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Advances in Water Treatment and Enviromental Management

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ADVANCES INWATER TREATMENTANDENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENT


Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the1st International Conference(Lyon, France 27–29 June 1990)ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe valuable assistance of the Technical Advisory Committee <strong>and</strong> panel ofreferees is gratefully acknowledged.TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEEMr G A Thomas (Chairman)Mr R HydeMr D LathamProfessor D G StevensonMr R F StonerMr D WilsonMrs L GroveThames <strong>Water</strong> Authority<strong>Water</strong> Research CentreAnglian <strong>Water</strong> AuthorityPUT Projects LtdMott McDonald Group LtdYorkshire <strong>Water</strong> AuthorityBHR Group LtdOVERSEAS CORRESPONDING MEMBERSMr V v<strong>and</strong>en Bergen Dutch M<strong>in</strong>istry <strong>Water</strong> Department Netherl<strong>and</strong>sMr T Burke <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre Inc USAMr J L Trancart Department for <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> France


ELSEVIER SCIENCE PUBLISHERS LTDCrown House, L<strong>in</strong>ton Road, Bark<strong>in</strong>g, Essex IG11 8JU, Engl<strong>and</strong>This edition published <strong>in</strong> the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francisor Routledge’s collection of thous<strong>and</strong>s of eBooks please go towww.eBookstore.t<strong>and</strong>f.co.uk.”Sole Distributor <strong>in</strong> the USA <strong>and</strong> CanadaELSEVIER SCIENCE PUBLISHING CO., INC.655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010, USAWITH 38 TABLES AND 109 ILLUSTRATIONS©1991 ELSEVIER SCIENCE PUBLISHERS LTDBritish Library Catalogu<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Publication Data<strong>Advances</strong> <strong>in</strong> water treatment <strong>and</strong> environmental management:proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference.1. <strong>Water</strong>. Quality333.91ISBN 0-203-21589-3 Master e-book ISBNISBN 0-203-27218-8 (Adobe eReader Format)ISBN 1-85166-632-X (Pr<strong>in</strong>t Edition)No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any <strong>in</strong>jury <strong>and</strong>/or damage to persons or property asa matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods,products, <strong>in</strong>structions or ideas conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the material here<strong>in</strong>.Special regulations for readers <strong>in</strong> the USAThis publication has been registered with the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. (CCC), Salem,Massachusetts. Information can be obta<strong>in</strong>ed from the CCC about conditions under whichphotocopies of parts of this publication may be made <strong>in</strong> the USA. All other copyright questions, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gphotocopy<strong>in</strong>g outside the USA, should be referred to the publisher.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored <strong>in</strong> a retrieval system, ortransmitted <strong>in</strong> any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy<strong>in</strong>g, record<strong>in</strong>g, or otherwise,without the prior written permission of the publisher.


CONTENTSAddress C Mansat (Sanitation Service, Lyon, France) viiPART I—POLICY MATTERSChapter 1 Environmental stewardship: the role of the NRA 3P A Chave (National Rivers Authority, London, UK)2 European dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> their implications 17M-M Bourbigots (Compagnie Générale des Eaux, Maisons-Laffitte,France)3 Cost estimation of different ambient water quality protection policies 23A Filip <strong>and</strong> D Obradovic (Energoprojekt Hold<strong>in</strong>g Corporation, Belgrade,Yugoslavia)4 <strong>Water</strong> supply quality <strong>and</strong> its regulation <strong>in</strong> the privatised UK water 31services plcsS B Tuckwell (Wessex <strong>Water</strong> Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Services Ltd, UK)5 Control of dangerous substances <strong>in</strong> UK surface waters 43T F Zabel (<strong>Water</strong> Research Centre, UK)PART II—DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PLANT6 The Greater Lyon emergency water <strong>in</strong>stallations 57M Délaye <strong>and</strong> C Abgrall (Compagnie Générale des Eaux, Lyon, France)7 Expert systems for the exploitation of a purification station: 61ORAGE (computer aid for the management of purification)M Mansat (Greater Lyon Council, Lyon, France)PART III—PLANT DEVELOPMENT8 Apply<strong>in</strong>g technology to the bottom l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> a privatised environment 69A E White (Biwater Ltd, UK)9 The development of an aerated filter package plant 75A J SmithJ, J Qu<strong>in</strong>n <strong>and</strong> P J Hardy (Thames <strong>Water</strong> plc, Isleworth, UK)10 Plant monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> control systems: mak<strong>in</strong>g the case <strong>and</strong> 89manag<strong>in</strong>g the implementationM F Williams (Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong>, UK), D L Gartside (Kennedy & Donk<strong>in</strong>Systems Control, UK)11 Pump schedul<strong>in</strong>g: optimis<strong>in</strong>g pump<strong>in</strong>g plant operation 105T J M Moore (BHR Group Ltd, Cranfield, UK)12 Gas liquid mix<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> mass transfer <strong>in</strong> the water process<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> 117chemical <strong>in</strong>dustries: a brief comparison of the technologiesA J Green <strong>and</strong> M J Whitton (BHR Group Ltd, Cranfield, UK)PART IV—CONTROL AND MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES13 Optimisation of secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation practice <strong>in</strong> the UK 131C R Hayes (<strong>Water</strong> Quality <strong>Management</strong>, UK), A Elphick (Consultant, UK)14 Measurements of mass transfer <strong>in</strong> a bubble column with different 141hydrodynamic conditionsC Lang <strong>and</strong> G Bachmeier (Institute of Hydromechanics, University ofKarlsruhe, Fed. Rep. Germany)PART V—TREATMENT: INNOVATION AND APPLICATION15 <strong>Water</strong> treatment technologies for the challenges of the n<strong>in</strong>eties 157F Fiess<strong>in</strong>ger (Zenon Environmental Inc., Burl<strong>in</strong>gton, Ontario, Canada)16 Collection efficiency of liquid/liquid hydrocyclones 165J Woillez (Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches de Grenoble, France)17 Underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g the foul<strong>in</strong>g phenomenon <strong>in</strong> cross-flow microfiltration 173processesP Schmitz, C Gouveneur <strong>and</strong> D Houi (Institut de Mécanique des Fluidesde Toulouse, France)18 Adsorption of trihalomethanes on to zeolites 181S R Chorley, B D Crittenden <strong>and</strong> S T Kolaczkowski (School of ChemicalEng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g, University of Bath, UK)19 Developments <strong>in</strong> ion exchange denitrification: the ‘wash-out’ 191processG S Solt (Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK), I J Fletcher(Hydrotechnica Ltd, Shewsbury, UK)20 Groundwater pollution by volatile organic solvents: source 199identification <strong>and</strong> water treatmentM Burley, B D Misstear <strong>and</strong> R P Ashley (Mott MacDonald Ltd,Cambridge, UK), J Ferry <strong>and</strong> P Banfield (Anglian <strong>Water</strong> Services Ltd,Cambridge, UK)


PART VI—RIVERS AND RIVER MANAGEMENT21 Green eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g: the case of l<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age 219J Pursglove (Mott MacDonald Ltd, Cambridge, UK)22 Prevention of water pollution aris<strong>in</strong>g from non-po<strong>in</strong>t discharges 223from urban areasV M Khrat (All-Union Scientific Research Institute for <strong>Water</strong> Protection,Kharkov, USSR)23 The river fane flow regulation scheme: a case study <strong>in</strong> river 231environment managementM F Garrick (Patrick J Tob<strong>in</strong> & Company Ltd, Galway, Rep. of Irel<strong>and</strong>)PART VII—MANAGEMENT OF ESTUARIES AND BEACHES24 Ribble estuary water quality improvements: an <strong>in</strong>tegrated waste 245water management plan to achieve bath<strong>in</strong>g water complianceP C Head <strong>and</strong> D H Crawshaw (North West <strong>Water</strong> Ltd, Warr<strong>in</strong>gton, UK),S K Rasaratnam <strong>and</strong> J R Klunder (North West <strong>Water</strong> Ltd, Preston, UK)25 <strong>Advances</strong> <strong>in</strong> water treatment <strong>and</strong> environmental management: 255a study of pollution control at a stormwater overflowN J Bennett <strong>and</strong> R V Farraday (Balfour Maunsell Ltd, UK)


