INTRODUCTION TO WATER AND WASTEWATER ENGINEERING

Introduction
Water and Wastewater Engineering

branch of environmental engineering in which the basic principles of science and engineering are applied to solving the issues associated with the treatment and reuse of wastewater.
encompasses the planning, design, construction, and supervision of water and wastewater systems. involves the abstraction, capture, treatment and distribution water for domestic, agriculture and industrial uses. Current water problems:

Water is becoming a resource that is mostly taken for granted.

Lack of access to an improved source of drinking water in some areas. Water shortage is becoming a global issue due to increasing population, economic growth and climate change.

Improper and incomplete treatment of wastewater can pose a threat to public health and the environment.

Ultimate goal of water and wastewater engineering Protection of public health in a manner commensurate with environmental, economic, social, and political concerns. Knowledge of the following is necessary: Constituents of concern in wastewater Impacts of there constituents when wastewater is dispersed into the environment The transformation and long-term fate of these constituents in treatment processes Treatment methods that can be used to remove or modify the constituents found in wastewater Methods for beneficial use or disposal of solids generated by the treatment systems

Common terminologies
Wastewater liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations. General classes of wastewater constituents such as physical, chemical, biological, and biochemical The makeup of wastewater, including the physical, chemical, and biological constituents Individual components, elements, or biological entities such as suspended solids or ammonia nitrogen Constituents added to the water supply through use

Characteristics Composition Constituents Contaminants, Impurities, Pollutants

Point sources

Sources of pollution which discharges at a specific location from pipes, outfalls, and conveyance methods from either municipal wastewater treatment plants or industrial waste treatment facilities
Sources of pollution that originate from multiple sources over a relatively large area

Nonpoint sources

Common terminologies Effluent

Parameter Nutrients

The liquid discharged from a processing step

A measurable factor such as temperature Elements that are essential for the growth of plants and animals. Nutrients in wastewater, usually nitrogen and phosphorus, may cause unwanted algal and plant growths in lakes and streams Material removed from wastewater by gravity separation (by clarifiers, thickeners, and lagoons) and is the solid residue from dewatering operations

Solids

Sludge Biosolids

Solids removed from wastewater during treatment. Solids that are treated further are termed biosolids Primarily an organic, semisolid wastewater product that remains after solids are stabilized biologically or chemically and are suitable for beneficial use
Biosolids in which the pathogens (including enteric viruses, pathogenic bacteria, and viable helminth ova) are reduced below current detectable levels

Class A biosolids

Common terminologies Class B biosolids Biosolids in which the pathogens are reduced to levels that are unlikely to pose a threat to public health and the environment under specific use conditions. Class B biosolids cannot be sold or given away in bags or other containers or applied on lawns or home gardens
Treatment of wastewater for subsequent reuse application or the act of reusing treated wastewater Beneficial use of reclaimed or repurified wastewater or stabilized biosolids The reuse of treated wastewater and biosolids for beneficial purposes Treatment of wastewater to a level suitable for a variety of applications including indirect or direct potable reuse Destruction of disease-causing microorganisms by physical or chemical means

Reclamation Reuse Recycling Repurification Disinfection

Raw Water Sources and Quality

The various sources of water can be classified into two categories:

1. Surface sources, such as (a) Ponds and lakes; (b) Streams and rivers; (c) Storage reservoirs; and (d) Oceans, generally not used for water supplies, at present. 2. Sub-surface sources or underground sources, such as (a) Springs; (b) Infiltration wells ; and (c) Wells and Tube-wells. Water Quality The raw or treated water is analyzed by testing their physical, chemical and bacteriological characteristics:

Physical
Turbidity Color Taste and Odor Temperature

Chemical
pH Alkalinity Hardness Chlorides Sulphates Iron Solids Nitrates

Biological
Pathogenic Bacteria (Standard Plate Count Test; Most Probable Number; Membrane Filter Technique)

Water Supply System

The purpose of distribution system is to deliver

water to consumer with appropriate quality,

quantity and pressure. Distribution system is used to describe collectively the facilities used to

supply water from its source to the point of

usage.

Fig 1. Interrelationship of the functional elements of a municipal water-supply system

Table 1. The functional elements of public water supply systems

Functional Element Description Source(s) of supply Storage Transmissions Treatment Transmissions and storage
Distribution Surface water sources of supply such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs, or groundwater sources. Facilities used for the storage of water, usually located at or near the source of supply. Facilities used to transport water from storage to treatment facilities Facilities used to improve or alter the quality of water Facilities used to transport treated water to intermediate storage facilities and to one or more points for distribution

Facilities used to distribute water to the individual users connected to the system

Source: Water-Resources Engineering (Linsley, et al., 1992)

Water Supply System Requirements of a Good Distribution System

1. Water quality should not get deteriorated in the distribution pipes. 2. It should be capable of supplying water at all the intended places with sufficient pressure head. 3. It should be capable of supplying the requisite amount of water during fire fighting. 4. The layout should be such that no consumer would be without water supply, during the repair of any section of the system. 5. All the distribution pipes should be preferably laid one meter away or above the sewer lines. 6. It should be fairly water-tight as to keep losses due to leakage to the minimum.
Layouts of Distribution Network The distribution pipes are generally laid below the road pavements, and as such their layouts generally follow the layouts of roads. There are, in general, four different types of pipe networks; any one of which either singly or in combinations, can be used for a particular place. They are: (a) Dead End System, (b) Grid Iron System; (c) Ring System; and (d) Radial System.

