1. Based on the reading above, if your home is not serviced by a public sewer system, how are the wastes treated? Describe the system.If my home isn't serviced, wastes are treated through a septic system. In the system, sludge in the wastewater sinks to the bottom of the tank, oils float, and the water in between the two layers is dispersed into the surrounding soil through a network of pipes.
2. If your home is serviced by a public sewer system please explain what happens to the water once it leaves your residence.
After water leaves residence, it is piped to a wastewater treatment facility, where it is run through a series of steps to clean the water prior to release into a creek, river, lake, or ocean.
1. What color is the pipe containing “dirty water”?_____brown______
2. What color is the pipe that takes water into the house?_____blue_______
3. What happens in preliminary treatment:Dirty water passes through a screen, which takes large objects out of the water.
4. What happens to large objects found in the water?
The large objects are dumped on a conveyor belt and into a dumpster to be dumped at a landfill
5. What is a grit chamber and how is it used?
Grit chambers are used to allow heavy materials to settle down to the bottom.
6. Primary treatment removes _____50______% of the pollutants in waste water.
7. What happens to floatable solids such as grease and oil?
It is skimmed from the top of the tank and pumped into incineration
8. What do you see coming from the smoke stack?
It is steam created by a scrubber system that sprays water over the smoke to knock down pollutants.
9. What happens to the sludge in primary treatment?
The sludge is pumped into the Dewatering and Incineration process.
10. What happens in secondary treatment?
Air is pumped into water to create an environment in which bacteria can live. The bacteria eat pollutants in the water.
11. What are some examples of microorganisms used in secondary treatment?
Examples of organisms used are Floc, Tokophyra, Vorticella and Paramecium.
12. What happens to the remaining dirt?
The dirt sinks and is pumped out of the system.
13. What happens to the reaming water? (discuss the function of chlorine in your answer)
The water flows through chlorine contact channel. Chlorine disinfects and gets rid of germs and to clarify the water
14. What is the final process of wastewater treatment?
The final process is where the chemical SO2 is added to the water to eliminate chlorine.
15. Summarize the steps in wastewater treatment 101
Wastewater first goes through primary treatment, where a screen settles out large particles. The water then goes through secondary treatment, where bacteria breaks down organic matter and pollutants. The water is then disinfected with chlorine to remove the remaining bacteria. Lastly, the advanced treatment is where it reduces the level of pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
16. Summarize what they suggest in “flush responsibly”
Don't flush down things such as cleansers, beauty products, medicine, auto fluids, paint, and lawn care products down the drain. Wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to treat hazardous chemicals. If these are flushed, it can end up in the local rivers, lakes and coastal waters.
17.On page two – what items should not go down the drain?
Cleaners, beauty products, medicine, auto fluids, paint, lawn care products, grease, diapers, condoms, feminine hygiene products, motor oil and photographic chemicals.
18. Where does the water go after you flush the toilet or drain the sinks at home?
It flows through your community's sanitary sewer system to a wastewater treatment facility. The wastewater from homes, along with wastewater from businesses, industries, and other facilities, is treated by a variety of processes (see inside for more information) to reduce or remove pollutants.
19. Examine figure A – Describe a septic tank and how it works. (also look at the information on septic tanks on pages 2-3)
A septic tank is a scaled-down wastewater treatment facility. Sludge sinks to the bottom where it decomposes. Oils and grease rise to the top to create scum and both are pumped from the tank at regular intervals. Water flows into absorption trenches where it's dissipated to surrounding ground, air and vegetation.
20.Up until the mid 1800s what was the normal practice in dealing with waste?
The normal practice was to dump chamber pots and garbage into streetside gutters, ditches and cesspits.
21. Examine figure B – How long does water spend in the waste water treatment plant? ______8 to 16 hours_______
22. Where is water released when it is finished being treated?
Water is released into bodies of water such as lakes, rivers or oceans after being treated.