ADDRESSThe theme of the conference—progress <strong>in</strong> the field of manag<strong>in</strong>g the environment—is particularly <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g to thepeople of Lyon. Courly may justifiably lay claim to the privilege of be<strong>in</strong>g an economic metropolis with<strong>in</strong> a remarkableenvironment.Two subjects exemplify (especially the supply of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water) the Lyonese sensitivity to environmental problems.1 SUPPLY OF DRINKING WATERThe <strong>in</strong>itial security is assured through a perennial resource, both quantitatively <strong>and</strong> qualitatively. Quantitatively, thedr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water supply of the urban community of Lyons is for the most part guaranteed by the great alluvial watertable of the Rhône; production may further mobilise resupply reservoirs. Although equipped s<strong>in</strong>ce 1976 with statutoryprotection perimeters (400 hectares of which are <strong>in</strong> the immediate area), this catchment zone rema<strong>in</strong>s a tributary ofthe river. The situation requires very special viligance over the entire upper waters of the Rhône to ensure that therisk of accidental pollution (<strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>and</strong> roads) does not jeopardise the function<strong>in</strong>g of this resource.Then, the new risks l<strong>in</strong>ked to economic <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial development must be overcome. How do these affect Lyon?First, there is the permanent requirement for an ever greater security. The <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g complexity of our city makes itall the more vulnerable. We know the risks <strong>in</strong>volved for a large conurbation of a long-term break <strong>in</strong> the water supply.Search<strong>in</strong>g for an answer to this problem gave rise to a universal re-th<strong>in</strong>k concern<strong>in</strong>g the security of the supply, to anorig<strong>in</strong>al <strong>in</strong>itiative <strong>and</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ally to an emergency water treatment plant. This plant is solely <strong>in</strong>tended to operate <strong>in</strong> theevent of accidental pollution of the Rhône, constitut<strong>in</strong>g complete alert<strong>in</strong>g mechanism (compris<strong>in</strong>g a list of risks, ofequipment for the real time detection of pollution, etc.).Today, this concern to improve security is tak<strong>in</strong>g priority over policies designed to <strong>in</strong>crease the capacity of the<strong>in</strong>stallations: 90% of our <strong>in</strong>vestment is <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> security <strong>and</strong> redundancy.2 On the other h<strong>and</strong>, solv<strong>in</strong>g technical problems relat<strong>in</strong>g to the environment has always been accompanied by the willto develop technologies taken on <strong>in</strong> a close partnership with companies which are work<strong>in</strong>g with Courly.3 Similarly, <strong>in</strong> the area of sanitation, which, contrary to that of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water, has not progressed <strong>in</strong> the course ofrecent decades, Courly has developed new technologies <strong>and</strong> new operat<strong>in</strong>g equipment. This <strong>in</strong>cludes:• the construction of two fixed culture purification plants: one at Meyzieu with a capacity of 35 000 Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab. <strong>and</strong>one at Fonta<strong>in</strong>es-Sur-Saone with a capacity of 40 000 Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab. approximately. Apart from their advancedtechnology <strong>and</strong> their fundamental water treatment role, these two plants have been designed with two essentialobjectives: protect<strong>in</strong>g the environment (odours, noise, appearance) <strong>and</strong> major facilities made available to theoperator enabl<strong>in</strong>g him to control <strong>and</strong> regulate the function<strong>in</strong>g of the plant <strong>and</strong> its purification performances.• the development of an expert system to assist decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g at the Meyzieu purification plant (ORAGE). Thisequipment offers the plant operator guidance when mak<strong>in</strong>g his major decisions (flow-rate to be treated, numberof works <strong>in</strong> operation, preventive ma<strong>in</strong>tenance, sludge treatment), no longer accord<strong>in</strong>g to currently availableresources <strong>and</strong> common practice, but on the basis of rational data <strong>and</strong> real measurements edited <strong>and</strong> stored bythe system.• sett<strong>in</strong>g up the GESICA system (<strong>Management</strong>, Simulation <strong>and</strong> design of Sanitation). This system, based on thecomputerised urban cartography on which the sanitation network is located, enables the design office <strong>and</strong> thenetwork operator to obta<strong>in</strong> assistance <strong>in</strong> the plann<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>in</strong>vestment (network calibration, hydraulic load) <strong>and</strong>rehabilitations (condition of structures), to rationalise the sewage purification campaigns <strong>and</strong> to act rapidly <strong>in</strong> theevent of accidental pollution.• <strong>in</strong>stall<strong>in</strong>g equipment for the remote management of networks <strong>and</strong> purification <strong>and</strong> detection plants (TERESTA).This equipment centralises, <strong>in</strong> real time, the data from 60 plants (purification <strong>and</strong> detection), thereby mak<strong>in</strong>g itpossible to take very rapid action with respect to operat<strong>in</strong>g faults, to carry out preventive ma<strong>in</strong>tenance on the<strong>in</strong>stallations, to manage operat<strong>in</strong>g costs <strong>and</strong> to br<strong>in</strong>g operat<strong>in</strong>g personnel a great deal of comfort <strong>and</strong> flexibility <strong>in</strong>their work.These <strong>in</strong>novations are put <strong>in</strong>to practice <strong>in</strong> a permanent spirit of partnership between the municipality of Courly, privateenterprise, the university <strong>and</strong> the ‘gr<strong>and</strong>es écoles’, who are pool<strong>in</strong>g their know-how, their experience <strong>and</strong> their respectiveresources.These efforts clearly contribute to the accomplishment of the tasks of the Sanitation Services, which are the collection,transportation <strong>and</strong> treatment of waste water. In addition, the Sanitation Service is <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly sensitive to the necessityof deal<strong>in</strong>g with ra<strong>in</strong>water <strong>and</strong> the pollution that it entra<strong>in</strong>s.C MansatSanitation ServiceLyon. June 1990vii


FOREWORDThe quality of the environment, <strong>and</strong> particularly of water, is becom<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly important issuearound the world <strong>and</strong> especially so <strong>in</strong> Europe, where the quality of each nation’s water is <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>glyjudged aga<strong>in</strong>st st<strong>and</strong>ards established <strong>in</strong> EC Directives, <strong>and</strong> where the water sector is undergo<strong>in</strong>g changedue to factors such as privatisation.This volume conta<strong>in</strong>s a discussion of developments <strong>in</strong> policy, current practice <strong>and</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g technologies<strong>in</strong> the water sector <strong>and</strong> related <strong>in</strong>dustries <strong>and</strong> the environment. The papers <strong>in</strong> this collection are grouped<strong>in</strong>to sections cover<strong>in</strong>g: evolution of policy, groundwater quality, plant design <strong>and</strong> construction, plantdevelopment, control <strong>and</strong> measurement techniques, <strong>and</strong> water treatment technologies <strong>and</strong> applications.The <strong>in</strong>teraction of water with the wider environment is discussed <strong>in</strong> sections devoted to rivers <strong>and</strong> rivermanagement <strong>and</strong> to the management of estuaries <strong>and</strong> beaches.Participants <strong>in</strong> the discussion on policy matters <strong>in</strong>clude a spokesman for the National Rivers Authorityaddress<strong>in</strong>g the role of this new regulatory agency for the UK’s water, <strong>and</strong> a spokeswoman from CompagnieGénérale des Eaux on the challenges of implement<strong>in</strong>g the EC’s dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water directive.Papers devoted to design <strong>and</strong> construction of plant <strong>and</strong> plant development discuss how the water sectoris be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly drawn towards the process <strong>in</strong>dustries both <strong>in</strong> terms of approach <strong>and</strong> of technology.Specific case studies of <strong>in</strong>stallations at Lyon are presented by local representatives from the CompagnieGénérale des Eaux <strong>and</strong> the Greater Lyon Council.Reports on new work on specific water treatment technologies <strong>in</strong>clude the use of zeolites as a possiblealternative to granular activated carbon for remov<strong>in</strong>g chlor<strong>in</strong>ated organics from dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water (performed<strong>in</strong> the School of Chemical Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g at the University of Bath, UK), a computer model used to improveion exchange denitrification of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water at high sulphate levels (at the Cranfield Institute ofTechnology, UK) <strong>and</strong> modell<strong>in</strong>g of the efficiency of hydrocyclones <strong>in</strong> treat<strong>in</strong>g oily water (Centre d’Etudeset de Recherche at Grenoble, France).With regard to the <strong>in</strong>teraction of water with the wider environment, keynote speaker (<strong>and</strong> prizew<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>genvironmental author) Jeremy Pursglove stresses the positive contribution eng<strong>in</strong>eers can make whengiven a wider ‘greener’ brief. Pursglove expla<strong>in</strong>s that the straighten<strong>in</strong>g out of rivers <strong>and</strong> stripp<strong>in</strong>g of treesfrom their banks resulted from eng<strong>in</strong>eers be<strong>in</strong>g given too narrow a brief which did not <strong>in</strong>clude thepotential for mak<strong>in</strong>g environmental improvements. Environmental considerations can even pay theirway, says Pursglove, cit<strong>in</strong>g the example of ‘science parks’ which are well l<strong>and</strong>scaped <strong>and</strong> comm<strong>and</strong> ahigher price. Pursglove denies that he was fight<strong>in</strong>g an uphill battle when try<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>troduce ‘green’concepts <strong>in</strong>to eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g schemes—‘though it is still a battle’—but he stresses that such ideas must bebrought <strong>in</strong> at the <strong>in</strong>itial stage to avoid costly changes later.A summary of trends affect<strong>in</strong>g the water sector is given by François Fiess<strong>in</strong>ger (formerly of Lyonnaisedes Eaux <strong>and</strong> now Vice President of Zenon Environmental Inc. <strong>in</strong> Canada) <strong>in</strong> a keynote speech. Fiess<strong>in</strong>geridentifies the follow<strong>in</strong>g as the strongest trends <strong>in</strong>fluenc<strong>in</strong>g the water sector: the drive for higher qualitywater, particularly <strong>in</strong> the USA with the Safe Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Act; progress <strong>in</strong> technologies such aselectronics, biotechnology, polymer science <strong>and</strong> membrane separation with the consequent dem<strong>and</strong> for‘high-tech’ to be applied to water; <strong>and</strong> the development of privatisation, particularly <strong>in</strong> Europe, result<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g competition between water organisations. This will encourage former public services tolook for new markets <strong>and</strong> to develop a policy of diversification, with the most common area be<strong>in</strong>g watertreatment. This <strong>in</strong> turn will result <strong>in</strong> ‘large’ organisations.Accord<strong>in</strong>g to Fiess<strong>in</strong>ger, the conjunction of several of these forces could create ‘w<strong>in</strong>dows of opportunity’for specific technologies <strong>in</strong> the 1990s. He sees the biggest potential <strong>in</strong> the use of fast-improv<strong>in</strong>g membranetechnologies for treat<strong>in</strong>g dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water <strong>and</strong> the application of biological methods (such as anaerobictreatment <strong>and</strong> biofilters) to the treatment of wastewater effluents. Fiess<strong>in</strong>ger is an enthusiastic proponentof membrane technologies <strong>and</strong> foresees the comb<strong>in</strong>ation of membrane separation with biotreatment<strong>in</strong>to fully <strong>in</strong>tegrated membrane bioreactors br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g ‘…compactness, higher yields, reliability, ease ofoperation, low sludge production <strong>and</strong> altogether a much better quality water’.viii


The views <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation given here will help all readers to be better placed to realise the opportunitieswhich new organisations <strong>and</strong> technologies might br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> to contribute to improv<strong>in</strong>g the qualityof Europe’s water <strong>and</strong> associated environment.John O’HaraEnvironment & Industry DigestDecember 1990ix


PART IPolicy matters


4 WATER TREATMENTwith apparent changes <strong>in</strong> climatic conditions giv<strong>in</strong>g rise to the potential forregular shortages of water <strong>in</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> parts of the country. The controlledallocation of abstraction of water from rivers <strong>and</strong> aquifers is an importantmatter for the NRA which has duties to ensure the availability of both waterfor public supply, <strong>and</strong> water for those other abstractors requir<strong>in</strong>g it. Thema<strong>in</strong>tenance of a balance of abstraction versus the m<strong>in</strong>imum required flow<strong>in</strong> our rivers has an important bear<strong>in</strong>g upon the environmental quality ofthose waters. Whereas at the present time we have concerns over theavailability of adequate water for our needs, the NRA also has responsibilityat the other end of the scale relat<strong>in</strong>g to water quantity, that is floodprevention. In recent months, we have experienced excessively wet conditions<strong>in</strong> the UK, which has thrown an emphasis onto our work <strong>in</strong> this arena—particularly <strong>in</strong> relation to our role <strong>in</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g flood defencesystems, for the control of <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> flood<strong>in</strong>g from some of our major watercourses <strong>and</strong> those relat<strong>in</strong>g to sea defences. Mov<strong>in</strong>g on aga<strong>in</strong> to furtherresponsibilities put upon the NRA by the <strong>Water</strong> Act, it has duties to promoteconservation <strong>and</strong> recreation on waters <strong>and</strong> associated l<strong>and</strong>s to which it hasrights. It has a duty to develop salmon, trout, freshwater <strong>and</strong> eel fisheries<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> some areas of the country the NRA is a navigation authority.This brief <strong>in</strong>troduction has def<strong>in</strong>ed the breadth of the NRA’s responsibilities,all connected with the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of the natural aquatic environment.GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF RESPONSIBILITYIn view of the subject matter of this conference, I propose to concentrate onthe role of the NRA <strong>in</strong> controll<strong>in</strong>g pollution <strong>and</strong> enhanc<strong>in</strong>g the quality of ournatural waters. This cannot be separated entirely from the bus<strong>in</strong>ess ofcontroll<strong>in</strong>g water resources <strong>and</strong> the reduction of excessive abstraction.The 1989 <strong>Water</strong> Act conferred specific responsibilities on the NRA for waterquality <strong>in</strong> all controlled waters, <strong>and</strong> for the achievement of water qualityobjectives which are to be determ<strong>in</strong>ed by the Secretary of State for theEnvironment <strong>and</strong> for which the NRA will be required to develop the relatedwater quality st<strong>and</strong>ards.Def<strong>in</strong>itions of the extent to which its duties <strong>and</strong> powers apply, <strong>in</strong> geographicalterms, are laid down <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Water</strong> Act <strong>and</strong> such other legislation as wascarried through to this Act—for example its flood prevention activities on<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> water relates to a def<strong>in</strong>ition of “ma<strong>in</strong> river”; pollution control <strong>and</strong>environmental monitor<strong>in</strong>g activities are restricted to“controlled waters”. Animportant aspect of the develop<strong>in</strong>g legislation is the ever <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g rangeof waters which have been brought under control, from freshwater rivers <strong>in</strong>


ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE NRA 5the 1951 Act, to the def<strong>in</strong>ition of controlled waters now set out <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Water</strong>Act 1989.Controlled waters are def<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> Section 103 of the Act <strong>and</strong> effectively coverall surface waters <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g rivers <strong>and</strong>, by a subsequent Regulation issuedby the Secretary of State, public supply reservoirs; estuaries; <strong>and</strong> the sea,to a distance of 3 miles from the shore; <strong>and</strong> virtually all underground waters.It follows from this that treated water supplies are not with<strong>in</strong> the NRA’sresponsibility. The quality of treated water supplied to consumers is theresponsibility of the <strong>Water</strong> companies, <strong>and</strong> its quality is controlled byseparate Regulations—the <strong>Water</strong> Supply (<strong>Water</strong> Quality) Regulations1989which <strong>in</strong>corporate the requirements of the EC Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directivetogether with sampl<strong>in</strong>g regimes which are strictly def<strong>in</strong>ed.So, for all practical purposes, any naturally occurr<strong>in</strong>g water with<strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> Wales will come with<strong>in</strong> the jurisdiction <strong>and</strong> stewardship of the NRA.CLASSIFICATION SCHEMESIn the past the assessment of water quality <strong>and</strong> public reports upon thishave been restricted to a detailed exam<strong>in</strong>ation of river quality <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> Wales us<strong>in</strong>g a classification scheme devised by the former National<strong>Water</strong> Council <strong>in</strong> 1978. This was extended <strong>in</strong> 1980 to <strong>in</strong>clude estuaries, butthe classification used <strong>in</strong> this case was of an elementary nature. Theclassification scheme def<strong>in</strong>ed stretches of rivers as fall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to differentcategories <strong>and</strong> these were based on some specific parameters, but also took<strong>in</strong>to account the current potential uses of the waters. This system had nostatutory base <strong>and</strong> did not relate directly to EC Directives. The def<strong>in</strong>ition ofcontrolled waters extends to a much wider range of waters the need todevise <strong>and</strong> use a classification <strong>and</strong> assessment scheme. Under the <strong>Water</strong>Act any such scheme will have a statutory status through Section 105 ofthe Act. At the present time the NRA <strong>and</strong> the Department of theEnvironment (DoE) are work<strong>in</strong>g on the preparation of new classificationschemes with the objective of provid<strong>in</strong>g an absolute comparison of waterquality which is appropriate to the nature of the water between differentwater courses, different regions, <strong>and</strong> different years, cover<strong>in</strong>g all types ofwaters.WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVESSection 104 of the <strong>Water</strong> Act also allows the Secretary of State to set waterquality objectives for controlled waters, <strong>and</strong> to issue a date by which watersmust satisfy these objectives. The use of water quality objectives has, formany years, been the central basis through which the UK system of water


6 WATER TREATMENTpollution control has operated. Nevertheless, until now any water qualityobjectives which have been used have been non-statutory <strong>in</strong> character.Once the Secretary of State has set such water quality objectives it will bethe NRA’s duty to ensure that as far as is practicable the water qualityobjectives are achieved. The NRA is consider<strong>in</strong>g the criteria which will benecessary <strong>in</strong> order to establish water quality objectives <strong>and</strong> is currentlycreat<strong>in</strong>g categories for the various uses to which water may be put, <strong>in</strong> orderto be able to derive specific water quality st<strong>and</strong>ards appropriate to eachuserelated objective.WATER QUALITY SURVEYSRiver water quality has been reviewed on a qu<strong>in</strong>quennial basis s<strong>in</strong>ce 1958under a scheme operated by the Department of the Environment. The nextsuch review is due <strong>in</strong> 1990. The NRA has now embarked on a two-partreview—the first part a survey designed to replicate as closely as possiblethose previous surveys. It has been recognised however, that earlier surveyssuffered from the differences <strong>in</strong> approach adopted by the former RiverAuthorities <strong>and</strong> Regional <strong>Water</strong> Authorities, <strong>and</strong>, furthermore, that littleattention was given to biological criteria. For these reasons the NRA isconduct<strong>in</strong>g an overlapp<strong>in</strong>g survey based on a st<strong>and</strong>ard set of procedures<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>corporat<strong>in</strong>g a biological survey mak<strong>in</strong>g use of a river <strong>in</strong>vertebratepredict<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> classification model (RIVPACS), which has been developedby the Institute of Freshwater Ecology, through fund<strong>in</strong>g from the DoE <strong>and</strong>the Natural Environment Research Council. The use of such a system willenable a biological override to be attached to the results of chemical analysisto give a more reliable assessment of water quality which relates to thetopographical <strong>and</strong> other features of the assessment po<strong>in</strong>t.The results of the 1985 survey of river quality which were published by theDoE showed that 90% of rivers <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the classification were generallyof satisfactory quality—<strong>in</strong> classes 1 <strong>and</strong> 2 of the old classification system—but the report identified marked regional variations. The largestconcentrations of polluted rivers were located <strong>in</strong> the densely populated <strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>dustrialised areas of Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales. Major problems relat<strong>in</strong>g to thedischarge of untreated sewage were identified <strong>in</strong> the Mersey <strong>and</strong> Humberrivers. River quality problems <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales were ma<strong>in</strong>ly connectedwith the quality of effluents from sewage treatment works, <strong>and</strong> pollutionfrom <strong>in</strong>tensive agriculture <strong>and</strong> forestry. A significant conclusion from thelast survey was that the reductions <strong>in</strong> the lengths of seriously pollutedrivers <strong>and</strong> canals which had been achieved <strong>in</strong> the 1970s had not beenma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the early 1980s. Whilst <strong>in</strong> some regions improvements werecont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g, there had been a small net deterioration <strong>in</strong> overall qualitybetween 1980 <strong>and</strong> 1985. The results of the 1990 survey, which will becarried out on comparable data <strong>and</strong> by similar assessment techniques, will


ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE NRA 7be extremely <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g. This report is due to be published towards theend of 1991.DISCHARGE CONSENTSAris<strong>in</strong>g from the duties of the NRA to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> improve water quality isa requirement to control <strong>and</strong> remedy pollution. The <strong>Water</strong> Act <strong>in</strong> Sections107 <strong>and</strong> 108 sets out some of the major powers available to the NRA toachieve this objective.The ma<strong>in</strong> thrust of the NRA’s ability to act arises from the fact that, exceptfor consented discharges, it is an offence to cause or permit poisonous,noxious or pollution matter or solid waste matter to enter controlled waters,<strong>and</strong> the NRA is able to prosecute those who commit such offences. It isclear that the NRA <strong>in</strong>tends to use these powers to the utmost, an examplebe<strong>in</strong>g the vigorous prosecution of Shell U.K. follow<strong>in</strong>g an oil pipel<strong>in</strong>e fractureunder the River Mersey which led to the imposition of a £1M f<strong>in</strong>e.Effluents from <strong>in</strong>dustrial firms <strong>and</strong> sewage treatment works <strong>in</strong> liquid formare disposed of to water courses, <strong>and</strong> under Section 108 of the Act, suchdischarges are permitted provided a consent has been obta<strong>in</strong>ed from theNRA. The consent<strong>in</strong>g system has operated for many years under previouslegislation but it became apparent, soon after the NRA was formed, that ithad <strong>in</strong>herited a wide variety of such consents. Very large numbers of consentshad been issued by the former organisations, River Boards, River Authorities<strong>and</strong> <strong>Water</strong> Authorities <strong>and</strong> many been changed accord<strong>in</strong>g to various criteriaover the years. For example, <strong>in</strong> the late 1970s <strong>and</strong> early 1980s many exist<strong>in</strong>gconsent conditions were “rationalised” <strong>in</strong> order to reflect the currentperformance of sewage works. Furthermore, previous legislation had notcovered such a wide variety of waters as are now designated“controlledwaters” with the result that upon the enactment of the 1989 <strong>Water</strong> Act,many discharges which were previously outside of statutory control, wererapidly brought <strong>in</strong>to such control <strong>and</strong> had to be given “deemed” statuspend<strong>in</strong>g the determ<strong>in</strong>ation of conditions. In other words, such dischargeswere declared legal but with no conditions attached. These discharges<strong>in</strong>cluded many coastal outfalls, which were exempted from control until1987 <strong>and</strong> a large number of previously illegal discharges, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g stormsewage overflows, which required consents upon the enactment of the <strong>Water</strong>Act.The proliferation of such a variety of consents is clearly undesirable <strong>and</strong>tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to the fact that some £20 bn of expenditure has been committed tothe improvement of exist<strong>in</strong>g discharges over the next few years by the water<strong>in</strong>dustry, some consistency of approach is highly desirable. Consequently


8 WATER TREATMENTthe Secretary of State asked the NRA to set up a policy group to exam<strong>in</strong>ethese issues <strong>and</strong> this will be report<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the spr<strong>in</strong>g of this year. The groupis consider<strong>in</strong>g such matters as how the regulator <strong>and</strong> discharger shouldassess whether a particular discharge meets the terms of its consent; theextent to which consent requirements for different types of discharge shouldbe put on a common basis <strong>and</strong> how to justify any differences; how best toensure that discharges are properly classified as compliant or non-compliant;sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequencies; <strong>and</strong> the role of consent conditions <strong>in</strong> relation topollut<strong>in</strong>g load. Information relat<strong>in</strong>g to consents is held on a public registeras are the results of monitor<strong>in</strong>g both discharges <strong>and</strong> the aquatic environment<strong>in</strong> general.POLLUTION INCIDENTSWhilst the NRA’s ma<strong>in</strong> thrust of pollution control is likely to be through theuse of the discharge consent system, pollut<strong>in</strong>g events will always occur. Inorder to reduce the effects of these upon the aquatic environment, <strong>and</strong> thedisruption to legitimate users of water that this entails, the NRA is alsoempowered to take action to both mitigate the consequences <strong>and</strong> take suchpreventative action as is available to it.Figure 1


ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE NRA 9Figure 2The total number of water pollution <strong>in</strong>cidents <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales hasdemonstrated a ris<strong>in</strong>g trend s<strong>in</strong>ce 1980 (Figure 1); the number of such<strong>in</strong>cidents <strong>in</strong> 1987 was 80% higher than the equivalent figure <strong>in</strong> 1980.37% of these <strong>in</strong>cidents were attributable to <strong>in</strong>dustry, 19% to farmpollution <strong>and</strong> 20% to sewage <strong>and</strong> sewerage problems (Figure 2). Of the<strong>in</strong>dustrial <strong>in</strong>cidents, oil pollution accounted for 61% of the total number.Increased public <strong>in</strong>terest, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>creased monitor<strong>in</strong>g can confidently beexpected to br<strong>in</strong>g about a further <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> these figures <strong>in</strong> the currentyear <strong>and</strong> beyond. In order to br<strong>in</strong>g about a reduction <strong>in</strong> such pollutionevents, certa<strong>in</strong> actions are available now under the <strong>Water</strong> Act to enablethe NRA to take preventative action. The Secretary of State may designatewater protection zones for sensitive areas under Section 111 of the Actwith a consequent prohibition of certa<strong>in</strong> activities with<strong>in</strong> those areas. TheNRA is also entitled, under Section 115, to undertake works to deal withan <strong>in</strong>cident as it occurs <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>deed to undertake works to prevent aperceived problem occurr<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> to charge the actual or potentialpolluter.


