecosystems Restoration: Reviving the Upper Litani River and Qaraoun Lake,” supported by the Donors’ Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE). It aims to help producers adopt solutions they can understand, operate and afford, supporting local livelihoods while reducing pressure on freshwater ecosystems.