23.How many pounds of solids/sludge are produced annually per household?_______500 lbs____
30.Anything you flush down the toilet will eventually show up at the wastewater treatment plant (albeit not always in its original condition). Let’s say, for example, you accidentally drop a small towel down the toilet and it makes its way through the plumbing to the wastewater treatment plant. What device is likely to catch the towel at the plant, and what would be its ultimate destination if this occurred at the profiled treatment plant?
The screens is likely to catch the towel, it would be disposed of in a landfill.
31. Why is the wastewater efuent treated with chlorine, bleach, or ultraviolet light after secondary treatment?
Chlorine, bleach and UV get rid of everything else in the water that hasn't been taken out.
32.Describe how the organic solids collected in the wastewater treatment plant are processed after collection, and list their final destinations at the profiled plant.
Organic solids are broken down by bacteria or activated sludge. After treatment, the organic mater is aerated along with bacteria, it is disposed of in landfill.
33. Eutrophication occurs when bodies of water, usually lakes or rivers, experience algal blooms from large inputs of plant nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which leads to low oxygen levels in the water and adverse impacts on aquatic organisms. Both nitrogen and phosphorus can occur in large concentrations in wastewater effluent. Describe, in detail, the approaches taken at the profiled treatment plant to deal with nitrogen and phosphorus removal prior to the release of the effluent into the environment.
There are nitrification/denitrification sedimentation basins that get rid of the nitrogen and the phosphorus. This happens after secondary treatment. Nitrification facilitates the oxidation of ammonia nitrogen to nitrogen gas using methanol as a carbon source. Sodium hydroxide is added to maintain the alkalinity level required. The process continues with mixed liquor from the odd and even side nitrification reactors flowing to their respective sedimentation basins. Settled sludge is returned to reactors.
34. Explain why the profiled plant should be particularly concerned about eutrophication given its release site.
With more eutrophication, there is more bacteria. That bacteria could be used in the secondary treatment, but the bacteria has to be gotten rid of later on. If there is too much bacteria, after using the method to get rid of them, there could be more bacteria that has not been gotten rid of and could be used in our drinking water and water for washing hands and showering
2. If your home is serviced by a public sewer system please explain what happens to the water once it leaves your residence.
After water leaves residence, it is piped to a wastewater treatment facility, where it is run through a series of steps to clean the water prior to release into a creek, river, lake, or ocean.
1. What color is the pipe containing “dirty water”?_____brown______
2. What color is the pipe that takes water into the house?_____blue_______
3. What happens in preliminary treatment:Dirty water passes through a screen, which takes large objects out of the water.
4. What happens to large objects found in the water?
The large objects are dumped on a conveyor belt and into a dumpster to be dumped at a landfill
5. What is a grit chamber and how is it used?
Grit chambers are used to allow heavy materials to settle down to the bottom.
6. Primary treatment removes _____50______% of the pollutants in waste water.
7. What happens to floatable solids such as grease and oil?
It is skimmed from the top of the tank and pumped into incineration
8. What do you see coming from the smoke stack?
It is steam created by a scrubber system that sprays water over the smoke to knock down pollutants.
9. What happens to the sludge in primary treatment?
The sludge is pumped into the Dewatering and Incineration process.
10. What happens in secondary treatment?
Air is pumped into water to create an environment in which bacteria can live. The bacteria eat pollutants in the water.
11. What are some examples of microorganisms used in secondary treatment?
Examples of organisms used are Floc, Tokophyra, Vorticella and Paramecium.
12. What happens to the remaining dirt?
The dirt sinks and is pumped out of the system.
13. What happens to the reaming water? (discuss the function of chlorine in your answer)
The water flows through chlorine contact channel. Chlorine disinfects and gets rid of germs and to clarify the water
14. What is the final process of wastewater treatment?
The final process is where the chemical SO2 is added to the water to eliminate chlorine.
