CE 3610 Environmental

Engineering
Unit 1
Year 3 Semester 2
2015

Shiromi Karunaratne
Email-shiromi.k@sliit.lk
Mobile- 0776368620
7/31/2015

Fundamental concepts of public works

engineering
introduction to water and wastewater treatment processes
preliminary design
solid waste management and air pollution

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Introduction to environmental engineering: water,

waste water, solid waste and
air pollution
Water Quality: Physical, Chemical and Microbiological
Water Quality and Health
Raw water sources, water treatment and distribution
Wastewater collection, wastewater treatment and disposal
Sustainable Practices: Recycling, reuse and demand management
Introduction to solid waste management
Introduction to air quality & health
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Environmental pollution & health

Introduction to environmental engineering concepts:
drinking water, waste water, solid waste, and air pollution
Fundamentals of Water Quality (Physical, Chemical, and Biological parameters) and
pollution pathways
Water Quality and human Health
Water treatment principles: Raw water sources, Introduction to conventional water
treatment concepts-Aeration, Plain Sedimentation, Coagulation and Flocculation, Filtration,
Disinfection, Stabilization, and distribution, introduction to point of use treatment
techniques.
Wastewater Treatment Principles: Introduction to biological treatment and
physiochemical treatment of wastewater
Sustainable Practices in water and wastewater: Recycling, reuse, centralized vs.
decentralized treatment and demand management
Solid waste management principles
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Environmental Engineering:
An Introduction

Role of an Environmental Engineer?

Environmental engineers use engineering and scientific

principles for the improvement of the built and natural
Environmental
environment engineering is the practice of a variety of
applied sciences for environmental sustainability:

Applied physics/physical sciences

Applied chemistry
Environmental microbiology
Applied mathematics
Geology/geophysics
Hydrology/hydraulics

The goal of environmental engineering is to achieve

desired standards of living in an environmentally
sustainable, socially responsible and cost effective way.
i.e. TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE (TBP)

The work of the Environmental Engineer has a

wide scope, including:
Provision of safe, palatable public water supplies in
sufficient quantity
Disposal of (or recycling of) wastewater, solid
wastes and hazardous wastes in a manner that
minimises adverse impact on the environment
Control of water, soil, and atmospheric pollution
(including noise and nuisance odours as
atmospheric pollutants)

Environmental Systems Overview

Systems approach
Looking at all the interrelated parts and their effects on one
another.
In Environmental systems it is hard to identify all the interrelated
parts
A practical approach is to simplify the system to a tractable size
that behaves in a fashion similar to the real system.

Single medium systems of focus

Water resources (surface, ground) management system
Solid waste management system
Air resources management system

Water Resources Management System

Water Supply Subsystem

Wastewater Disposal Subsystem

Water Supply Subsystem

Components
Raw water source Treatment Distribution Customer

Objective
Supply water in sufficient quantity and quality to meet the requirements of
end users (customers)

Water Treatment

Ground Water

A integrated water and wastewater system

Water Treatment
Water sources
Groundwater (confined and unconfined aquifers)
Surface water (rivers, dams)
Seawater
Recycled wastewater
Wastewater collection system
Wastewater treatment system
Wastewater discharge
-Effluent disposal
-Sludge disposal

Ground Water

A integrated water and wastewater system

Neerabup

Wanneroo
Lexia

Recycled water
recharge

Gwelup

Mirrabooka

PERTH

GAWS

Mundaring

Ground water North of River

Dams South of River

Transport over 175 km

(North to South)

~12,000 km of mains

Dams

Victoria
Canning
GROUNDWATER SOURCE

SURFACE WATER SOURCE

Mandurah

Jandakot

Wungong

10 major
3 pump backs
2 pipe head

Serpentine

Nth Dandalup

AREA SERVED
TRUNK MAINS

Sth Dandalup

Samson

Kwinana Wastewater
Recycling Plant (KWRP)

Kwinana Sea Water

Reverse Osmosis (SWRO)

202 bores in total

Stirling

6 groundwater treatment plants and

12 independent artesian bores

Two desalination (SWRO) plants

Kwinana
Binningup

Recycled water to supplement

groundwater (Beenyup GWRT)

Perth Integrated Water Supply System

Unique in Australia

single dam systems in Melbourne and Sydney

Multiple sources provide robust system/security

Groundwater, surface water, desalinated, recycled water

Spread geographically but complex system
Role of groundwater in drought - enables the system to be driven harder - reason
we have managed through worst years on record but groundwater also
diminishing
Water saving measures

Sprinkler restrictions
Permanent water saving measures (sprinkler bans)
what is the social and economic cost of water saving measures vs social
and economic cost of secure water supplies (desalination)?