10 WATER TREATMENTAn <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g example of the use of water protection zones are so-callednitrate sensitive areas. There is currently considerable concern over nitratelevels <strong>in</strong> dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water, <strong>and</strong> a general perception that such levels are ris<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> groundwater <strong>and</strong> surface water. In order to offer a general remedy toreduce nitrate levels, the <strong>Water</strong> Act permits the designation of nitratesensitive areas <strong>in</strong> which agricultural practices can be modified. A pilotscheme has been set up by the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Agriculture, Fisheries <strong>and</strong> Food<strong>in</strong> conjunction with the NRA to run for 5 years. Ten sites have been identified,<strong>and</strong> we will look for major changes <strong>in</strong> agricultural practice <strong>in</strong> these areas toassess whether such changes do represent a suitable means of reduc<strong>in</strong>gnitrate levels.This may be of relevance <strong>in</strong> due course to the problem which is currentlybe<strong>in</strong>g experienced throughout the UK <strong>and</strong> elsewhere <strong>in</strong> the world concern<strong>in</strong>gdevelopment of blue-green algae. With<strong>in</strong> weeks of be<strong>in</strong>g set up, the NRAwas confronted with a so-called blue-green algal bloom phenomenon. Thespecies concerned <strong>in</strong>cluded microcystis aerug<strong>in</strong>osa which is known to becapable of releas<strong>in</strong>g substances which are highly toxic to mammals. Toxicitytest<strong>in</strong>g had not previously been carried out by regional water authoritieswhen such blooms occurred <strong>in</strong> the past; <strong>in</strong>deed little was known of them <strong>in</strong>the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom except through work carried out at the University ofDundee. The NRA subsequently set up a group to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the causes ofthe 1989 bloom, to review the world-wide problem <strong>and</strong> to come up withpossible means of controll<strong>in</strong>g the growth of these algae.This subject raised two <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts about our role. The first is thatwe may be fac<strong>in</strong>g a problem which may be extremely difficult to solve withoutfundamental changes to the way reservoirs are managed, or <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>gsignificant changes to sewage <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial treatment processes, <strong>and</strong>possibly farm<strong>in</strong>g practices. Also it raised the po<strong>in</strong>t that unlike the former<strong>Water</strong> Authorities, the NRA has no legal basis on which to offer advicerelat<strong>in</strong>g to health matters. The NRA is an environmental agency <strong>and</strong> issolely concerned with environmental factors.This conference is about treatment processes <strong>and</strong> environmentalmanagement rather than farm waste problems, but it is worth mention<strong>in</strong>gtwo aspects of our current problems from the agricultural <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>in</strong> theUK. It is estimated that there are some 200 million tons of animal wastes<strong>and</strong> the effluent from 36 million tons of silage to be dealt with each year.There are over 200 different chemicals <strong>in</strong> use or stored on farms <strong>and</strong> all toooften, these wastes <strong>and</strong> chemicals f<strong>in</strong>d their way <strong>in</strong>to water courses. Recentcatchment surveys <strong>in</strong> several regions, have shown that pollution <strong>in</strong>cidentsaris<strong>in</strong>g from agricultural is far more widespread than <strong>in</strong>dicated by thereported <strong>in</strong>cidents—which rose dramatically from 1979 to 1988 <strong>and</strong> whichrelate largely to the more visible organic contam<strong>in</strong>ation of natural waters.


ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE NRA 11In some surveys <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensive dairy catchments, up to 25% of farms werefound to be pollut<strong>in</strong>g at the time of <strong>in</strong>spection <strong>and</strong> a further 25% were atrisk of do<strong>in</strong>g so. Such substances cannot always be dealt with on a dailybasis <strong>and</strong> often the entire slurry production must be conta<strong>in</strong>ed for all of thew<strong>in</strong>ter period requir<strong>in</strong>g stores of 2000M3 or more. The potentialenvironmental impact of such stores fail<strong>in</strong>g is thus very large <strong>and</strong> the DoE<strong>in</strong>tends to reduce Regulations this year under Section 110 of the <strong>Water</strong> Actto control the storage of such material <strong>in</strong> the farm<strong>in</strong>g situation. This is awelcome move <strong>and</strong> the DoE are consider<strong>in</strong>g prepar<strong>in</strong>g similar Regulationsfor <strong>in</strong>dustrial sites.The other aspect of farm<strong>in</strong>g which should be mentioned relates to the generaluse of pesticides. Although adequate controls exist under the <strong>Water</strong> Act tocontrol the discharge of po<strong>in</strong>t source emissions of pesticides, it is muchmore difficult to control diffuse entries. The variety of pesticides used, thenecessity to develop methods applicable at a very low concentrations <strong>and</strong>the cost of analysis limits the number of water samples analyzed. An attemptis now be<strong>in</strong>g made to address this problem <strong>in</strong> two ways. The proposal to<strong>in</strong>corporate biological methods of assess<strong>in</strong>g water quality us<strong>in</strong>g RIVPACSwill identify those reaches of river of apparently good quality but whichhave a reduced biological quality <strong>and</strong> this may help to locate problemsaris<strong>in</strong>g from the discharge of chemicals, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g pesticides. We are<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly us<strong>in</strong>g analyses of pesticide levels <strong>in</strong> sediment <strong>and</strong> biologicalmaterial such as fish tissue to obta<strong>in</strong> a long-term <strong>in</strong>dication of water quality.Work to assess the <strong>in</strong>dustrial production <strong>and</strong> discharge of pesticides underthe surveys of Red List substances currently under way should providefurther evidence.A possible approach to the control of diffuse sources of pollution of thisk<strong>in</strong>d may be to limit the use of difficult substances <strong>in</strong> catchments by theuse of water protection zones.EC DIRECTIVESSo far this paper has been concerned the position relat<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>ternallegislation <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales. As members of the European Community,the UK is also subject to a large number of regulations concern<strong>in</strong>g theaquatic environment set out <strong>in</strong> EC Directives. The NRA has generally beengiven the task of operat<strong>in</strong>g such Directives. Directives encompass thecomplete range of waters for which the NRA has environmental stewardship,from the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive currently apply<strong>in</strong>g only to coastal sites <strong>in</strong>the UK, the Freshwater Fish Directive, applicable to rivers <strong>and</strong> certa<strong>in</strong> largelakes, to the Groundwater Directive, which covers underground controlledwaters.


12 WATER TREATMENTIn general Directives of this nature have been brought <strong>in</strong>to use with<strong>in</strong> theUK through the Departmental Circular. The European Commission hasrecently <strong>in</strong>dicated that, <strong>in</strong> their view, such a route for implementation isunacceptable, <strong>in</strong> that all Directives are b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g upon member states, <strong>and</strong>must be <strong>in</strong>corporated with<strong>in</strong> their national legislation. In view of this, theDepartment of the Environment is currently issu<strong>in</strong>g Regulations throughthe medium of the <strong>Water</strong> Act to enact Directives.This action <strong>in</strong> itself is highlight<strong>in</strong>g problems relat<strong>in</strong>g to the implementation,<strong>in</strong> a formal way of such Directives. For example the NRA is currently <strong>in</strong>discussion with the Department over implementation of the Directiveconcern<strong>in</strong>g the abstraction of surface water for the production of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>gwater. The majority of surface water supplies <strong>in</strong> the UK, arise from reservoirs.The classification scheme laid down by the Directive relates the degree oftreatment to the quality of water abstracted. In a typical lake wherestratification occurs as a natural process, the water at the surface will bedifferent to that <strong>in</strong> the bottom layers. It would not be possible to guaranteethat all parts of a particular lake, at all times, met the classification criteria<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>deed <strong>in</strong> the design of reservoir systems provision is normally made toabstract water from the most suitable level or site. The problem for the NRAis how to def<strong>in</strong>e the po<strong>in</strong>t of application <strong>in</strong> such a way as to achieve apractical means of monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g the Directive. It would bedifficult to be required to guarantee that all water <strong>in</strong> a particular lake wasof precisely the same quality all of the time.Whereas some of the Directives are straight forward <strong>and</strong> merely give rise toa workload for the NRA to accomplish, other Directives are less easy to dealwith. The Dangerous Substances Directive, for example is a Directive withconstantly chang<strong>in</strong>g analytical requirements. The transfer of substanceswhich are toxic, persistent, <strong>and</strong> non-biodegradable <strong>in</strong>to what is known asList 1 has been accelerated <strong>in</strong> recent years, <strong>and</strong> the need to identify sourcesof such substances <strong>and</strong> provide the analytical capability to detect them atvery low concentrations <strong>in</strong> natural waters is a challenge to the NRA’s newlaboratory network.COASTAL WATERSSo far the paper has concerned itself with <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> problems, but the NRAhas responsibilities for coastal waters also. Two EC Directives are of topical<strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> this context—the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive, <strong>and</strong> the proposedDirective relat<strong>in</strong>g to the <strong>Treatment</strong> of Municipal Waste <strong>Water</strong>. Both apply tocoastal <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> waters, but with<strong>in</strong> the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom, no freshwaterbath<strong>in</strong>g sites have yet been designated. Much of the <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> the applicationof the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive to coastal waters centres on the levels of


ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE NRA 13bacteria <strong>and</strong> viruses <strong>and</strong> the implications that these have for emersionsports. Most <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> waters receive <strong>in</strong>puts of sewage effluent which, althoughdesigned to reduce the quantities of organic material discharged, <strong>and</strong> therebyafford<strong>in</strong>g reductions <strong>in</strong> bacteria <strong>and</strong> viruses, nevertheless <strong>in</strong> no way producea sterile effluent. Receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters therefore conta<strong>in</strong> considerably higherlevels of both bacteria <strong>and</strong> viruses compared with coastal waters, <strong>and</strong> thesecan be substantially reduced only by <strong>in</strong>troduc<strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fection techniques.The NRA is currently exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the merits <strong>and</strong> problems of such techniquesas applied to mar<strong>in</strong>e outfalls <strong>and</strong> will use this <strong>in</strong>formation to explore theirpossible application to freshwaters should this prove necessary, <strong>and</strong>, asguardian of the water environment, will ensure that any end products areenvironmentally acceptable.The second Directive, which will be of particular <strong>in</strong>terest to this conference,is the Municipal Waste <strong>Water</strong> Directive which will be expected to move fromthe proposed stage to a become a confirmed Directive later this year. In thisDirective it will be necessary to apply treatment to those sea outfalls whichare currently discharg<strong>in</strong>g untreated sewage to sea. The NRA’s role <strong>in</strong> deal<strong>in</strong>gwith this Directive will be to issue consents to discharge which specify thequality of the effluent <strong>in</strong> such a way as to ensure that treatment works are<strong>in</strong>stalled. One of the difficulties associated with the Directive is therequirement to ascerta<strong>in</strong> whether primary, secondary or tertiary treatmentis required, <strong>and</strong> this will depend on the classification of the water as be<strong>in</strong>gsensitive or less sensitive. This is clearly a role for the NRA to perform <strong>in</strong>due course. Whilst <strong>in</strong> general the NRA welcomes this Directive it hasexpressed the view that properly designed long sea outfalls are an acceptableoption for discharges <strong>in</strong>to the sea. Furthermore the imposition of fixedst<strong>and</strong>ards for effluent quality through the Directive is possibly counter tothe use of water quality objectives as an approach.In addition to work relat<strong>in</strong>g to EC Directives, the NRA has a number of<strong>in</strong>ternational obligations through its association with the North SeaProgramme, <strong>and</strong> various <strong>in</strong>ternational conventions.RESOURCES AND RESEARCHIt will be clear from the variety of work which has so far been described,<strong>and</strong> this is only skimm<strong>in</strong>g the surface of the overall picture to <strong>in</strong>dicate thegeneral areas of responsibility <strong>and</strong> some current issues, that two needs canbe identified for the NRA. The first need is that of resources, the second isthat of research.On the first po<strong>in</strong>t the NRA has approximately 6,500 staff spread throughoutEngl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales. It is currently sett<strong>in</strong>g up a network of 11 laboratories


14 WATER TREATMENTall of which will be fully operational by June 1991 <strong>and</strong> most of which will be<strong>in</strong> operation from early this year. Those laboratories currently employ over200 staff but is expected that 100 new posts will be created when the networkis complete. Currently we process about 383,000 samples per year <strong>and</strong>anticipate that this could rise by 40% by next year. More importantly thenumber of measurements made on these samples will rise from 3,000,000to very nearly 6,000,000 as a result of the <strong>in</strong>troduction of automaticlaboratory <strong>in</strong>strumentation capable of high sample throughput. The budgetfor capital equipment <strong>in</strong> laboratories will rise from £2M to approximately£4M by 1991.In addition to laboratory work, scientific staff are <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> pollution controlactivities, <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>cidents <strong>and</strong> advis<strong>in</strong>g on remedial action, sett<strong>in</strong>gst<strong>and</strong>ards on discharge for water quality <strong>and</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of <strong>Water</strong> Actregisters. This will require the development of very substantial computeriseddata systems <strong>and</strong> these are also be<strong>in</strong>g planned at the present time. It isclear from the forego<strong>in</strong>g that the problems with which the NRA is confrontedare enormous. The public, <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly concerned about environmentalmatters, expect solutions to be found to <strong>in</strong>soluble problems.In the second case the <strong>Water</strong> Act imposes on us to make arrangements forcarry<strong>in</strong>g out research. The NRA’s current Research <strong>and</strong> DevelopmentProgramme consists primarily of <strong>in</strong>herited projects previously carried outby the <strong>Water</strong> Authorities or by the <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre, together with anumber of projects funded by the <strong>Water</strong> Directorate of the DoE. The spendaris<strong>in</strong>g from these programmes <strong>in</strong> 1989/90 is £6.4M, compris<strong>in</strong>g 70% onapplied research, with the rema<strong>in</strong>der on experimental development. Wehave carried out a major review of all exist<strong>in</strong>g programmes together withsubstantial consultation with external organisations. More than 400proposals have been considered <strong>in</strong> identify<strong>in</strong>g 120 high priority new projects<strong>and</strong> it is planned that the R&D programme will <strong>in</strong>crease over the next fewyears to an expenditure level of about £13M by 1992/93. Part of thisprogramme is related to the development of automatic sampl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> analysistechniques so that we are no longer <strong>in</strong> the position of rely<strong>in</strong>g on a limitednumber of samples taken at moments which do not necessarily co<strong>in</strong>cidewith pollution events. The use of computer modell<strong>in</strong>g of pollution pathways<strong>and</strong> dispersion processes <strong>and</strong> broad environmental quality assessmenttechniques such as ecotoxicology <strong>and</strong> the use of biological <strong>in</strong>dicators arealso high on the list of priorities.INTEGRATED POLLULTION CONTROLThe complications <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> deal<strong>in</strong>g with current environmental problemsmay be exacerbated to some extent by a proposed change <strong>in</strong> legislation


ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE NRA 15through the Government’s Environmental Protection Bill which is currentlyon passage through Parliament. In this the concept of <strong>in</strong>tegrated pollutioncontrol is set out for processes produc<strong>in</strong>g particularly dangerous substances,which will be known as “prescribed processes”. The basis for IPC is theobjective of controll<strong>in</strong>g the discharges of such substances to l<strong>and</strong>, water<strong>and</strong> air, <strong>and</strong> such processes will be authorised under a s<strong>in</strong>gle system ofcontrol. The Bill removes from the NBA the responsibility for a large numberof <strong>in</strong>dustrial processes <strong>and</strong> for probably 80% of all <strong>in</strong>dustrial discharges.The NRA whilst fully support<strong>in</strong>g the concept regrets that the system isbe<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>troduced <strong>in</strong> such a way as to take away these responsibilities sorecently given it by the <strong>Water</strong> Act. The NRA is thus hav<strong>in</strong>g vigorous exchangeswith the Department of the Environment to ensure that the return ofresponsibilities to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) will notreduce the effectiveness of pollution control <strong>in</strong> the water environment. Theproblems of deal<strong>in</strong>g with mixed sites where prescribed <strong>and</strong> non-prescribedprocesses co-exist must be resolved <strong>and</strong> at present the NRA is <strong>in</strong> the processof draw<strong>in</strong>g up a Memor<strong>and</strong>um of Underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g between itself <strong>and</strong> HMIP<strong>in</strong> order to resolve this difficulty.CONCLUSIONThe NRA has been set up with a very wide range of duties <strong>and</strong> responsibilityas set out <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989. Duties cover all aspects of aquaticenvironmental management but this paper has concerned itself solely withquality matters.The NRA as presently constituted is the largest environmental protectionagency <strong>in</strong> Europe, <strong>and</strong> will rema<strong>in</strong> so despite the <strong>in</strong>troduction of<strong>in</strong>tegrated pollution control. The NRA is an <strong>in</strong>dependent agency outside ofGovernment <strong>and</strong> absolutely determ<strong>in</strong>ed to carry out the duties that it hasbeen given, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> this respect has already demonstrated its ability <strong>and</strong>determ<strong>in</strong>ation to carry out this role thereby ga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g widespread publicsupport. We <strong>in</strong>tend to be firm but fair with polluters <strong>and</strong> discharges <strong>and</strong>to achieve the objectives of improv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g water quality <strong>and</strong>to this end regard ourselves as the guardians of the water environment.


Chapter 2EUROPEAN DRINKING WATERSTANDARDS AND THEIRIMPLICATIONSM-M Bourbigots (Compagnie Générale des Eaux, Maisons-Laffitte,France)The EEC directive has given rise to a set of national regulations published <strong>in</strong> the countries.It represents a profound change <strong>in</strong> philosophy: the former rules, based on potability criteriahave been replaced by rules based on quality objectives. As we shall see later on, whendifficulties occur over respect<strong>in</strong>g the st<strong>and</strong>ards, particularly with regard to pesticides,discussions are often focused on the toxic nature of these products, whereas the real debateconcerns the technical <strong>and</strong> economic problems created by the application of these qualitycriteria, <strong>and</strong> the time required before strict conformity can be reached: the debate is a politicalone.The dist<strong>in</strong>ction is not understood by public op<strong>in</strong>ion <strong>and</strong> a great effort is required to popularizethe debat. In difficult circumstances, for <strong>in</strong>stance, <strong>in</strong> the event of accidental pollution ordrought <strong>and</strong> so on, temporary waivers may be decided by the authorities with regards tosome of the qualities fixed by the regulations. Public op<strong>in</strong>ion often wrongly jumps to theconclusion that the water is not dr<strong>in</strong>kable. Neither do some people underst<strong>and</strong> why waterthat is not considered to be potable <strong>in</strong> one country may be judged dr<strong>in</strong>kable <strong>in</strong> another (seeTable 1).In France, the water supplier is answerable to his customers for the constant respect of theseobjectives. He is free to adapt the control rout<strong>in</strong>e of his laboratory as he th<strong>in</strong>ks fit. Moreover,he is also controlled by a state laboratory appo<strong>in</strong>ted by the relevant department of the M<strong>in</strong>istryof Health at <strong>in</strong>tervals <strong>and</strong> accord<strong>in</strong>g to a programme laid down <strong>in</strong> the regulations. The watersupplies has to bear the f<strong>in</strong>ancial burden of this control.Inquiries were conducted by the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Health, the Bas<strong>in</strong> Authorities <strong>and</strong> the private <strong>and</strong>public water suppliers. For most of the parameters except Nitrates <strong>and</strong> pesticides, the pollutionare very localized <strong>and</strong> their excess can be dealt with additional treatment <strong>and</strong> structuralrenovations. A far more worry<strong>in</strong>g aspect is agricultural pollution caused by nitrates <strong>and</strong>pesticides.NITRATES1— ORIGINThe importance of the nitrogen <strong>in</strong>put to cultivated soil shows that agriculture, <strong>in</strong> the broadestsense of the term (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g animal husb<strong>and</strong>ry) is one of the ma<strong>in</strong> potential causes of water© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 17–2217