Dead End System

Suitable for old towns and cities having no definite pattern of roads

Fig 2. Schematic diagram of a Dead End Water Distribution System

Advantages: 1. Relatively cheap 2. Easier determination of discharges and pressure due to less number of valves

Disadvantages 1. Due to many dead ends, stagnation of water occurs in pipes

Grid-iron System

Suitable for cities with rectangular layout, where the water mains and branches are laid in rectangles

Fig 3. Schematic diagram of a Grid-iron Distribution System

Advantages: 1. Water is kept in good circulation due to the absence of dead ends. 2. In the cases of a breakdown in some section, water is available from some other direction. Disadvantages 1. Exact calculation of sizes of pipes is not possible due to provision of valves on all branches.

Ring System

The main supply is laid all along the peripheral roads and submains branch out from the mains. Thus, this system also follows the grid iron system with the flow pattern similar in character to that of dead end system. So, determination of the size of pipes is easy.

Fig 4. Schematic diagram of a Ring Water Distribution System

Advantage: 1. Water can be supplied to any point from at least two directions.

Radial System
The area is divided into different zones. The water is pumped into the distribution reservoir kept in the middle of each zone and the supply pipes are laid radially ending towards the periphery.

Fig 5. Schematic diagram of a Radial Water Distribution System

Advantage: 1. It gives quick service. 2. Calculation of pipe sizes is easy.

Distribution Reservoir Distribution reservoirs, also called service reservoirs, are the storage reservoirs, which store the treated water for supplying water during emergencies (such as during fires, repairs, etc.) and also to help in absorbing the hourly fluctuations in the normal water demand. Functions of Distribution Reservoirs to absorb the hourly variations in demand. to maintain constant pressure in the distribution mains. water stored can be supplied during emergencies. Location and Height of Distribution Reservoirs:

should be located as close as possible to the center of demand.

water level in the reservoir must be at a sufficient elevation to permit gravity flow at an adequate pressure.

Distribution Reservoir Types of Reservoirs

Underground reservoirs.
Small ground level reservoirs.

Large ground level reservoirs.

Overhead tanks.

Storage Capacity of Distribution Reservoirs The total storage capacity of a distribution reservoir is the summation of:
1. Balancing Storage: The quantity of water required to be stored in the reservoir for

equalizing or balancing fluctuating demand against constant supply is known as

the balancing storage (or equalizing or operating storage). 2. Breakdown Storage: The breakdown storage or often called emergency storage is

the storage preserved in order to tide over the emergencies posed by the failure of
pumps, electricity, or any of the mechanism driving the pumps. A value of about

25% of the total storage capacity of reservoirs, or 1.5 to 2 times of the average

hourly supply, may be considered as enough provision for accounting this storage. 3. Fire Storage: The third component of the total reservoir storage is the fire
storage. This provision takes care of the requirements of water for extinguishing fires. A provision of 1 to 4 per person per day is sufficient to meet the requirement.

Wastewater Management System Wastewater, the water supply of a community after it has been used for various purposes, must be collected and disposed of to maintain healthful and attractive living conditions.

Table 2. The functional elements of municipal wastewater management systems

Funtional Element Source(s) of wastewater Processing at source Description Souces of wastewater in a community, such as residences, commercial establishments, and industries Facilities for pretreatment or flow equalization of wastewater before it is discharged to a collection system Facilities for collection of wastewater from individual sources in a community Facilities to pump and transport collected wastewater to processing and treatment sites Facilities for treatment of wastewater

Collection Transmission
Treatment Reuse / Disposal

Facilities for reuse and disposal of treated effluent and residual solids resulting from treatment
Fig 6. Interrelationship of the functional elements of a municipal water-supply system

Source: Water-Resources Engineering (Linsley, et al., 1992)

Wastewater Characterization Wastewater contains impurities added as a result of domestic commercial and industrial use. To design a treatment process properly, characterization of wastewater is perhaps the most critical step. Wastewater characteristics of importance in the design of the activated sludge process can be grouped into the following categories:

Temperature
pH Color and Odor Carbonaceous substrates Nitrogen Phosphorus Chlorides

Total and volatile suspended solids (TSS and VSS)

Toxic metals and compounds