Smarter use of Water

Water Recycling

45 GL

45 GL+

Desalination
45 GL+

Catchment
Management

Groundwater

35 GL+

100 GL+

Water Trading 33 GL+

Surface Water 50 GL

End uses
Public drinking, washing clothes, bathing (showering),
swimming pools, toilet flushing, gardening (outdoor use),
car washing
fire fighting (both residential and industry)
Industry varies for several uses (Primary target of a water
supply is to meet the public requirement and usually
industry further treats it if needed)
Agriculture, horticulture (irrigation)
Environmental release
DIFFERENT ENDUSES HAVE DIFFERING WATER QUALITY
REQUIREMENTS

Factors influencing water consumption

Climate (great influence on per capita consumption)
Industrial Activity
Meterage
System Management
Standard of living

House Connection Stand post

Community

Rate

Rate

Populatio

1 pcd

Population 1pcd

80-90

45

140

60-80

45

185

50-70

45

185

40-70

45

n
1.

Medium

rural 10-20

Per day usage in

Sri Lankan domestics

(population 1000 1500

people)
2.

Larger rural (population 20-40

1500-5000 people)

Small urban (population 30-50

5000-10,000 people)

Medium
(population

urban 30-60
10,000

20,000)
5

Larger urban (population Assess values Individually

over 20,000)
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21

The table below may be used as a guide: Non

Domestic Use

Litres / day
Hospitals (per bed)
Hotels (per bed)
Boarding schools (per resident)
Restaurant (per seat)
Bus/railway stations (per user)
Day schools (per pupil)
Offices (per person)
Factories (per person)
Cinemas (per seat)

7/31/2015

220-300
180-700
90-140
60-90
15-20
15-30
25-40
20-30
10-15
22

Per day usage in Perth residences

Single Residential
End use

Multi-Residential

Usage
(L/House)

Usage
(L/person)

Usage
(L/House)

Usage
(L/person)

171

51

121

55

139

41

94

43

Toilet

112

33

62

28

Tap

83

25

77

35

Other

18

11

Total inhouse

523

156

365

167

Shower and
bath
Washing
Machine

Total outdoor

707

L/person/day depends on life style, climate, use of water saving-appliances,

cost of water, water conservation campaigns by utilities

Need for treatment to drinking water quality

Drinking very small amount (2L per person per day (or 1.3%))
but requires very high quality
Toilet flushing, garden watering etc about 35% - there is no
need for high quality
Other uses have medium requirements for treatment.
Policies
Fire fighting needs high pressure continuous flow
Because there is only one conduit (conduit is very expensive) all
scheme water is treated to the highest required drinking quality
standard (as set out by Australian Drinking Water Quality
Guidelines).
DO WE REALLY NEED WATER THAT IS TREATED TO SUCH A HIGH
STANDARD FOR ALL OUR WATER USES?

Policies-SL
Cleaner Production Policy 2004
National Air Quality Management Policy 2000
National Biosafety Policy 2005

National Environment Policy - 2003

The policy aims to promote the sound management of Sri Lanka's environment balancing the needs for
social and economic development and environment integrity. It also aims to manage the environment by
linking together the activities, interests and perspectives of stakeholders and to assure environmental
accountability.
National Forestry Policy 1995
National Policy on Elephant Conservation 2006
National Policy on Sand as a Resource for the Construction Industry 2006
National Policy on Solid Waste Management
National Policy on Wetlands 2005
The National Policy on Wild Life Conservation - 2000
Last Updated on Friday, 17 February 2012 12:55
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25

Acts and Regulations Central

Environmental Authority
Acts

8/2/2015

---

National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980

---

National Environmental (Amendment) Act, No. 56 of

1988

---

National Environmental (Amendment) Act, No. 53 of

2000

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Regulations
Environment Protection

Order published under the Gazette Notification No. 1533/16 dated 25.01.2008
(Re: Environmental Protection License Prescribed Activities)

Order published under the Gazette Notification No. 1534/18 dated 01.02.2008
(Re: National Environmental Protection & Quality Regulations)

Regulations published under the Gazette Notification No. 850/4 dated 20.12.1994
Re: Appeal procedure
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Other regulations on
Air
Noise
Waste management
EIA Regulations

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28

Environmental Pollution Control Unit

The Environmental Pollution Control Unit of the Environmental
Pollution Control Division is mainly responsible for prevention and
control environmental pollution issues. The main instrument through
which the Pollution Control Unit performs this function is the
Environmental Protection License (EPL).

