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U.S. EPA CSO CAPSTONE REPORT: CONTROL SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION
Citation:
O'Connor*, T P. AND R Field*. U.S. EPA CSO CAPSTONE REPORT: CONTROL SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION. Presented at 9th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Portland, OR, 09/08-13/2002.
Description:
An optimized combined sewer overflow (CSO) requires a storage treatment system because storm flow in the combined sewer system is intermittent and highly variable in both pollutant concentration and flow rate. Storage and treatment alternatives are strongly influenced by input hydrology and the capacities and limitations of available facilities, i.e., interceptors and wastemwater treatment plants. a treatment facility operating without the benefit of upstream storage would need to be very large and costly in order to handle the relatively high volume and flow rate of a CSO. Similarly, if storage is used without treatment, the storage volume required would be very large and also expensive.
This paper presents several approaches to the design and establishment of effective CSO control systems based on the cumulative research conducted by the US EPA on CSO. The initial portions of this paper present a philosophical and economical optimization approach to CSO pollution abatement. The remaining sections of the paper provide a general description and discussion of specific CSO control techniques. No one method has been demonstrated as a cure all. Only through evaluation of the total system can the appropriate methodology and technology be chosen for CSO pollution abatement system improvements.