Unfortunately there does not ...

Unfortunately there does not seem to be a definitive solution to Nocardia problems. As with any adverse condition, the ultimate goal is to pinpoint the cause of the issue. Lowering the MCRT seems to have the greatest results but they may not be immediate. We had little success with chlorination and antifoam agents. Since Nocardia are hydrophobic, they tend to attach themselves to air bubbles, preventing their collapse (this contributes to foam formation). For this reason, lowering the luxury D.O. levels may be helpful for long-term prevention of Nocardia. Longer MCRT and higher D.O. levels both may be required for nitrification, however, so adjustments should be made with caution. We ran a series of tests and determined that high levels of FOG were causing our Nocardia. It is important to run composite tests for FOG in the influent, as it may be coming into the plant in plug flows, therefore may not be detected with a grab sample. In our case we discovered a broken grease trap at a local restaurant had been sending large amounts of grease to our plant at a specific time in the morning. After fixing the grease trap, our FOG levels went down and Nocardia foam never returned. Be warned, however, that a massive die off of Nocardia may affect effluent quality for a period of time. Although the Nocardia was more unsightly than destructive while alive, once it had died off it deteriorated our effluent quality for almost two weeks, increased total suspended solids, backing up our filters and making disinfection more difficult. If possible, have some contingency plan prepared for when the Nocardia makes its way through the system.