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29

The EPC unit performs following functions in order

to prevent minimize and control environmental
pollution
Implementation of Environmental Protection License Scheme.
Implementation of Environmental Recommendation Procedure for
siting of New Industries(Site Clearance)
Granting concurrence for the EPL and site recommendations of BOI
registered prescribed activities
Technical Facilitation to control Environmental Pollution by industries.
Introduction of New Strategies / Tools to control pollution.
Resolving Public Complaints Related to Industries (BOI and Non BOI)

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30

Water Quality Management: Rules and

Regulations in Australia
Drinking Water: Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines
(2011)
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) &
Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC)
live document, continually updated
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/publications/eh52

Water Pollution Control in Australia:

ANZECC Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters (Australian and

New Zealand Environment Conservation Council)

NHMRC recreational waters guidelines

USEPA and WHO guidelines are the basis for most guidelines

Estimated reservoir areas in Sri Lanka

Type of Reservoir

Number

Area (ha)

Percentage
(%)

Major irrigation
reservoirs (ancient)

73

70850

41.7

Medium scale
reservoirs (ancient)

160

17001

10

Minor scale
reservoirs (ancient)

>10,000

39271

23.1

Not available

4049

2.4

8097

4.8

13,650

8.0

17,023
169,941

10
100

Flood plain lakes

Upland
hydroelectric
reservoirs (recent)

Mahaweli
multipurpose
system of reservoirs

8/2/2015

Other
Total area
(Source: MENR and UNEP 2009)

32

State of Water Quality (UNESCO and MoAIMD

2006)
It is difficult to comprehend the trend of water quality in public water
bodies due to lack of monitoring data.
However, the Sri Lanka National Water Development Report (2006)
pointed out a variety of quality concerns in Sri Lanka, including
contamination by nitrate and bacteria in underground and surface
waters mainly due to poor sanitation and untreated wastewater or
insufficient wastewater treatment, toxic chemicals from industrial and
agricultural activities, and eutrophication in lakes/reservoirs (UNESCO
and MoAIMD 2006).
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33

After using the water

We dispose it to the sewer or other places depending on the disposal
methods.
Wastewater system starts from the users (customers)

Wastewater disposal subsystem

Components
Customer Wastewater Collection Wastewater Treatment Discharge of
effluent and solids

Objective
Safely collect, treat and dispose so that public health and aesthetics and the
environment are not adversely affected.

Waste must be disposed such that:

1. No contamination of drinking water supply
2. It will not give rise to public health hazards by being accessible
to vectors (insects, rodents, etc) that may come in contact with
food or drinking water

3. It will not give rise to a public health hazard by being accessible

to children
4. It will not cause violation of laws or regulations governing water
pollution or sewage
5. It will not contaminate the waters of any water body used for
water supply purposes, or recreational purposes.
6. It will not cause any other nuisance

Industry

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Deep water Ocean Outfall

Wastewater collection and disposal system

resource recovery, recycling is important part of modern design principles

Centralised vs decentralised wastewater treatment

Historically, much of the WW in Perth has been disposed of via old-style
single household septic systems
WW flow to septic tank, solids settle
supernatant flows to leach drain
water (effluent) flows to soil and groundwater

Groundwater supplies 50-60% drinking water

These decentralised septic systems led to
large scale contamination of groundwater, nitrate
In-fill sewerage centralised wastewater
treatment was introduced
Allows collection and effective treatment of WW
Re-use: unintentional vs intentional WW re-use

Source of wastewater

On-site Processing

Wastewater Collection

Transmission and Pumping

Treatment

Disposal or Reuse

Wastewater Management Subsystem (Linsley and Fanzini, 1979)

Sources of Wastewater
Characteristics are highly diverse for different origins
of wastewater
Residential - kitchen sink, toilet, shower, bath, washing
machine, storm water from roof
issue of stormwater to sewer system?!!

Commercial establishments (offices, restaurants)

Hospitals
Industry
Agriculture
Animal farming
Aquaculture
Horticulture

Treatment of industry wastes

Specific industries are often required to pre-treat waste prior to discharge
to the sewer system
This protects the wastewater treatment system from overload and from
contaminants which it is not designed to remove, e.g. hazardous wastes,
persistent organic pollutants
Water utilities issue permits for discharge of certain contaminants but the
quality of discharge must fall within specified guidelines
Water is sampled/monitored regularly from industry discharge pipes
Penalties exist for breaching permits

Flow of Wastewater
Wastewater comprises about 90% of all scheme water
consumed (minus that used outside the house) plus water that
infiltrates the wastewater collection system from groundwater
or rain
Australian communities generate large volumes of
wastewater with domestic water use alone producing about
70,000 litres per person per year
Perth + environs consumes 250-300 GL/a scheme water
for a city of 2m pop this is 125-150 KL/a per person, so about 50% of
water used is re-collected as wastewater
good scope for recycling of water (110GL/a Perth)

TABLE 1 - Per capita daily flows for different user categories.