15. Summarize the steps in wastewater treatment 101
Wastewater first goes through primary treatment, where a screen settles out large particles. The water then goes through secondary treatment, where bacteria breaks down organic matter and pollutants. The water is then disinfected with chlorine to remove the remaining bacteria. Lastly, the advanced treatment is where it reduces the level of pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
16. Summarize what they suggest in “flush responsibly”
Don't flush down things such as cleansers, beauty products, medicine, auto fluids, paint, and lawn care products down the drain. Wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to treat hazardous chemicals. If these are flushed, it can end up in the local rivers, lakes and coastal waters.
17.On page two – what items should not go down the drain?
Cleaners, beauty products, medicine, auto fluids, paint, lawn care products, grease, diapers, condoms, feminine hygiene products, motor oil and photographic chemicals.
18. Where does the water go after you flush the toilet or drain the sinks at home?
It flows through your community's sanitary sewer system to a wastewater treatment facility. The wastewater from homes, along with wastewater from businesses, industries, and other facilities, is treated by a variety of processes (see inside for more information) to reduce or remove pollutants.
19. Examine figure A – Describe a septic tank and how it works. (also look at the information on septic tanks on pages 2-3)
A septic tank is a scaled-down wastewater treatment facility. Sludge sinks to the bottom where it decomposes. Oils and grease rise to the top to create scum and both are pumped from the tank at regular intervals. Water flows into absorption trenches where it's dissipated to surrounding ground, air and vegetation.
20.Up until the mid 1800s what was the normal practice in dealing with waste?
The normal practice was to dump chamber pots and garbage into streetside gutters, ditches and cesspits.
21. Examine figure B – How long does water spend in the waste water treatment plant? ______8 to 16 hours_______
22. Where is water released when it is finished being treated?
Water is released into bodies of water such as lakes, rivers or oceans after being treated.
23.How many pounds of solids/sludge are produced annually per household?_______500 lbs____
30.Anything you flush down the toilet will eventually show up at the wastewater treatment plant (albeit not always in its original condition). Let’s say, for example, you accidentally drop a small towel down the toilet and it makes its way through the plumbing to the wastewater treatment plant. What device is likely to catch the towel at the plant, and what would be its ultimate destination if this occurred at the profiled treatment plant?
The screens is likely to catch the towel, it would be disposed of in a landfill.
31. Why is the wastewater efuent treated with chlorine, bleach, or ultraviolet light after secondary treatment?
Chlorine, bleach and UV get rid of everything else in the water that hasn't been taken out.
32.Describe how the organic solids collected in the wastewater treatment plant are processed after collection, and list their final destinations at the profiled plant.
Organic solids are broken down by bacteria or activated sludge. After treatment, the organic mater is aerated along with bacteria, it is disposed of in landfill.
33. Eutrophication occurs when bodies of water, usually lakes or rivers, experience algal blooms from large inputs of plant nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which leads to low oxygen levels in the water and adverse impacts on aquatic organisms. Both nitrogen and phosphorus can occur in large concentrations in wastewater effluent. Describe, in detail, the approaches taken at the profiled treatment plant to deal with nitrogen and phosphorus removal prior to the release of the effluent into the environment.
There are nitrification/denitrification sedimentation basins that get rid of the nitrogen and the phosphorus. This happens after secondary treatment. Nitrification facilitates the oxidation of ammonia nitrogen to nitrogen gas using methanol as a carbon source. Sodium hydroxide is added to maintain the alkalinity level required. The process continues with mixed liquor from the odd and even side nitrification reactors flowing to their respective sedimentation basins. Settled sludge is returned to reactors.
34. Explain why the profiled plant should be particularly concerned about eutrophication given its release site.
With more eutrophication, there is more bacteria. That bacteria could be used in the secondary treatment, but the bacteria has to be gotten rid of later on. If there is too much bacteria, after using the method to get rid of them, there could be more bacteria that has not been gotten rid of and could be used in our drinking water and water for washing hands and showering