WATER TREATMENT PLANT DESIGN

FIELD REPORT

Topic: REPORT ON THE VISITATION TO OPA DAM AND OAU WATER

TREATMENT PLANT

BY;

ISAIAH OLANIYI OLAOGUN

CHECKED BY: PROF. K. T. OLADEPO

14/01/2022

ABSTRACT
This report gives detailed information on the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun State,
Nigeria water treatment facilities and the Opa Dam. Dams, types of dams and other information
on dams were discussed, also water treatment plant and its various components were discussed
as it relate to the OAU water treatment plant.

Introduction
What is a dam?

A dam is defined as a barrier or structure across a stream, river or waterway to confine and then
control the flow of water. Dams vary in size from small earth embankments, often for farm use,
to high massive concrete structures generally used for water supply, hydropower and irrigation.

Dams and reservoirs are essential structures that are critical for providing us with some of our
basic needs. Dams are structures built to retain water by forming a reservoir behind the structure.
These are usually built across, or near, naturally flowing water to manage the water for human
use.

There are many dam in Nigeria built with the intention of serving different purposes from
hydroelectric power generation to agriculture and irrigation, fishing and recreational facilities
and water supply. Example of such dam include the Kainji Dam in Niger state used for
hydroelectric power generation, shiroro dam in Niger state also for hydro electric power
generation, Asejire Dam in Oyo state for water supply and Opa Dam in Ile-Ife Osun State for
Water Supply.

This report focuses on the class visitation to Opa Dam inside OAU campus in Ile-Ife Osun State
on Friday 17th December 2021.

Opa dam is an earth dam situated within the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) campus, Ile-
Ife, Osun State southwest of Nigeria on the Latitude 7O3010611N, Longitude 4O3114811E AND
2.55Km. The dam was built to serve the OAU community in terms of water needs/consumption.

The Civil engineering MSc students in company of Prof. K.T. Oladepo and Dr J.O. Jeje visited
Opa Dam as part of the effort of in ensuring that the students understand the water treatment
processes from the raw water to the treatment plant.

Types of Dam

1. Earth fill Dam: earth fill dam, also called earth dam or embankment dam, dam built up by
compacting successive layers of earth, using the most impervious materials to form a core
and placing more permeable substances on the upstream and downstream sides. Opa Dam
visited is an example of earthen dam.
2. Arch Dam: Arch dams are made from concrete. They are curved in the shape of an arch,
with the top of the arch pointing back into the water. An arch is a strong shape for
 resisting the pushing force of the water behind the dam. Arch dams are usually
constructed in narrow, steep sided valleys. They need good rock for their foundations,
and for the sides of the valleys, to resist the forces on the dam.

Plate 1: Showing a Arch Dam

3. Gravity Dam: A gravity dam is made from concrete or masonry, or sometimes both. It is
called a gravity dam because gravity holds it down to the ground stopping the water in
the reservoir pushing it over. A cross-section (or slice) through a gravity dam will usually
look roughly triangular.
Gravity dams are suited to sites with either wide or narrow valleys, but they do need to be
built on sound rock.

Plate 2: Showing a Gravity Dam

4. Buttress Dam: Buttress dams are made from concrete or masonry. They have a
watertight upstream side supported by triangular shaped walls, called buttresses. The
buttresses are spaced at intervals on the downstream side. They resist the force of
the reservoir water trying to push the dam over.
The buttress dam was developed from the idea of the gravity dam, except that it uses a lot
less material due to the clear spaces between the buttresses. Like gravity dams, they are
suited to both narrow and wide valleys, and they must be constructed on sound rock.
 Plate 3: Showing a Buttress Dam

Classification of Dams

Dams are classified according to various measures;

i. Classification by use: This discusses the purpose for which a dam is built, the broad
function they serve such as storage, diversion and detention.
Storage Dam are constructed to impound water during period of surplus supply for use
during period of deficient supply. Storage dam may be further classified according to the
purpose of storage such as: Water supply, Irrigation, Fishing and Wildlife conservation,
hydro-electric power generation wtc.
Diversion Dam: These are ordinarily constructed to provide head for carrying water into
ditches, canals or other conveying system. They are also used for off channel location
storage reservoir for industrial and municipal use.
Detention Dam: These are constructed to retard flood runoff and minimize the effect of
sudden floods.
ii. Classification by Hydraulic Design: According to the hydraulic designs, dam are
classified as overflow and non-overflow dams.
Overflow dams are designed to carry water over their crest or through the spillway along
the crest while non-overflow dam are not designed to be overtopped.
iii. Classification by Materials: The most common classification used for the discussion of
design procedure is based on the material used. This classification identifies basic type of
designs for example; the Concrete Gravity dam, the Concrete Arch dam, Rockfill dam,
Earth dam and Timber Dams.

