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The Effect of Increased Flows on the Treatability of Emerging Contaminants at a Wastewater Treatment Plant during Rain Events
Citation:
Goodson, K., R. Pitt, S. Subramaniam, AND S. Clark. The Effect of Increased Flows on the Treatability of Emerging Contaminants at a Wastewater Treatment Plant during Rain Events. In Proceedings, WEFTEC 2012, New Orleans, LA, September 29 - October 03, 2012. Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA, 1-0, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
Emerging contaminants are defined by the USGS as “any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored in the environment but has the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and (or) human health effects”. They are a concern because many of them are frequently used and are ubiquitous in the environment.
Description:
ABSTRACT A large number of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been found in U.S. surface waters. These products are part of a growing class of pollutants known as emerging contaminants, chemical compounds or organisms only recently found in significant proportion in surface and groundwaters. Research has shown that these compounds can enter the environment, disperse and persist to a greater extent than first anticipated (Kolpin et al. 2002). Wastewater treatment plants are a common source of emerging contaminants in waterways because some of these contaminants are difficult to remove in conventional wastewater treatment systems. Stormwater runoff is also known to carry pesticides and PAHs from non-point sources, plus pharmaceuticals from pet wastes, and possibly other PPCPs. In most areas, some runoff enters sanitary sewer lines through inflow or infiltration and consequently enters the wastewater treatment system. This additional stormwater increases the volumes and flow rates and changes the characteristics of the influent to the treatment plant, factors that may detrimentally affect plant performance. This research is focusing on the stormwater runoff contribution of emerging contaminants, including their treatment, to municipal wastewater treatment plants during wet weather when the flows are substantially greater than during normal dry-weather conditions.
