STREAM

SANITATION
Content

 Effects of industrial wastes on self-purification of streams and fish life

 Streeter and Phelps Equation

 BOD Equations

 Deoxygenating and Re-aeration

 Oxygen Sag Curve

Disposal of the Treated Sewage or Sewage
Effluent
 The disposal of sewage effluent is the last stage of getting rid of sewage after subjecting
it to various steps of processes

 Treatment of transforming the sewage into the harmless liquid which fulfils the
minimum standard of health and sanitation.

 The main object of controlling disposal of sewage are

 To save the aquatic life in streams
 To eliminate the danger of contamination of water supplies
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 The amount or degree of treatment that should be given to the sewage depends upon the
source of its disposal .

 So before designing the treatment plant first the source of disposal has to be selected.

 The best method of disposal is always difficult to decide.

 The methods of disposal are classified into main groups as

 Natural Methods
 Artificial Methods
 Natural Methods
 In this the treated or untreated sewage is disposed off by

 Dilution or disposal into water i e into sea, lakes or rivers

 Disposal on land or land treatment i e sewage farming and irrigation

 Artificial Methods

 In this the sewage is disposed off only after subjecting it to various treatments (primary
and secondary)
 Screening
 Sedimentation with or without chemicals
 Biological treatment (trickling filter, oxidation pond or activated sludge process)
 Now a days the actual practice is to use both the methods
 Sewage is first given the treatment and then it is disposed off by any of the natural method
 If full treatment is not given at least the primary treatment is given before disposal
 Disposal By Dilution
 It is the process whereby the raw or treated (most treated ) sewage is discharged into water bodies such as
rivers, lakes, sea etc.

 The discharge sewage, in due course of time, is purified by the self purification process of the natural waters.

 The sewage is mainly purified due to oxidation of organic matter by bacteria using the DO present in the
water bodies

 The degree of the treatment given to the raw sewage before disposing it in to any river will depend not only
upon the quality of raw sewage but also on the self purification capacity of river

 This method can be used only for the town or city which are located near the river or sea or have a large lake
which can be used as a source of disposal
Condition Favouring Disposal By Dilution

 When the sewage is comparatively fresh

 When the floating matter and settable solids have been removed by primary treatment

 When the diluting water has high DO content, so that not only the BOD is satisfied, but sufficient DO
remains available for the aquatic life.

 Where the dilution waters are not used for the purpose of water supply for at least some reasonable.

 Where flow current of the diluting waters are favorable, causing no deposition or destruction to
aquatic life
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 Swift forward currents are helpful, as they easily carry away the sewage to the point of
unlimited dilution.

 Slow back currents tend to cause sedimentation, resulting in large sludge deposits.

 Where the wastewater does not contain industrial wastewater having toxic substances.

 the treatment plant is situated near some natural waters.

 What is Self Purification
of Streams?
 When wastewater is discharged into the river or stream, the BOD of mix increases
initially and DO level starts falling.

 As river water travels further BOD gradually reduces and DO increases and
reaches its saturation level.

 Thus river gets purified on its own

 This phenomena is known as self purification of stream

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 When the wastewater or effluents is discharged into natural body of water, the receiving
waters gets polluted due to the waste products, present in the sewage effluent.

 But the conditions do not remain so forever because the natural forces of purification
such as dilution, sedimentation, oxidation, reductions etc.

 Go on acting upon the pollutants and bring back the water into original condition

 This automatic purification of polluted water, in due course of time is called the self
purification
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 This automatic purification of polluted water, in due course of time is called the self
purification.

 The organic matter present in the sewage is broken down by bacteria present in the stream
water to ammonia, nitrate, sulphates carbon dioxide etc

 In this process the Dissolved Oxygen ( content of the natural water decreases and a deficiency
of DO is created.

 The DO is replenished by the diffusion form the atmosphere.

 The man discharges his waste back to stream

 Thus the natural cycle of self purification continues and the rivers water regains its original
quality
 Action Involved
 Dilution

 Dispersion due to current

 Sedimentation

 Oxidation

 Reduction

 Sunlight
 Dilution

 Wastewater discharged into river , dilution takes place concentration of organic matter
reduced and nuisance of sewage reduced.

 Dilution is high ,large quantities of DO available will reduce chances of putrefaction and
pollution effect.

 Aerobic condition will exist

 Dispersion due to current

 It depends upon current which readily disperses wastewater.

 Preventing locally high concentration of pollutants.

 High velocity improves aeration which reduces the concentration of pollutants.

