Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 26, © 1999 WIT Press, www.witpress.

com, ISSN 1743-3541

Common problems in wastewater

treatment plants function

Gorana Cosic Flajsig

Croatian Water-Zagreb
7WWZ^e6,6%^a(/a ^0X^220, Croaf/a
Bojan Zmaic
Civil Engineering Institute - Zagreb
10000 Zagreb, J.Rakuse /, Croatia
EMail: bzmaic@zg.igh.hr

Abstract

Generally speaking, wastewater treatment plants are constructed to protect water

environment from excessive overloading with different kinds of pollutants. So they have to
fulfill the desired effluent standards. Often in practice, the results are not in accordance with
design parameters expected from the project. Some common reasons for malfunction will be
illustrated by several examples. There may be problems with the sewage system, design of
plants technical equipment, hydraulics and of course with the maintenance connected with
undertraining of personnel. Frequently, simple improvements in sewage and plant system
technology and adequate personal training can be answer to wastewater treatment problems,
instead of costly reconstruction.

Introduction

Water pollution is becoming a serious restrictive factor for sustainable

development of any society. On weak economies of numerous transition or
other developing countries, water quality management is one of the heaviest
burdens. Part of the problems lais in planning grandiose, perfect, but
unattainable programs, which are usually postponed. Worst of all is that
realistic step by step solutions were neglected, so that even feasible projects
were not realized.

Construction of waste water treatment plants (WWTP), is only one segment

(and frequently not the most expensive) of all complex measures that must be
realized in the frame of water pollution control planning. Stormwater drainage,
sewers reconstruction, sludge disposal and regulation of recipient sections are
frequently much more complicated and of course costly. Already, the fact that
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68 Water Pollution

in majority of settlements only about half of the population is connected to

sewer systems (except in some greater cities), show the size of the task.
Relatively small amounts of available money that have been invested in
environmental protection in the past, did not gave expected results. The worst
is, it seems, that we are not learning enough on basis of our own mistakes.
Maybe it would be useful to reexamine the past policy, with the intention to
spend money in the optimal way.

At the end of 60's water quality management became an important task

involved with the actual Water act. Water quality objectives, classification and
categorization of surface waters based on US Water quality criteria, and strict
time-limits for construction of wastewater treatment plants, seems a good base
for solving all water pollution problems. UNDP Study for regulation of Sava
river basin (1973), included water quality management as a very important
problem. Consultant firms made a very detail review of existing pollution
sources and calculated permissible BOD loads at appropriate minimal flows.
Based on the mentioned strict legislation, money needed for investment in
waste water treatment till year 2000, was estimated to be much higher than
investment in flood protection, irrigation, erosion, navigation or hydro power
stations. At that time the flood protection was extremely important because of
serious material and people losses. Politics and experts (mainly from water
work constructions) decided to postpone water quality protection measures for
better days. So, the water quality management became a second rate activity.
Attention paid to personal education and organizational development in
services connected with water quality management was almost insignificant.
Latter, in the 80's, the economical situation was going down, and all
improvements in legislation and organization did not reach expected results.
The problems were solved individually, from situation to situation, depending
mainly on the influence of local politics and interest of powerful groups
connected with designers, constructors and manufactures of equipment.

Now, less than 10 % of treated wastewaters (if all the constructed treatment
plants are working), is not a good result. However, a lot of high quality water
resources (Fig.l.) and only few heavy polluting industries, still make Croatia a
relatively clean European country, with a few "black" spots in the vicinity of
some great urban centers. This lack of the problems connected with water
resources is also one of the reasons why the water quality management in
Croatia was not treated more stringently.
With the new Water Act (1990), accented in the earlier introduced "polluter
pay" principle, an economical base for realizing good water quality
management is created. The war and the economical situation slowed down the
realization of this Act. For its "reviving" it is necessary to convince all
responsible factors in complexity of the problem, and the need for realistic
steps according to the possibilities of our society . Actual plans supported by
foreign "favorable" credits could solve only a part of the problem. They could
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Water Pollution 69

be also a source for repetition of all the mentioned mistakes, with the burden
which is too high for the actual living standard of our population.