Factors Governing the Selection of Dam Type

 i. General: This includes site access, physical features of the dam, availability of labour,
equipment access, access road etc.
ii. Topography: This includes surface configuration of site, reservoir area and accessibility.
iii. Geology: This deals with the soil type and the foundation condition.
iv. Purpose: The purpose a dam is to serve also determines its location.
v. Appearance: The appearance of the dam also determines the selection of dam type.
vi. Economy: As an engineer, one you’re your priority after safe design is the cost of the
whole project, economy consideration makes a great factor in dam selection.

What is Water Treatment?

Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a
specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow
maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the
environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces
their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial
to human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and irrigation use.

Water Treatment Plant: A wwater treatment plant is a facility in which a combination of

various processes (e.g., physical, chemical and biological) are used to treat raw water and
remove pollutants.

OPA DAM

Opa dam is an earth dam situated within the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) campus, Ile-
Ife, Osun State southwest of Nigeria on the Latitude 7O3010611N, Longitude 4O3114811E AND
2.55Km. The dam was built to serve the OAU community in terms of water needs/consumption.
Components of Opa Dam:

 Embankment: This is the structure put in place to retain a volume of water, it can be
concrete, earth or rock. Opa Dam is an earthen embankment.

Plate 4: Showing Opa Dam Embankment

 Spillway: The function of the spillway is to allow excess water from the reservoir to be
released downstream during the period of excess rainfall.
Types of Spillways
i. Drop Spillway.
ii. Ogee Spillway.
iii. Siphon Spillway.
iv. Chute or Trough Spillway.
v. Shaft Spillway.
vi. Side Channel Spillway.

Opa Dam has a Side Channel Type of Spillway.

Plate 5: Showing the Spill way of Opa Dam

 Weep Holes: This are created to regulate the pore pressure of the soil, It allows for the
excess water in the embankment to be drained.
Weep holes are prominent in the embankment/retaining wall of the Opa Dam spillway.
Plate 6: Showing Weep Holes in the retaining walls of the Opa Dam Spillway.

 Retaining Walls: This prevents the compacted soil from collapsing or provide support for
the water in the reservoir.

Plate 7: Showing the retaining wall in Opa Dam

  Base Line: The volume of water that flows in a dam during the dry season is known as
baseline.
 Reservoir: This is the retained water body by a dam.

Plate 8: Showing the reservoir of Opa Dam.

 Upstream: Is the side on which water is collected (reservoir).

 Downstream: This is the other side of the barrier where there is no water.
OAU WATER TREATMENT PLANT

During our field trip, we were able to access the OAU Water Treatment Facilities, from the
reservoir intake structure to the clear water tank where the treated water is being stored before
being pump to the main distribution tank.

Each component of the treatment plant accessed are discussed below with their corresponding
pictures:

The Intake Structure: Intake structures are used for collecting water from the surface sources
such as river, lake, and reservoir and conveying it further to the water treatment plant. These
structures are masonry or concrete structures and provides relatively clean water, free from
pollution, sand and objectionable floating material.

Intakes are structures constructed in or adjacent to lakes, reservoirs, or rivers for the purpose of
withdrawing water. In general, they consist of an opening with a grate or strainer through which
the water enters, and a conduit to conduct the water by gravity to a low-lift pumping station.

Intakes are classified under three categories: 

Category 1:

1. Submerged intake

2. Exposed intake

Category 2:

1. Wet intake

2. Dry intake

Category 3:

1. River intake

2. Reservoir intake

3. Lake intake

4. Canal intake
Opa Dam has an Exposed Reservoir Intake Structure. The Opa Dam intake structure has three
levels with pipe through which water can be drawn from the reservoir.

Plate 9: Showing the OAU Water Treatment Plant Intake Structure.

Low Lift Pump: In water supply, pumps closed to the treatment plant used to pump water from
the reservoir to the treatment plant are known as low lift pump. They are usually of low power
rating when compared to the high lift pump which pumps the treated water into distribution
channels.

Plate 10: OAU Water Treatment Plant Low-lift Pumps (3 low-lift pumps)
Plate 11: OAU Water Treatment Plant Low-Lift Pump House.

Aeration Unit: The low lift pumps pump water into the aeration unit. Aeration is the process of
introducing oxygen into the raw water. OAU water treatment plant have two type of aeration
unit; free fall or gravity aerator (the cascade aerator) and Spray Aerator.

Aeration in water treatment is effective for management of dissolved gases such as radon, carbon
dioxide, some taste and odor problems such as methane, and hydrogen sulfide, as well as volatile
organic compounds, like MTBE or industrial solvents.