18 WATER TREATMENTTable 1: Comparison of regulations <strong>in</strong> US <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> Europe.Some examples of differencies <strong>in</strong> MCLquality determ<strong>in</strong>ation by nitrates, seen as nationwide problem. On a local scale, however,th<strong>in</strong>gs may work out differently. Some sources, such as these generated by household effluentscan reach quite large proportions compared with farm<strong>in</strong>g activities. However, remedial solutionscan be found to alleviate this k<strong>in</strong>d of pollution.The situation when it comes to agricultural pollution is quite another matter. Its ma<strong>in</strong>characteristic is its wide diffusion mak<strong>in</strong>g the struggle to protect the quality of water highlycomplex.A dozen or so sound<strong>in</strong>g were carried out on the entire depth of the ground between the topsoil <strong>and</strong> the phreatic layer <strong>in</strong> different regions by the Geological <strong>and</strong> M<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g Research Bureau<strong>in</strong> France (BRGM) (1). Their results br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g elements:On all cultivated l<strong>and</strong> a stock of nitrates has been detected migrat<strong>in</strong>g towards the aquifers,<strong>and</strong> this without any noticeable attenuation of its concentration at <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g depths. Theseresults show that the possibilities of natural denitrification are limited. Just few cases ofdenitrification have been identified normaly <strong>in</strong> the chalk aquifer <strong>in</strong> northern France.The nitrate concentrations <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tersticial waters are rarely under 45 mg/1 <strong>and</strong> the projectcarried out <strong>in</strong> Brittany under market garden<strong>in</strong>g sites shows that the water conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> thenon-saturated zone can reach a nitrate content <strong>in</strong> the region of 170 mg/1 with an average of130 mg/1.In <strong>in</strong>tensely cultivated areas, the total quantities of nitrogen <strong>in</strong>volved per annum are <strong>in</strong> theregion of 200 to 250 kg per hectare (Nitrogen of the soil plus extra <strong>in</strong>put from fertilizers). Itcan be assumed that the annual range of residual nitrates likely to be leached <strong>in</strong>to the subsoilis between 30 <strong>and</strong> 45 kg of nitrogen per hectare (15 % of the stock <strong>in</strong> soil). This leakageproduce concentrations <strong>in</strong> the aquifers of dose on 50 to 60 mg/1 of NO - 3 .This <strong>in</strong>dicates that <strong>in</strong> order to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> the quality of the groundwater, the farm<strong>in</strong>g practiceshould be able to reduce the leakage of nitrogen under 15 % of the total stock of nitrogenconta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the soil. This is a difficult challenge.The orig<strong>in</strong> of the <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> nitrate concentration doses not appear to be solely due to an<strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the doses of nitrous fertilizers, but just as much to the changes <strong>in</strong> crop rotation<strong>and</strong> above all a great <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> cropped areas. The draft Directive of the Council of the


20 WATER TREATMENTS<strong>in</strong>ce 1983, several plants were built us<strong>in</strong>g the ion exchange or biological processes (seeTable 2).The biological method still rema<strong>in</strong>s the only one that entirely solves the problem by transform<strong>in</strong>gthe nitrates <strong>in</strong>to elementary nitrogen restored to the atmosphere. However, the search for thebest cost ratio for this type of <strong>in</strong>stallation has led to propose the ion exchange method as aneconomically attractive alternative for small production rates, despite the ecological problemcreated by the discharge of salty effluents <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> the process.PESTICIDESTable 2: List of plant us<strong>in</strong>g the biological denitrificationor the ion-exchange res<strong>in</strong>s processes <strong>in</strong> France (non exhaustive list)1—REGULATIONThe word pesticides is a very loose one <strong>and</strong> gathers under one hat all the chemicals used forthe destruction of organims. These products may be organic or <strong>in</strong>organic.As far as organic molecules are concerned, they are of different structures, polarity, size,ionic form, volatility, etc. It therefore seems quite impossible to determ<strong>in</strong>e a pesticide <strong>in</strong>dex.Analys<strong>in</strong>g the pesticides one by one, appears physically very difficult. In France, for <strong>in</strong>stance,over three hundred active substances are used <strong>in</strong> agriculture <strong>in</strong> formulations numbered <strong>in</strong>thous<strong>and</strong>s.The EEC Directive 80/778 tells us that “by pesticide <strong>and</strong> related product is meant:– <strong>in</strong>secticides,– herbicides,


EUROPEAN DRINKING WATER STANDARDS 21– fungicides,– PCB <strong>and</strong> PCT.It must be remembered that draft<strong>in</strong>g of the directive 80/778 began <strong>in</strong> 1974/75 at a timewhen the only compounds <strong>in</strong>vestigated were organo-chlor<strong>in</strong>ated <strong>and</strong> organo-phosporouspesticides, <strong>and</strong> often for the latter only these that respond to electron capture, which meantthat it was possible to quantify all the compounds present with a s<strong>in</strong>gle analysis.The maximum admissible concentration level of 0.1µg/l corresponds to the detection limit <strong>in</strong>the years 70 to 75 <strong>and</strong> it must be stated that, <strong>in</strong> the law makers, pesticides correspond onlyto organo-chlor<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong>/or phosporous compounds, therefore these thresholds represent thetoxicity of these compounds.The difficulties met to observe the maximum concentration level for the herbicides, speciallyfor the triaz<strong>in</strong>es <strong>and</strong> the lengthy debate on the subject illustrates the part played by politicalfactors <strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g st<strong>and</strong>ards. It is obvious that the st<strong>and</strong>ard adopted for the triaz<strong>in</strong>es<strong>and</strong> the other pesticides cannot be the result of a strictly scientific approach. We are go<strong>in</strong>g tof<strong>in</strong>d ourselves <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly confronted with decisions made by politicians on matters for whichwe hold no scientific evidence.It is not surpris<strong>in</strong>g therefore that difficulties <strong>in</strong> apply<strong>in</strong>g such st<strong>and</strong>ards stir up the truedebate, the political one: who can <strong>and</strong> should take action ? who should pay ? what is thepriority action to be taken ?With a view to protect<strong>in</strong>g the quality of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water, regulations have ben drawn up for theprotection of groundwater <strong>and</strong> surface water catchment sites. They <strong>in</strong>clude the <strong>in</strong>stallation ofdifferent protective perimeters round the <strong>in</strong>take areas. However, these measures are notalways easy to implement. The regulation must above all be backed up by a campaign of<strong>in</strong>formation <strong>and</strong> widespread advisory <strong>and</strong> consultancy services to users of these plant protectiveproducts.There is a question to be answered, however: have we reached contradictory constra<strong>in</strong>ts, theprotection of water <strong>and</strong> agriculture, by impos<strong>in</strong>g such a low level ? We hope that the answeris no <strong>and</strong> that we can f<strong>in</strong>d the solution.2—TREATMENT<strong>Water</strong> is largely contam<strong>in</strong>ated by atraz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> simaz<strong>in</strong>e. Other pesticides appear at the tracelevel, but it is also important to study these that are likely to predom<strong>in</strong>ate on the market <strong>in</strong>the com<strong>in</strong>g years.<strong>Treatment</strong>s have been tested on atraz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> simaz<strong>in</strong>e. Adsorption on granular or powderedactivated carbon <strong>and</strong> ozonation seems to be the more efficient treatments. The use of ozonationoften expla<strong>in</strong>s the high removal rates observed on treatment tra<strong>in</strong>. The efficiency achieved atthe outlet of the ozonation step varies between 25 <strong>and</strong> 50 % depend<strong>in</strong>g on the dose rates <strong>and</strong>the contact time.Table 3: Extra operat<strong>in</strong>g costs required to respect the st<strong>and</strong>ard of 0.1µg/1of atraz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> the water


22 WATER TREATMENTThe efficiency of activates carbon is highly dependent on its degree of saturation, contact time<strong>and</strong> granulome try. In the case where Picabiol type carbon is used, with 10 m<strong>in</strong>utes contacttime, for treat<strong>in</strong>g an atraz<strong>in</strong>e concentration of about 0.5 µg/1, the Directive will be satisfiedfor a year.In conclusion, the efficiency of a complete conventional treatment tra<strong>in</strong> with an ultimateref<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g step, us<strong>in</strong>g a comb<strong>in</strong>ation of 03 <strong>and</strong> GAC, varies between 60 <strong>and</strong> 100 % removaldepend<strong>in</strong>g on the degree of which the carbon is saturated.Ozonation comb<strong>in</strong>ed with hydrogen peroxide or UV seems to be more effective that ozonealone.In a case where the TOC concentration is 2 mg/1, alcal<strong>in</strong>ity 20.8 °F <strong>and</strong> the ozonation rate2.5 mg/1, an H2O2/O3 ratio of 0.4 g/g provides 90 to 95 % abatement of atraz<strong>in</strong>e (7, 8, 9,10). This oxidation is now applied <strong>in</strong> France on the <strong>in</strong>dustrial scale on groundwater <strong>and</strong> ontwo surface waters. Concern<strong>in</strong>g the surface waters, a temporary authorization has been givenby the Health M<strong>in</strong>ister. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the first year of application, specific control will be done by astate laboratory appo<strong>in</strong>ted by the relevant department of the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Health.The extra operat<strong>in</strong>g cost required <strong>in</strong> order to respect the st<strong>and</strong>ard of 0.1µg/1 of atraz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>the water is dependent on the treatment tra<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> the concentration of atraz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> raw water(table 3).The necessary level of <strong>in</strong>vestments is so dependent on the size of the plant that it is impossibleto generalize.CONCLUSIONThese new rules <strong>in</strong> water treatment show the difficulty created by a change <strong>in</strong> the regulation.The word<strong>in</strong>g of the st<strong>and</strong>ard should be expla<strong>in</strong>ed more clearly together with analytical methods<strong>and</strong> how the results must be <strong>in</strong>terpreted.The water supplier is answerable to his customers for the constant respect of the potability<strong>and</strong> a great effort must be required to popularize the debate <strong>and</strong> the difficulties occur overrespect<strong>in</strong>g the new st<strong>and</strong>ards.REFERENCES(1) L<strong>and</strong>reau, A. Les nitrates dans les eaux souterra<strong>in</strong>es. COURANTS, Revue de l’Eau et del’Aménagement, 1, 1990.(2) M<strong>in</strong>istère chargé de la Santé, Direction générale de la Santé. Teneurs en nitrates des eaux dest<strong>in</strong>ées àla consommation huma<strong>in</strong>e en 1985–1986–1987.(3) Philipot, J.M. <strong>and</strong> de Larm<strong>in</strong>at, G. Nitrate removal by ion exchange: the Ecodenit process, an <strong>in</strong>dustrialscale facility at B<strong>in</strong>ic (France). Wat. Supply, 6: 45–50, 1988.(4) Ravar<strong>in</strong>i, P., Coutelle, J. <strong>and</strong> Damez, F. L’us<strong>in</strong>e de Dennemont. Une unité de dénitrification-nitrificationà gr<strong>and</strong>e échelle. TSM-1’Eau, 4:235–240, 1988.(5) Dries, D., Liessens, J. Verstraete, W. et al. Nitrate removal from dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water by means ofhydrogenotrophic denitrifiers <strong>in</strong> a polyurethane carrier reactor. Wat. Supply, 6: 181–192.(6) Liessens, J., Germonpré, R. <strong>and</strong> Vertraete, W. Comparative study of processes for the biologicaldenitrification of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water. Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs Forum fo Applied Biotechnology, State University ofGent, Belgium, September 28, 1989.(7) Paillard, H., Part<strong>in</strong>gton J., Valentis, G. Technologies available to upgrade potable waterworks fortriaz<strong>in</strong>es removal. IWEM Conferences on pesticides <strong>in</strong> the environment, London, 12 avril 1990.(8) Paillard, H., Legube, B., Gibert, M. <strong>and</strong> Dore, M. Removal of nitrogenous pesticides by direct <strong>and</strong>radical type ozonation. Proceed<strong>in</strong>g of the 6th European Symposium on organic micropollutants <strong>in</strong>the aquatic environment, Lisbon, 22–24 May 1990.(9) Paillard, H. Valentis, G., Part<strong>in</strong>gton, J. <strong>and</strong> Tanghe, N. Removal of atraz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> simaz<strong>in</strong>e by O3/H2O2 oxidation <strong>in</strong> potable water treatment. Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of 1990. IOA.PAC Conference, Shreveport,Louisiana, US, 1990.(10) Paillard, H. Traitement des micropolluants organiques. Conférence aux Journées de Choisy, 21 ju<strong>in</strong> 1990.