*User Category

SLS 745 : 2004

Part 2

8/2/2015

Houses, Housing estates and Apartment

Complexes
Luxury
- Residents
Non Luxury
- Residents
Low income
- Residents
Shops, Offices, etc.
- Daytime employees
- Overnight employees
- Customers / Visitors
Schools, Universities, etc - Residents
- Daytime
Restaurants (dine-in)
- Overnight employees
- Day-time employees
- Meals served
Restaurants (take-away) - Overnight employees
- Day-time employees
- Meals served
Hotels
- Guest
- Staff (residential)
- Staff (non-residential)
- Kitchen
- Swimming pool

Per Capita Wastewater Flow

(litres/person/day)*
Allwaste

Blackwater

Greywater

240
200
160
50
200
10
200
50
200
50
25 l/meal
200
50
15 l/meal
240
200
100
15 l/meal
10 l/user/d

60
50
40
30
50
5
50
30
50
30
10 l/meal
50
30
N/A
60
50
50
N/A
N/A

180
150
120
20
150
5
150
20
150
20
15 l/meal
150
20
15 l/meal
180
150
50
15 l/meal
1/user/d

43

Disposal of wastewater
Effluent standards and treatment requirements differ,
depending on disposal site
Effluent (water) disposal sites include:
water bodies e.g. inland waters - rivers, lakes; ocean or re-use

Sludge disposal options include

landfill, incineration, re-use as biosolids, i.e. fertilizer products
for agricultural/horticulture, forestry (woodlots, tree
plantations)

novel reuse options e.g. oil from sludge (biodiesel),

Indirect and environmental reuse options:

The options are:
irrigation (parks, gardens, golf courses, important for
inland locations)
direct potable (DPR)
indirect potable (whats the difference between IPR
and DPR?)
non-potable urban (third pipes, private grey water
systems, e.g. BIOMAX)
municipal (shires, councils, vehicle washdown, dust
suppression)
agricultural, horticultural, tree farms, aquaculture
industrial.

Protection of Public Health and Environment:

Water Quality Guidelines for discharge to the
environment
Aesthetics: Solids (suspended, dissolved and floatable), Colour, Odour, Oil and
Grease
Pathogens: Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoan and metazoan parasites

Nutrients: Nitrogen and Phosphorous

Toxicants: Heavy metals and chlorinated organics
Chemical oxygen demand

Biochemical oxygen demand

Air Resource Management System

Clean air is a fundamental requirement of life
but, we cannot chose the quality unless we want to relocate
population is at the mercy of the emitters and relies on enforcement of
effective air quality regulations

Objective:
Protect the health and welfare of the people
by understanding what quality is needed

Quality that we need depends on

What quality can we stand (tolerable limit)?
The tolerable limit changes from person to person but is definitely
greater than zero
(e.g. different people have varying perception of odour)

How much is it going to cost?

Air resource management is instituted based on:
Air quality is being adversely affected and there is a need for correction
There is a strong potential for future problem

Solid Waste Management System

Considered as a problem to be solved as cheaply as possible
Traditionally not considered problematic
But..
Lack of adequate landfill space
Failure of existing landfills to protect the ground water
The fear of atmospheric emissions of cancer causing compounds such as
dioxins and furans from incinerators have driven the need for better solid
waste management systems.

The three simplified waste treatment scenarios

derived from the waste management system
What are the environmental implications of each scenario?

PET recycling:
an example of recycling to reduce solid
waste load

Polarfleece, fabrics
Automotive plastics, car bumpers etc
Carpets (stronger than nylon)

 Many environmental problems cross air-water-soil boundary

Example: acid rain results from atmospheric emission of SOx, NOx into
atmosphere. Acid rain pollutes water and changes soil chemistry
leading to death of plants and aquatic organisms
Historic reliance on the natural cleansing in designing air pollution
control measures (dilution is the solution to pollution) not
environmentally sustainable

Lessons learned
It is dangerous to develop models that are too simplistic.
Environmental engineers must use a multimedia approach and in
particular work with a multidisciplinary team to solve environmental
problems
Modern solutions to environmental problems are invariably centred
around waste minimization, energy conservation, resource recovery

Practice questions (Weeks 1)

What is infiltration?
What is Environmental release?
What makes air pollution a special case compared to
water?
What are the raw water sources in Sri Lanka? And
why is it called Integrated Water Supply System?
What are the challenges in solving an environmental
problem and why is an interdisciplinary approach
almost always needed?