Besides this general review of influences on water quality management results,

there are of course a lot of common technical and organizational problems in
waste water treatment practice, more or less common in the whole world,
which are the real subject of this report.

Malfunction in waste water treatment plants

In Croatia there are about sixty WWTPs between 2.000 and 400.000 PE
(Fig.2.). But only about 20 have complete secondary treatment. The majority
of these WWTPs do not satisfy the expected effects of treatment. During works
on control, research and reconstruction of these treatment plants many
different reasons for malfunction were found. This could be classified in
several groups.

Basic data In planning and designing of WWTPs basic data are generally of
poor quality. Usually the main source are unrealistic urbanistic plans for
development in combination with theoretical calculations based on tables for
water consumption rates, runoff coefficients, population equivalents, etc.,
taken frequently from the out of date literature. Measured parameters of
quantity and quality of waste water are used in very few situations.
Justification of resulting excessive dimensions and volumes is based on poor
"available data" and "factor of safety".

Lack of experience The other problem is the obvious lack of practical

experience, visible in beginner mistakes with wastewater flow, pumping, inlet
and outlet hydraulics, detention time, aeration and sludge treatment. Lack of
knowledge is reflected in frequent copying of foreign solutions and old
projects, without taking in account local situations and other important
influences. Very few constructed WWTPs and lack of systematic specialist
education scarcely can legitimate such mistakes.

Conception of sewer system Construction of the sewers in the past was mainly
purposed for as faster as possible drainage of all present waters to the nearest
recipient. With necessity of treating waste waters this approach is completely
changed. W^WTP influenced the choice of combined or separate systems,,
diminishing of drainage intensity, stormwater overflows, retention tanks, in-
line treating etc. Of course this is connected with costly reconstructions.
Frequently this reconstruction step is omitted. In most cases one of the serious
problems which influences the function of WWTPs is the sewer system which
is not adapted for selected treatment (sometimes even not completely
constructed). Usually designing processes for sewers and WWTPs are
completely separated, done by different organizations, without necessary
coordination and cooperation.
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70 Water Pollution

Low quality of sewer system The quality of the constructed sewers is very
different from place to place, and also dependent as the time when it was
constructed. Frequently the channels are not water-tight, and drainage of
underground or stormwater is a common problem. Obligation for water-tight
investigation of new constructed sewers is improving this situation
considerably.
Insufficient slope of usually overdimensioned sewers connected with our
general practice of garbage and other seatleable materials dumping into sewage
system create serious problems with sedimentation and anaerobic situation in
sewers.

Low maintenance of sewer system Inferior economic situation in communal

organizations influenced the poor maintenance of sewers. Dredging and rinsing
was more an exception than practice, usually done when the sewers are
plugged. Lately, with the acquisition of modern equipment for maintenance,
this situation is quite improved in numerous cities.

Industrial pretreatment High rash loads are a frequent reason for disorder and
decaying of biological processes in existing WWTPs. Usual source for such
loads are connected polluters which usually take minimum care about their
wastewater. It is not strange that industrial pretreatment is missing at all. On
the other hand unreasonable installation of expensive equipment connected
more with marketing interests than with research and practical experience
reflects in the poor performance of such expensive pretreatments. Connected
with the low maintaining level this is one of the weakest points in the existing
water pollution control.

Construction of WWTPs Lack of experience and low technical level of

constructing firms leads to the numerous mistakes and faults. Tanks and basins
are not sufficiently water-tight. Constructions are not made as precisely as they
should be and mechanical equipment can not be fitted properly.

Equipment On one side the installed equipment is of low quality (sometimes

second hand) and on the other, the unnecessary expensive, high level
technology is forced, in spite of the low technical level of the personnel.

