by Kevin Jankowski
ATI’s industrial wastewater engineers are often asked about the “correct” approach to establishing a wastewater treatment plant’s (WWTP) capacity. Are there published guidelines, coveted rules-of-thumb, or an environmental Ouija board available for use? The simple answers are: some, a few, and no.
Determining the treatment capacity of an industrial WWTP for design purposes can be complicated, especially if the wastewater varies seasonally, weekly, or diurnally. Whether the WWTP consists of physical, chemical, biological, or a combination of processes, capacity/sizing is generally dictated by maximum loads and discharge requirements. The latter are typically relatively easy to obtain. The former requires diligent data gathering and analysis. The best sources of wastewater characterization data for preparation of a design basis are as follows (in order of increasing cost to obtain):
- Another similar production plant
- Published literature information
- Your consultant’s internal database
- A minimum two-week sampling and testing program
Assuming that you are able to quantify design loads (flow, COD, BOD, TSS, etc.) and identify discharge requirements, one important piece of the puzzle is still missing. A factor must be developed to account for future growth of the production facility. Industries typically cannot reliably estimate growth much beyond three to five years. Regardless, some allowance for an increase in WWTP capacity for future growth is required. Without it, WWTPs will be driven into overloaded operating conditions, poor performance, and an unwelcome request for additional capital funds much sooner than originally anticipated.
Whether developing the design basis for a new WWTP or trying to define the capabilities of an existing WWTP, keep in mind the two best friends you have in establishing a realistic WWTP capacity: an effective waste minimization program and a properly designed and operated equalization system.
Contact Kevin Jankowski at (262) 784-7690 or
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for help establishing the capacity of your WWTP.
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