Plate 12: OAU Water Treatment Plant Aeration Unit

Coagulation Unit/Tank: Coagulation is the process of conditioning suspended solids particles
to promote their agglomeration and produce larger particles that can be more readily removed in
subsequent treatment processes.

Water moves from the aeration unit to the coagulation/flocculation units where coagulant is
added to bring the smaller particles to come together.

There are many wastewater treatment applications that require coagulation reactions, such as
removing colloidal solids from water, demulsifying oil emulsions (“emulsion breaking”), and
in paint detackification. There are also many types of coagulants available to meet specific needs
of a treatment process. In general, coagulation precedes flocculation in a chemical water
treatment process.

Figure 1: Showing the Coagulation and Flocculation Process.

There are various types of coagulants available for water treatment, some are highlighted below:

• Organic Coagulants

Organic coagulants are best used for solid-liquid separation. They are also good options to use
when trying to reduce sludge generation. Being organic in nature, these coagulants offer the
added benefits of working at lower doses and having no effect on the pH of your water.

Organic coagulants are typically based on the following formulations:

 • PolyAMINEs and PolyDADMACs – These cationic coagulants work by charge
neutralization alone and are the most widely used organic coagulants. PolyAMINEs and
PolyDADMACs neutralize the negative charge of colloids in your water, forming a
spongy mass called a “microfloc.”

• Melamine Formaldehydes and Tannins – These natural coagulants work somewhat

similarly to inorganic coagulants in that they both coagulate colloidal material in the
water and also contribute their own precipitated floc. This sweep-floc precipitate can
absorb organic materials such as oil and grease while coagulating unwanted particles
together in your water.

• Inorganic Coagulants

Inorganic coagulants are typically cheaper than their organic counterparts, making them a cost-
effective solution for a broad range of water treatment applications. They are especially effective
when used on raw water with low turbidity.

When added to water, inorganic coagulants form aluminum or iron precipitates. These help to
clean the water by absorbing impurities in the water as they fall. This process is known as the
“sweep-floc” mechanism.

• Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) – As one of the most common water treatment chemicals
used in industrial processes, alum is the go-to coagulant choice for many. Manufactured
as a liquid, alum’s crystalline form is created when the liquid is dehydrated. Al 2 (SO4)3 .
18H2O

Al2 (SO4)3 . 18H2O + 3Ca(HCO3)2 2Al(OH)3(insoluble) + 3CaSO4 + 6 CO2 + 18H2O

• Aluminum Chloride – This coagulant works similarly to alum, but it’s more expensive,
hazardous and corrosive. As such, it’s usually only picked as a second choice in
processes where alum could not be used.

• Polyaluminum Chloride (PAC) and Aluminum Chlorohydrate (ACH) – These

inorganic coagulants are best used for more basic water supplies.

• Ferric Sulfate and Ferrous Sulfate – While ferric sulfate is more commonly used, both
iron coagulants work similarly to aluminum coagulants. Ferrous sulfate is typically a
 good choice in applications where you need a reducing agent or excess soluble iron ions
are required.

Fe2 (SO4 )3

Fe(SO4 )3 + 3Ca(HCO3)2 2Fe(OH)3 + 3CaSO4 + 6CO2

• Ferric Chloride – Since it is generated as a waste material from steel making operations,
ferric chloride is the least expensive inorganic coagulant. However, it’s only used in
facilities that can handle its reputation as the most corrosive and hazardous inorganic
coagulant.

FeCl3 . 6H2 O

FeCl3 + Ca(HCO3 )2 2Fe(OH)3 + 3CaCO3 + 6 CO2

Plate 13: OAU Water Treatment Plant Coagulation Unit/Tank

Sedimentation Basin/Tank: Water moves from coagulation unit to the sedimentation basin
where suspended particles are allowed to settle out of water by gravitational settling as it flows
slowly through the tank thereby providing some degree of purification.

In water treatment sedimentation might be used to reduce the concentration of particles in

suspension before the application of coagulation, to reduce the amount of coagulating chemicals
needed, or after coagulation and, possibly, flocculation. When sedimentation is applied after
coagulation, its purpose is usually to reduce the concentration of solids in suspension so that the
subsequent filtration can function most effectively.

OAU water treatment facilities used horizontal flow tank for its sedimentation unit, water is
allow to flow slowly after coagulation and the particles remaining in the water is allowed to
settle by gravity.

Plate 14: OAU Water Treatment Plant Sedimentation Tanks

Filtration Unit: The water is pumped from sedimentation tank to filtration tanks where the
water is filtered to remove other floating particles that are to light to settle by gravity in the
sedimentation tank.