Maintenance In such situations maintenance is too difficult and expensive for

the existing communal organizations. Usually, after opening of a new WWTP,
everybody involved in design, construction and equipment supply loose the
interest in it. Necessity of effective function and proper maintaining is left to
the helpless, insufficiently educated operator stretched between the lack of
directors understanding and indolence and poor discipline of the available
personal.
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Water Pollution 71

A good communication between the responsible staff is very important for

proper function of WWTP.

Personnel problems Usually it is not possible to get the best workers on

WWTP. This "dirty business" is not properly valorized. Unqualified and
problematic persons ( frequently alcoholics or aggressive people) are often
placed in such tasks.

Financial problems The problems connected with high expenses and payment
are not solved on the proper way. Frequently the communal organizations are
saving money on account of personnel, chemicals and energy in such a way
that WWTP is working in one shift, without necessary analytical control with
half of the aerators excluded and other similar "economizing measures".

Examples

Velika Gorica (35.000 PE) It is one of the oldest wastewater treatment plant
(1974) for a rapidly growing settlement in the vicinity of Zagreb, originally
designed by "Hydroinzenjering" from Ljubljana, as activated sludge treatment.
In a typical step by step construction this was a lot of uneven solutions, which
always needs some new additions. In any case, beside all usual problems this
WWTP was working relatively good for many years, thanks mainly to great
voluntarity of the operators.

The main problem was sludge treatment. Constructed anaerobic digesters

never gave expected results and little by little were neglected. New centrifuge
for sludge dewatering could not cope with insufficiently treated sludge.
Provisionally it is disposed in the Zagreb sewer system.
Next problems arise after construction of great sewer systems which collects
wastewaters from all small villages near great protected watershed of Zagreb.
These long sewers with high capacity pumping stations, beside wastewater,
drain partly also groundwater and stormwater, creating high hydraulic loads,
which could completely disturb the function of biological treatment. After such
malfunctions anaerobic situations appears downstream in a low flow recipient
with terrible smell irritating the inhabitants of nearby settlements. The result
was the construction of quite expensive long effluent pipelines to the river
Sava.

Anticipated WWTP reconstruction (90.000 PE), once again does not take care
about the existing problems in the sewer system.

Daruvar(25.000/^Typical oxidation ditch, constructed by Unioninvest from

Sarajevo (Passavant license) in 1976. Without experienced operators proper
function began not earlier than 1979, but from that time it was one of the best
secondary treatment in Croatia.
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72 Water Pollution

Activated sludge system used only a half of volume because the other aerated
basin was used for aerobic stabilization of sludge. That sludge had very poor
dewatering characteristics (probably influenced with brewery waste waters), so
existing drying beds were inadequate. Surplus sludge was disposed in natural
lagoons near the WWTP.

In the meantime, the capacity of WWTP become insufficient. In 1984 three

solutions were proposed. First, original second step of Unioninvest, next more
sophisticated solutions in existing location and the third one, on the new
location because the old was surrounded by a residential area. The last solution
was accepted. Due to the lack of money for such removal, it was never
realized. For that reason there was no any further investment in the existing
WWTP.
The next proposal for reconstruction was made in 1993, and was a typical
marketing design with the offer for all the most sophisticated up-todate
equipment. Of course, it was too expensive for the capabilities of that small
city.

After field and pilot plant examinations which are still in the course, a simple
solution with only one new object, secondary settling basin, seems reasonable
and enough for the next few years of functioning of this WWTP. Measured
quantities of dryweather flow were less than one third of that proposed in
previous design. Pilot plant termophile aerobic treatment of sludge gave
excellent results, reducing the quantity and improving the dewatering
capabilities. Improving of the aeration system is still under investigation.