History of Water Quality Management

Importance of safe water supply was realised long ago but proper
treatment before drinking and before disposal didnt start until recently
Asian and Middle East archaeological excavations show highly developed
communities with piped water supplies, latrines, and sewers.
Similarly Minoan civilizations which existed 4000 yrs ago even had flushing
toilets connected to the houses
Romans were expert in public health engineering (aquaducts)
Sewers were mainly for stormwater and no foul sewage was allowed to
discharge into the sewer until 1815 in Britain.
In 1579, there were only 3 latrines in a street with sixty houses in London.

Aquaducts: Marvels of Civil Engineering

Extensively used by Romans
Also in LA

History of Water Quality Management

When the population is small it was not a problem, but when
population increased diseases and death increased leading to
commission of Sir Edwin Chadwick in London to investigate
the situation in 1842.
He concluded that health depended on sanitation, sanitation
was an engineering issue requiring improved water supply to
houses with proper arterial drainage system, a single authority
should administer all sanitary matters in an area and thus he is
called the modern father of the disciplines of public health and
public health engineering

History of Water Quality Management

(London)
1847 - A law was enacted making it mandatory to
dispose foul sewage into sewers
Sewer drained into Thames river
Poor construction of sewer (with leaks contaminating
shallow aquifer which was used as drinking water
supply) and Thames river which served as drinking
water supply for part of the customers
This led to much more serious problems resulting in
Cholera death of 10,000 people in 1854

History of Water Quality Management

Although van Leeuwenhoek observed bacteria under a microscope in 1680,
their true nature was not known until Pasteur in 1860 showed their role in the
cause of disease
In 1876 Koch developed culture techniques for the growth and identification of
microbial species.

By 1870 modifications were made to the discharge points of sewers and

intake points of drinking water, greatly reducing the incidence of waterborne
disease.
Similar developments took place in many European and North American cities
in parallel. Life expectancy in UK was doubled in just 10 years and
population increased in major cities.
In US it began after the sanitary awakening of the 1850s when waterborne
diseases reached epidemic proportions.

Source: U von Gunten, EAWAG

Waterborne diseases
Disease

Microbial agent

Symptoms

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A virus

Fatigue, jaundice, nausea,

diarrhea

Gastroenteritis

Astrovirus, Calicivirus, Enteric

Adenovirus, Parvovirus

Diarrhea, nausea, malaise

Poliomyelitis

Poliovirus

90-95% no symptoms; 4-8%

minor symptoms headaches,
fever; 1% non-paralytic
aseptic meningitis; <1% fatal

Campylobacteriosis

C. jejuni

Gastroenteritis, dysentery,
fever

E. Coli disease

E. Coli

Diarrhea, dehydration

Typhoid

Salmonella typhi

Severe fever, diarrhea

(600,000 deaths worldwide)

Cholera

Vibrio cholerae

Diarrhea, nausea, cramps,

nosebleed, hypovolemic
shock (often fatal)

Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidium

Abdominal pain, diarrhea

Giardiasis

Giardia

Abdominal pain, diarrhea

Viruses

Bacteria

Protozoa

History of Water Quality Management

These developments did not reach all the population
In 1975 80% of rural populations and 23% of urban populations still didnt have proper
sanitation
UN named 1981-1990 as International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade with the aim of
providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for all by 1990
Although the program reached many, the people birth rate in developing countries was such
that UN could not meet all the demand
In 2000 it launched a programme called Safe Water 2000: More pragmatic approach with
cost sharing, relevant technology and social aspects of water supply and sanitation etc.

But.

780 million people in developing nations lack access to

sanitation and clean drinking water (1 in 9 people)

3.4 million people die each year from preventable water

related disease
The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through
disease than any war claims through guns
More people have a mobile phone than a toilet

http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/

Components of focus in this unit

Raw water source Treatment Distribution Customer
Customer Wastewater Collection Wastewater
Treatment Disposal
Customer Waste Collection Disposal
Customer - Air Pollutants Treatment Disposal
(Introduction)

Water Treatment

Industry

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Ground Water

Deep water Ocean Outfall

A integrated water wastewater system