WASTE WATER MANAGEMEMNT

Waste Water Parameters

LECTURER: R. PHIRI
KIHSR (2022)
 INTRODUCTION
Wastewater quality parameters sometimes
referred to as effluent limits, refers to
national standards for wastewater or effluent
before it is discharged into the aquatic
environment.

In Zambia, wastewater quality parameters

and their limits are prescribed in the Third
Schedule of Environmental Management
(Licensing) Regulations of 2013.
Categories of wastewater parameters
There are three categories of wastewater
parameters and these include;
Chemical parameters
 Physical parameters
Microbiological parameters
 Chemical parameters
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount
of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological
organisms to break down organic material present
in a given water sample at certain temperature over
a specific time period.
The BOD value is most commonly expressed in
milligrams of oxygen consumed per litre of sample
during 5 days of incubation at 20 °C.
 Chemical parameters
BOD can be used as a gauge of the effectiveness of
wastewater treatment plants.
BOD is similar in function to chemical oxygen
demand (COD), in that both measure the amount
of organic compounds in water.
However, COD is less specific, since it measures
everything that can be chemically oxidized, rather
than just levels of biodegradable organic matter
 Chemical parameters
Chemical oxygen demand (COD
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) test is commonly
used to indirectly measure the amount of organic
compounds in water.
 Most applications of COD determine the amount of
organic pollutants found in surface water (e.g. lakes
and rivers) or wastewater, making COD a useful
measure of water quality.
 It is expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/L), which
indicates the mass of oxygen consumed per liter of
solution
Dissolved Oxygen
Dissolved oxygen refers to the level of free, non-
compound oxygen present in water or other liquids.
It is an important parameter in assessing water quality
because of its influence on the organisms living within
a body of water.
 A dissolved oxygen level that is too low can harm
aquatic life and affect water quality
Nitrogen and phosphorus
Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are
natural parts of aquatic ecosystems.
Nitrogen is also the most abundant element in the
air we breathe.
Nitrogen and phosphorus support the growth of
algae and aquatic plants, which provide food and
habitat for fish, shellfish and smaller organisms
that live in water.
But when too much nitrogen and phosphorus
enter the environment - usually from a wide range
of human activities - the air and water can become
polluted.
 Nutrient pollution has impacted many streams,
rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters for the past
several decades, resulting in serious environmental
and human health issues, and impacting the
economy
Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water
causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can
handle.
Significant increases in algae harm water quality,
food resources and habitats, and decrease the
oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to
survive.
 Large growths of algae are called algal blooms and
they can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the
water, leading to illnesses in fish and the death of
large numbers of fish.
 pH
pH is a determined value based on a defined scale,
similar to temperature.
This means that pH of water is not a physical
parameter that can be measured as a concentration
or in a quantity.
Instead, it is a figure between and defining how
acidic or basic a body of water is along a
logarithmic scale.
The lower the number, the more acidic the water
is. The higher the number, the more basic it is. A
pH of 7 is considered neutral
Useful in regulating the treatment process so that the
treatment is carried out efficiently.
 Physical parameters
Turbidity
Turbidity refers to cloudiness of water. Turbidity
has no health effects, but can interfere with
disinfection and provide a medium for microbial
growth.
Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-
causing organisms.
These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and
parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea,
cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.
Turbidity is an optical determination of water clarity.
Turbid water will appear cloudy, murky, or otherwise
colored, affecting the physical look of the water.
 Suspended solids and dissolved colored material
reduce water clarity by creating an opaque, hazy or
muddy appearance.
Turbidity measurements are often used as an indicator
of water quality based on clarity and estimated total
suspended solids in water.
Turbidity can come from suspended sediment such as
silt or clay, inorganic materials, or organic matter such
as algae, plankton and decaying material
Colour
The monitoring of colour is important as highly
coloured waters will be likely to lead to consumer
complaints and rejection.
Colour may be derived from suspended solids,
organic material in the water or corrosion of iron
pipes.
Total dissolved solids
Total dissolved solids (TDS) combine the sum of all
ion particles that are smaller than 2 microns (0.0002
cm).
This includes all of the disassociated electrolytes that
make up salinity concentrations, as well as other
compounds such as dissolved organic matter.
In “clean” water, TDS is approximately equal to
salinity. In wastewater or polluted areas, TDS can
include organic solutes (such as hydrocarbons and
urea) in addition to the salt ions.
TDS measurements are derived from conductivity
Total suspended solids
Total suspended solids (TSS) are particles that are
larger than 2 microns found in the water.
Anything smaller than 2 microns (average filter size) is
considered a dissolved solid.
These solids include anything drifting or floating in
the water, from sediment, silt, and sand to plankton
and algae.
Organic particles from decomposing materials can
also contribute to the TSS concentration.
As algae, plants and animals decay, the decomposition
process allows small organic particles to break away
and enter the water as suspended solids.
Settleable matter
Settleable solids are also known as bedded sediments,
or bedload.
These sediments can vary from larger sand and gravel
to fine silt and clay, depending on the flow rate of
water.
Sometimes these sediments can move downstream
even without rejoining the suspended solids
concentration.
When settleable solids are moved along the bottom of
a body of water by a strong flow, it is called bedload
transport.
MICROBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS
Microbiological parameters are organism that maybe
found in water.
These organisms can be pathogenic or non-
pathogenic.
Pathogenic organisms include various types of
bacteria, viruses, protozoan parasites, and other
organisms.
Because of the many types of pathogenic organisms
and the associated measurement difficulties, coliform
organisms are frequently used as indicators of human
pollution.
The presence of coliform organisms indicates that
pathogenic organisms may also be present, and their
absence indicates that the wastewater is free from
disease-producing organisms.
Pathogenic organisms in water can cause short term
effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches,
or other symptoms.
They may pose a special health risk for infants, young
children, and people with severely compromised
immune systems.
Major coliforms organisms that we look for in water
include:
E. coli
Thermotolerant coliforms
Total coliforms
 E. coli
Found mainly in feces of warm-blooded animals
Majority of E. coli is harmless (non-pathogenic)
Meets criteria for a good indicator and is the most
important
Most specific for feacal contamination
Limited ability to survive and reproduce in water
Non-pathogenic
 Thermotolerant coliforms
Sub-group of total coliforms
Used to be called feacal coliforms
96.4% of bacteria in human feaces are thermotolerant
coliforms
Able to grow at higher temperatures (42 -44.5oC)
Better indicator of faecal contamination than total
coliforms
End of session