Buzet (25.000 PE) WWTP constructed for brewery and city of Buzet is the
most sophisticated, originally constructed as two-step activated sludge process
with flotation instead primary settling. It is a copy of similar Roedigers plant
of the city Lech in Switzerland. From 1980 when it was finished the function
was only formal with symbolic efficiency. The main reason was complete lack
of cooperation between the brewery staff and the communal organization.
Brewery didn't take care about their technological processes and pretreatment,
so the rash loads of heavy polluted active biological material reach the sewer
and treatment basins, creating settlement and nuisance in further processes.
Uneducated personnel could not cope with such problems in very demanded
wastewater treatment technology. Fine bubbles aeration was clogged very fast,
and anaerobic situations prevail. Engaged experts tried to improve processes
by stronger coarse bubble aeration, addition of nutrients (P and N), liofllizate
bacteriums and changing the process in a one step system. After unsuccessful
attempts new reconstruction was proposed, almost doubling existing capacity.
After negative expertise revision, other try in 1996 with experienced operator
from Daruvar was much better. Approach was completely different. First, the
technology of the brewery was improved with excellent cooperation with all
personnel involved. Existing pretreatment was made usable with simple
changes. Sewage system was dredged and rinsed first time from the
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Water Pollution 73

construction. All basins of the WWTP were emptied, cleaned from sediment
and disinfected. Machine and electrical equipment was provisionally repaired.
After a few weeks the effluent BOD concentration for the first time declined
below 10 mgO2/l. But a new problem came up. When the brewery was not
working with full capacity, during nights and weekends, and especially stormy
weather, concentration of organic material in wastewater was extremely low,
partly because of the notable inflow of ground and storm water in the sewer.
Brewery temporary helped by control addition of boiled waste yeast, which
extremely improved the quality of activated sludge. Fish schools at the outlet
of the WWTP was the best prize for the operators effort:

Conclusions

Field investigations on diferrent existing WWTP discover a lot of mistakes

and defects which seriously influenced its function. Some of the common
reasons are the problems with the sewage system, design of plants technical
equipment, hydraulics and, of course, maintenance connected with low
technical level of the operators. Frequently instead of costly reconstruction,
simple improvements in sewage and plant system technology and adequate
personnel training can be an answer to wastewater treatment problems.
Some of the conclusions based on such approach are exposed in the next part.

Technical

- WWTP is only a part of the system for transporting, treatment and

disposition of waste water and sludge, and from that standpoint all those
activities should be reciprocally accustomed.

- optimal data should be collected on basis of field investigations and pilot tests

- one of the basic principal should be the flexibility in operation

- in working out optimal solutions for all processes, final disposition of sludge
should not be forgotten

General conclusion

- solution of financing should be based on standard possibilities

- especially the legislation should be applicable and in accordance with

economical reality

- step-by-step solutions in accordance with natural processes must obtain

advantage ahead of rude commercial interests
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74 Water Pollution

- responsibility of designers, constructors and equipment delivers should be

exactly defined, legislatively and financially

- education at all levels, about water quality control, with a lot of practical
lessons and exercise should be the main and continues activity

Finally it could be said that sanitary engineers connected with practical work
on waste water treatment plants frequently turn in collision with theoretical
hypothesis or bureaucracy measures. In this field the gap between theory,
desire and practice is too wide. Practical engineers are scarcely involved in
planning, creating legislation or influencing any important decision in mainly
administratively organized environmental and water protection authorities. The
role of such people in scientific work or education in the universities is not
sufficient. Even in the process of designing the waste water treatment plants,
practical experience is far less important than superior marketing interests
established by influenced equipment manufacturers. So, it is not strange, that
almost all realized investments in water protection suffered numerous
technical and organizational mistakes. So, in all these activities, practical
experience should be taken more seriously.

References:

1. Vodopija M. and Cosic-Flajsig G., Sewage system and WWTP function,

Pro. 1st Croatian Conference on Waters, Dubrovnik-Croatia, 1995

2. Zmaic B., Drainage System as Physical, Chemical and Biological Reactor,

Pro. 1st Croatian Conference on Waters, Dubrovnik-Croatia, 1995

3. Zmaic B. Investigations on WWTP of Velika Gorica, Report, IGH-Zagreb

1995
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Water Pollution 75

OQ
Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 26, © 1999 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541

76 Water Pollution