Chapter 3COST ESTIMATION OF DIFFERENTAMBIENT WATER QUALITYPROTECTION POLICIESA Filip <strong>and</strong> D Obradovic (Energoprojekt Hold<strong>in</strong>g Corporation,Belgrade, Yugoslavia)ABSTRACTA mathematical model describ<strong>in</strong>g the ambient water quality <strong>in</strong> a part of the WestMorava watershed is used for evaluat<strong>in</strong>g different water quality protection policies.For anticipated degrees of ambient water quality protection, the necessary decreaseof pollution emission for 1990 is evaluated <strong>and</strong> costs are estimated.INTRODUCTIONBeneficial uses of ambient waters <strong>in</strong> a part of the West Morava river bas<strong>in</strong> aredef<strong>in</strong>ed by Federal Regulations <strong>in</strong> the follow<strong>in</strong>g order: public water supply, fishery,irrigation <strong>and</strong> recreation. All ambient waters are classified <strong>and</strong> strict water qualitycriteria are set. But, due to rapidly <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g population migration towards rivervalleys, pollution loads have been also considerably <strong>in</strong>creased <strong>in</strong> recent years <strong>and</strong>water quality st<strong>and</strong>ards are <strong>in</strong> some places violated, wholly or partially (too highcarbonaceous or/<strong>and</strong> nitrogenous BOD, low content of dissolved oxygen, too manycoliforms <strong>in</strong> water, etc.).This report presents an approach for solv<strong>in</strong>g the problem of serious ambient waterquality deterioration <strong>in</strong> a part of the West Morava river bas<strong>in</strong> with a dra<strong>in</strong>age areaof 1250 sq. kilometers <strong>and</strong> the total river length of 94 kilometers.The mathematical model of water quality <strong>in</strong> the West Morava, based upon theprogram STEKAR (Gher<strong>in</strong>i <strong>and</strong> Summers, 1978), was made <strong>and</strong> calibrated. Differentalternatives for waste water treatment (po<strong>in</strong>t sources only) were proposed—eachone consist<strong>in</strong>g of a set of prescribed degrees of waste water treatment for each po<strong>in</strong>tsource (Filip <strong>and</strong> Obradovic, 1984). The effects of alternative solutions were thenanalysed on the mathematical model for the low flow conditions.FEATURES OF THE STUDY AREABas<strong>in</strong> DescriptionThe area of the studied part of the bas<strong>in</strong> is about 1250 sq. kilometers. The elevationof the highest po<strong>in</strong>t is 330 metres, that of the lowest po<strong>in</strong>t be<strong>in</strong>g at 190metres above sea level. The precipitation ranges from 700 to 1100 mm per year.The wettest period of the year is late spr<strong>in</strong>g-early summer; the driest period is© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 23–3023


24 WATER TREATMENTTable 1. Classification of Ambient <strong>Water</strong>s* All values <strong>in</strong> mg/1. Coliforms <strong>in</strong> MPN/100 mlw<strong>in</strong>ter. The total length of the river course covered <strong>in</strong> this part of the study isapproximately 94 kilometers (see Fig.l).River Classification <strong>and</strong> Ambient <strong>Water</strong> Quality St<strong>and</strong>ardsAmbient water quality classification is given <strong>in</strong> Table 1. Classes I, II-a <strong>and</strong> II-brespectively correspond to categories A 1, A 2<strong>and</strong> A 3as def<strong>in</strong>ed by the Council ofEuropean Communities (Luxemburg, June 1965).Pollution SourcesTwo major towns— a ak <strong>and</strong> Gornji Milanovac are situated <strong>in</strong> this area. Both areimportant <strong>in</strong>dustrial centres. The pollution loads from these towns, municipal <strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>dustrial, expected <strong>in</strong> 1990 are listed <strong>in</strong> Table 2. These data are based partly onextensive field measurements of waste water discharges <strong>in</strong> a twelwe-month period<strong>in</strong> 1978–1979 <strong>and</strong> partly upon regional development plans <strong>and</strong> enquiries <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry.Non-po<strong>in</strong>t sources of pollution were neglected as low flow condition are simulated.MODEL CALIBRATIONDescription of the Program STEKARThe river system is divided <strong>in</strong> to) segments with homogeneous characteristics <strong>and</strong>represented as nodes <strong>in</strong> the mathematical model. For each node, the follow<strong>in</strong>g dataare collected: length, average depth, surface area, volume. The nodes are l<strong>in</strong>ked bychannels, each one be<strong>in</strong>g characterized by: cross-section area, depth, velocity offlow, bottom slope. The data on ambient water quality, weather conditions <strong>and</strong>


COST OF DIFFERENT WATER QUALITY PROTECTION POLICIES 25Tabele 2: Po<strong>in</strong>t Sources Pollution Loads <strong>in</strong> 1990.waste water <strong>in</strong>puts were also necessary. The node network <strong>and</strong> locations of wastewater <strong>in</strong>puts are shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 2.Calibration of the ModelExtensive field measurements of ambient water quality were conductedsimultaneously with the measurement of po<strong>in</strong>t source emissions. The sameTable 3: Waste <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> LevelsFig. 1. West Morava river bas<strong>in</strong> with location of the studied area


26 WATER TREATMENTFig. 2. Layout of the mathematical mode for simulation of waterquality <strong>in</strong> the part of the West Morava river bas<strong>in</strong>situations are then simulated by us<strong>in</strong>g adequate boundary <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>itial conditions.Reaeration constants, decay rates <strong>and</strong> other constants were determ<strong>in</strong>ed by thisanalysis. The constants for low-flow conditions were evaluated on the basis of similarhydrological <strong>and</strong> weather situations.Table 4. Extent of Ambient <strong>Water</strong> Quality St<strong>and</strong>ards Violation*There is no limitation of BOD concentration <strong>in</strong> Despotovica river—from the waste water <strong>in</strong>flows down to the Dic<strong>in</strong>a river, due to itsclassification <strong>in</strong> Class IV.Waste <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> LevelsSt<strong>and</strong>ardized waste water treatment plants for towns have been supposed <strong>and</strong> unitcosts calculated. These plants can be upgraded <strong>and</strong> enlarged if such a necessityarises later. The accepted treatment efficiency for sucha plant can be found <strong>in</strong>Table 3. For <strong>in</strong>dustrial wastes that are not compatible with the municipal ones,separate physico-chemical PHC treatments or pretreatments are foreseen.


COST OF DIFFERENT WATER QUALITY PROTECTION POLICIES 27Table 5. Ambient <strong>Water</strong> Quality Improvement GoalsVIOLATIONS OF AMBIENT WATER QUALITY STANDARDS IN THE STUDY AREAViolation of ambient water quality st<strong>and</strong>ards for pollution loads as measured <strong>in</strong>1978/79 <strong>and</strong> predicted pollution loads <strong>in</strong> 1990 are presented <strong>in</strong> Table 4.The calibrated model was used for simulation of ambient water quality <strong>in</strong> low-flowconditions for cases:– no waste water treatment,– effects of different degrees of waste water treatment.DEFINITION OF AMBIENT WATER QUALITY PROTECTION POLICIESThe step-wise ambient water quality improvement is accepted as a policy, so thecosts will be more easily met.Ambient water quality goals are listed <strong>in</strong> Table 5, given as maximum permissibleconcentration (MPC). Complete removal of float<strong>in</strong>g debris, grease <strong>and</strong> oil as well assubstantial removal of coliforms are anticipated. Implementation of the third degreeof protection ensures the class of stream prescribed by the Regulations. <strong>Water</strong>quality of this stream is wholly protected. If the fourth degree of protection is<strong>in</strong>troduced, some of the river reaches may atta<strong>in</strong> a higher class.BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF CERTAIN DEGREES OF PROTECTIONThe benefits to be ga<strong>in</strong>ed from this step-wise protection of deteriorated ambientwater quality are as follows:First Degree of ProtectionBenefits of the applied first degree of protection are:– water may be used for water<strong>in</strong>g of cattle <strong>and</strong> irrigation;– WQ <strong>in</strong> downstream reaches will be improved, with a correspond<strong>in</strong>g benefit tolocal users;– aquatic population is protected;– aesthetic appearance of the stream <strong>and</strong> environment will be improved;– better situation <strong>in</strong> the water supply system located further downstream, either<strong>in</strong> the case of direct <strong>in</strong>take, or <strong>in</strong> the case of <strong>in</strong>filtration bas<strong>in</strong>s/ground wateraquifer use.Second Degree of ProtectionBenefits of the applied second degree of protection are:– all positive effects of the first degree are <strong>in</strong>cluded plus the follow<strong>in</strong>g benefits:


28 WATER TREATMENT• further improvement of water quality for all uses;• prevention of septic conditions <strong>in</strong> some river reaches;• better self-purification characteristics of the stream;• full protection of aquatic life;• possibility of us<strong>in</strong>g the river for recreation.Third Degree of ProtectionBenefits of the applied third degree of protection are:– all positive effects of both previous degrees of protection are <strong>in</strong>cluded plus thefollow<strong>in</strong>g benefits:• return of the stream <strong>in</strong> its class as prescribed by the Regulations;• guaranteed possibility of us<strong>in</strong>g river for water supply of towns <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrywith usual treatment only;• better organoleptic characteristics of water;• reduction of water quality deterioration <strong>in</strong> the distribution network.Fourth Degree of ProtectionBenefits of the applied fourth degree of protection are:Table 6. Necessary Degree of <strong>Treatment</strong> <strong>and</strong> Costs of Protection for the 1990*1 DIN=0.08 US$