 High velocity improves re-aeration which reduces the time of recovery

 Sedimentation
 The settle able solids, if present in sewage effluents, will settle down into bed of
river.

 Thus helping in the self purification process as the concentration of sewage may
get reduced.

 If stream velocity is lesser than the scour velocity of particles then sedimentation
will takes place.

 SS contribute largely to BOD will be removed by settling and hence downstream

water quality will be improved.

 Due to settled solids anaerobic decomposition may take place

 Oxidation

 The organic matter present in the wastewater is oxidized by aerobic bacteria

utilizing dissolved oxygen of the natural waters.

 This process continues till complete oxidation of organic matter takes place.

 The stream which is capable of absorbing more oxygen through re-aeration etc
 Sunlight

 Sunlight acts as disinfectants and stimulates the growth of algae.

 Sunlight helps certain micro organisms to absorb CO2 and give out oxygen, thus
resulting in self purification.

 Hence wherever there is algal growth, the water may be saturated with DO during
day light hours, through anaerobic conditions exist in night
 Temperature

 The rate of biological activity increases with increase in temperature and decreases with
decrease in temperature

 Hence the rate of oxygen demand also increases with increase in temperature and decrease in
temperature.

 The dissolved oxygen content of water, which is very essential for maintaining aquatic life and
aerobic conditions is also influence by the temperature
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 Factors affecting self purification capacity of the river or stream

 Temperature

 Hydrographic factors such as the velocity and

 Rate of re aeration

 Amount and type of organic matter

 Available initial DO

 Types of microorganisms present

 Oxygen Sag Curve
 The oxygen sag or oxygen deficit in the stream at any point of time during self
purification process.

 It is the difference between the saturation DO content and actual DO content at

that time
Oxygen deficit, D = Saturation DO -Actual DO.

 The saturation DO value for fresh water depends upon the temperature and total
dissolved salts present in it.

 its value varies from 14.62 mg/L at 0°C to 7.63 mg/L at 30°C

 lower DO at higher temperatures

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 The DO in the stream may not be at saturation level and there may be initial oxygen deficit ‘D.

 At this stage, when the effluent with initial BOD load L is discharged in to stream

 The DO content of the stream starts depleting and the oxygen deficit (D) increases

 The variation of oxygen deficit (D) with the distance along the stream

 Hence with the time of flow from the point of pollution is depicted by the ‘Oxygen Sag Curve
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 The major point in sag analysis is point

of minimum DO, i.e maximum deficit.

 The maximum or critical deficit (Do)

occurs at the inflexion points of the
oxygen sag curve
 Deoxygenation and Reoxygenation Curves

 When wastewater is discharged in to the stream, the DO level in the stream goes on depleting This
depletion of DO content is known as de-oxygenation.

 The rate of de-oxygenation depends upon the amount of organic matter remaining (L), to be oxidized
at any time t, as well as temperature (T)at which reaction occurs.

 The variation of depletion of DO content of the stream with time is depicted by the de-oxygenation
curve in the absence of aeration.

 The ordinates below the de-oxygenation curve indicate the oxygen remaining in the natural stream
after satisfying the bio chemical demand of oxygen
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 When the DO content of the stream is gradually consumed due to BOD load,
atmosphere supplies oxygen continuously to the water.

 Through the process of re aeration or re-oxygenation i e along with de-

oxygenation, re-aeration is continuous process
 Streeter Phelps Equation
 It is used in the study of water pollution as a water quality modelling tool

 The model describe how dissolved oxygen decreases in a river or stream along a
certain distance by degradation of BOD.

 The analysis of oxygen sag curve can be easily done by superimposing the rates
of de-oxygenation and re-oxygenation as suggested by Streeter Phelps analysis
 Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

 The most widely used parameter of organic pollution

 5 day BOD involved the measurement of the dissolved oxygen used by

microorganisms in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter.

 BOD test results are used to

 Determine the appropriate quantity of oxygen that will be required to biologically
stabilize the organic matter present
 Measure the efficiency of some treatment process

 BOD at 20°C for 5 days is used as standard test (measure after 5 days in
incubation at 20°C
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 Use bacteria to oxidize biodegradable organic in wastewater sample after

incubation.

 Seeded is done if the wastewater is known to contain insufficient number of

microorganism for degradation of wastewater.

 Use suitable bacteria culture with the wastewater system

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 The limitations of the BOD test are as follows

 A high concentration of active acclimated seed bacteria is required

 Pre-treatment is needed when dealing with toxic wastes, and the effects of nitrifying
organisms must be reduced

 Only the biodegradable organics are measured

 An arbitrary, long period of time is required to obtain results