Metagenomes and Metagenome-Assembled Genomes from Microbial Communities in a Biological Nutrient Removal Plant Operated at Hamptons Road Sanitation District (HRSD) with High and Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions

Abstract

Aeration in biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems constitutes one of the largest energy demands in water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). Previous studies have shown that lowering dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations can sustain effective nitrification and phosphorus removal while substantially reducing energy consumption. However, the microbial mechanisms enabling these low-DO processes remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated microbial communities associated with reduced DO in a pilot-scale BNR system operated by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD). DO was reduced over an 18-month period from 2.5 mg/L to 0.2 mg/L. Metagenomic DNA was obtained from samples from each DO condition then sequenced using PacBio HiFi technology. A total of 316 metagenome-assembled genomes were recovered and after dereplication, 207 were found to be unique. These data augment the metagenomic information related to wastewater treatment under low-DO conditions and provide valuable resources for understanding microbial adaptation to oxygen-limited BNR operation.