Filtration is a process that removes particles from suspension in water. Removal takes place by a
number of mechanisms that include straining, flocculation, sedimentation and surface capture.
Filters can be categorized by the main method of capture, i.e. exclusion of particles at the surface
of the filter media i.e. straining, or deposition within the media i.e. in-depth filtration.

There are two types of filter being used in the OAU water treatment plant:

i. The Gravity Slow Sand Bed Filters: In slow sand filtration the rate of filtration is
intentionally slow with use of sand that is smaller than sand used in rapid sand filters, so
that particles are not driven far into the bed of sand held within the filter shell. The
principal mechanisms taking place in slow sand filters is accumulation of a layer of
debris on the surface of the filter (straining) and capture within about the top 20 cm of the
sand. This debris is allowed to develop biological activity which contributes to the
treatment of the water passing through it.
Slow sand filtration was the main method of filtration of potable water before rapid sand
filtration was developed. Although it has a large footprint, many slow sand filters are still
used. Developments to make them more cost effective have included:
 Sand removal, washing and replacement have been mechanised as much as possible.
 The need for sand removal has been made as predictable as possible so that the
equipment and labour is efficiently utilised.
 Filtration rates have been increased as much as possible to improve the economics and
contribute to predictability of need for sand removal.
 Pre-treatment, including raw water storage and management, is applied to reduce the
impact of solids in suspension and contribute to predictability.
 Granular activated carbon has been used in some filters to replace the lower part of the
sand to help with removal of pesticides, taste and odour and other trace organic
substances that the biological mechanism does not deal with effectively.
 Plate 15: OAU Treatment plant filter bed

ii. Pressure Filters: In-depth granular media filtration can be carried out under gravity (rapid
gravity filtration) or under pressure (pressure filtration). The basic mechanisms of particle
removal are fundamentally the same in both gravity and pressure modes. The principal
differences between the two modes are likely to be hydraulic, notably distribution of flow
between filters and control of flow through individual filters.
The filter media is usually sand, but other relatively inert material can be used, but the
choice depends on costs and what other objectives there might be. In some cases, part of
the sand might be replaced with anthracite. The lower density of the anthracite allows a
larger grain size to be used such that after backwash the larger anthracite sits on top of
the smaller sand. In this way filtration takes place through first a larger and then a smaller
media to help make better use of filter bed depth. 
The bed of granular filter media is cleaned by applying backwash. This generally
involves: draining down the water until its upper surface is at about the same level as the
top of the media, loosening the bed with air (air scour), applying water upwash at a rate
great enough to just fluidise the functional part of the bed of filter media, allow a short
interval for the media to settle, and starting to refill the filter with water from above the
bed whilst opening the outlet so that filtration starts slowly. A more rigorous backwash
can be achieved if the water upwash is started at a reduced rate whilst the air scour is
occurring (combined air-water wash).
Plate 16: Showing Pressure Filters

Disinfection and Chlorination Unit: Water disinfection means the removal, deactivation or
killing of pathogenic microorganisms. Microorganisms are destroyed or deactivated, resulting in
termination of growth and reproduction. When microorganisms are not removed from drinking
water, drinking water usage will cause people to fall ill.

Chlorination is the process of adding chlorine to drinking water to kill parasites, bacteria, and
viruses. Different processes can be used to achieve safe levels of chlorine in drinking water. 

Types of Chlorine Used in Water Treatment

“Pure chlorine” is seldom used for water treatment. The three most common chlorine-containing
substances used in water treatment are:

• Chlorine Gas

• Sodium Hypochlorite, and

 • Calcium Hypochlorite.

Plate 17: OAU Water Treatment Plant Disinfection Unit.

Clear Water Tank/Well: After chlorination, water is pumped to the clear water tank where it is
stored before being pumped by the help of High-Lift Pump to the distribution tanks.

High Lift Pump: High lift pumps are used to pump water from into the distribution tank before
being distributed to the end users.
Plate 18: High Lift Pumps (OAU Treatment Plant)
Conclusion

The trip to the Opa Dam and the OAU water treatment plant gives a practical understanding of
the various units and component of water supply and water treatment.

All the unit process were seen and their operations are well understood as it relates to water
treatment and water supply.
References

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Buchanan, R.E., editor;, and N.E. Gibbons, editor., eds. 1974. Bergey's Manual of Determinative
Bacteriology, 8th ed. Williams & Wilkins, Inc., Baltimore, Md. 1246 pp.

Tobiason J.E., Cleasby J.L.,Logsdon G.S. and O'Melia C.R. (2010) Granular Media Filtration,
Chapt.10 in Water Quality & Treatment, 6th Edtn., AWWA & McGrawHill.

MWH (2005) Water Treatment Principles and Design (2nd Edtn.), Wiley