COST OF DIFFERENT WATER QUALITY PROTECTION POLICIES 29– all positive effects of all three previous degrees of protection are <strong>in</strong>cluded plusthe follow<strong>in</strong>g benefits:• improvement of water quality <strong>in</strong> the Despotovica river, from Gornji Milanovacto Di <strong>in</strong>a, enough to raise it to a higher class. <strong>Water</strong> quality <strong>in</strong> the Di <strong>in</strong>a,the emernica <strong>and</strong> the West Morava will be then improved to such a degreethat reclassification of these rivers could be achieved.NECESSARY DEGREE OF WASTE LOADS REDUCTION AND COST ESTIMATIONThe desired degree of protection can be achieved only by apply<strong>in</strong>g the def<strong>in</strong>ite levelof waste water treatment. St<strong>and</strong>ardized waste water treatment plants for townshave been supposed <strong>and</strong> unit costs calculated. These plants can be upgraded <strong>and</strong>enlarged if such a necessity arises later. For <strong>in</strong>dustrial wastes that are not compatiblewith the municipal ones, separate physico-chemical treatments or pretreatmentsare foreseen. Several alternatives with a different degree of waste water treatmenthave been simulated on a computer (Filip, Obradovic, 1984), <strong>and</strong> feasible solutionsfor ambient water quality protection <strong>in</strong> the region were elaborated.Investment costs were based on the 1990 prices level. Annual costs consist ofannuities for civil works based on 13.6 percent of <strong>in</strong>vestment, annuities forequipment based on 16.2 percent of equipment costs as well as operational <strong>and</strong>ma<strong>in</strong>tenance costs.The necessary degree of waste loads treatment as well as <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>and</strong> annualcosts for the 1990 pollution are presented <strong>in</strong> Table 6. Cost estimation for protectionmeasures for the 1990 pollution are based on the assumption that no actions navebeen taken before 1990.SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSThe mathematical model describ<strong>in</strong>g the ambient water quality <strong>in</strong> West Moravawatershed are used for evaluat<strong>in</strong>g different water quality protection policies. Foranticipated degrees of ambient water quality protection the necessary decrease ofpollution emission for 1990 is evaluated <strong>and</strong> costs are estimated.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe <strong>Water</strong> Resources Authorities of Serbia <strong>and</strong> the International Bank forReconstruction <strong>and</strong> Development have provided the funds for the study “Protectionof <strong>Water</strong> Quality <strong>in</strong> the West Morava” from which a part ís presented here.The Authors are acknowledg<strong>in</strong>g with gratitude the f<strong>in</strong>e cooperation of Mr. CarlChen, Ph.D., Mr. Steve Gher<strong>in</strong>i, Ph. D., Mr. James Kelly <strong>and</strong> Mr. William Mills, allfrom Tetra Tech, Inc., Laffayette, California, for consultations <strong>and</strong> help extended <strong>in</strong>the calibration of this mathematical model. The Authors are also grateful to thestaff of Energoprojekt Co. <strong>and</strong> Institute Jaroslav cerni, Belgrade, that haveparticipated <strong>in</strong> waste water measurements, data collection <strong>and</strong> waste treatmentprocess development <strong>in</strong> the framework of this study.REFERENCES1. Gher<strong>in</strong>i, S. <strong>and</strong> Summers, K. (1968): River <strong>Water</strong> Quality Model for the Northern Great Pla<strong>in</strong>s”,User’s Manual for the program STEKAR, TETRA TECH Co., TC-668.2. <strong>Water</strong> Quality <strong>in</strong> the Western Morava Region. Appendix E-Alternative Plans <strong>and</strong> Programs.Energoprojekt, Jaroslav erni Institute, Tetra Tech Inc. Belgrade 1980.3. Filip, A. <strong>and</strong> Obradovic, D., Evaluation of Alternative Measures for Controll<strong>in</strong>g Pollution <strong>in</strong> a Partof the West Morava River Bas<strong>in</strong>. Paper Elaborated for IAWPRC Conference, Amsterdam 1984.


Chapter 4WATER SUPPLY QUALITY AND ITSREGULATION IN THE PRIVATISED UKWATER SERVICES plcsS B Tuckwell (Wessex <strong>Water</strong> Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Services Ltd, UK)1 ABSTRACT<strong>Water</strong> supplies <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales have to comply with revised statutory quality <strong>and</strong>monitor<strong>in</strong>g requirements, <strong>in</strong>corporat<strong>in</strong>g the EC Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive values <strong>and</strong> nationalst<strong>and</strong>ards. Despite up to 99.7% of samples meet<strong>in</strong>g the st<strong>and</strong>ards, extensive programmesare required to improve supplies to try to achieve 100% compliance, particularly for watertreatment works to remove alum<strong>in</strong>ium, iron <strong>and</strong> pesticide <strong>and</strong> for distribution systems foriron <strong>and</strong> related problems due to corrosion of ma<strong>in</strong>s. A more str<strong>in</strong>gent st<strong>and</strong>ard for lead than<strong>in</strong> the EC Directive will require extensive <strong>in</strong>vestigation of possible non-compliance due todomestic plumb<strong>in</strong>g materials <strong>and</strong> may necessitate water treatment remedies. The £10 billionimprovement programme should remedy most of the problems by 1999 or sooner.2 STRUCTURE OF THE NEW INDUSTRYThe <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989 (HMSO 1989a) prepared the way for the privatisation of the ten regionalwater authorities <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales which, s<strong>in</strong>ce 1974, had been responsible for watersupply <strong>and</strong> sewerage services, resource plann<strong>in</strong>g, river water quality, pollution control,fisheries, l<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age, flood protection <strong>and</strong> alleviation, water recreation <strong>and</strong> conservation.Fig. 1: Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales show<strong>in</strong>g the ten <strong>Water</strong> Services companies.©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 31–4231


32 WATER TREATMENTThe Act enabled ten <strong>Water</strong> Hold<strong>in</strong>g Companies to be formed, each of which holds a <strong>Water</strong>Services Company <strong>and</strong> other subsidiary companies. These <strong>Water</strong> Service Companies (Fig. 1)have been granted twentyfive year licences to provide water supply (except <strong>in</strong> areas served bythe already exist<strong>in</strong>g statutory water companies) <strong>and</strong> sewerage services <strong>in</strong> geographically def<strong>in</strong>edareas of the former water authorities. The assets associated with water supply, sewerage <strong>and</strong>sewage treatment were transferred to the <strong>Water</strong> Service Companies. The majority of therema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g duties of the former water authorities became the responsibility of a new publicbody, the National Rivers Authority.Each <strong>Water</strong> Service Company is under a duty to develop <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> an efficient <strong>and</strong>economical water supply system <strong>in</strong> its water region. It has similar duties for sewage collection<strong>and</strong> disposal <strong>in</strong> the Sewerage Region.3 REGULATORY PROVISIONSThe activities of the <strong>Water</strong> Service Companies are regulated by a series of new <strong>and</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>gcontrols <strong>and</strong> legislation. The pr<strong>in</strong>cipal provisions are set out <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Water</strong> Act, <strong>in</strong> regulationsmade under the Act <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> conditions conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the operat<strong>in</strong>g licences. Activities whichare not related to the “core” bus<strong>in</strong>ess of water <strong>and</strong> sewage treatment are generally not controlledby these regulations. The pr<strong>in</strong>cipal regulators are the Director General of the Office of <strong>Water</strong>Services, the National Rivers Authority <strong>and</strong> the Secretary of State for the Environment.3.1 Duties Of The Director GeneralThe primary duties of the Director General are to ensure that the functions of the water <strong>and</strong>sewage undertakers are properly carried out—with special respect to protect<strong>in</strong>g customers,facilitat<strong>in</strong>g competition <strong>and</strong> promot<strong>in</strong>g economy <strong>and</strong> efficiency. To compensate for the lack ofdirect competition for services <strong>in</strong> any company area, the Director General will use regulation<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ter-company comparison of performance. The most important way <strong>in</strong> which regulationis to be used is <strong>in</strong> the control of the charges which companies are allowed to make for waterservices. The Director General has set limits on charges to ensure value for money, efficiency<strong>and</strong> adequate <strong>in</strong>vestment for meet<strong>in</strong>g current <strong>and</strong> future needs of customers for water services.He ensures there is no unfair discrim<strong>in</strong>ation between different groups of customers, for examplebetween the charges for metered <strong>and</strong> unmetered domestic water supply users. He has set upCustomer Service Committees for each ma<strong>in</strong> region, which have the duty to ensure thatcompanies deal properly with customers’ queries, compla<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>and</strong> other <strong>in</strong>terests. Eachcompany has to publish a Code of Practice for customers, sett<strong>in</strong>g out its services, proceduresfor compla<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>and</strong> emergencies <strong>and</strong> its charges <strong>and</strong> methods of payment. There must beother codes on matters such as disconnections of supplies <strong>and</strong> leakage of water from metered<strong>and</strong> unmetered properties. Another novel requirement is the Guaranteed St<strong>and</strong>ards Scheme,whereby customers are entitled to monetary compensation if the company breaches certa<strong>in</strong>st<strong>and</strong>ards of service for <strong>in</strong>terruption of supplies, response to bill<strong>in</strong>g or payment enquiries,written compla<strong>in</strong>ts about water supply or sewerage services <strong>and</strong> failures to keep appo<strong>in</strong>tments.3.2 Duties Of The National Rivers Authority (NRA).In relation to water supplies, the NRA has the follow<strong>in</strong>g duties:to control water pollutionto ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> improve the quality of waters used for water supplyto operate the water resource abstraction licens<strong>in</strong>g systemto ensure the proper management of water resources <strong>and</strong> to assess the adequacy ofwater resources aga<strong>in</strong>st future needsto assess the quality of surface waters <strong>in</strong>tended for abstraction of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water, underthe terms of the EC Directive (75/440/EEC).There are other duties relat<strong>in</strong>g to the promotion of nature conservation <strong>and</strong> recreational useof waters.3.3 Duties Of The Secretary of State.The <strong>Water</strong> Act gives many powers to the Secretary of State. Of particular relevance is thepower to make regulations to govern the quality of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water.


WATER SUPPLY QUALITY IN PRIVATISED UK WATER SERVICES 334 WATER SUPPLY QUALITY REGULATIONSThe <strong>Water</strong> Supply (<strong>Water</strong> Quality) Regulations (HMSO 1989b,c), approved by Parliament <strong>in</strong>July 1989, came <strong>in</strong>to force <strong>in</strong> September 1989, (except for the monitor<strong>in</strong>g provisions, <strong>in</strong> forcefrom 1st January 1990). They cover water treatment, st<strong>and</strong>ards of water supply quality,monitor<strong>in</strong>g frequencies, action if water supplies fail to meet the st<strong>and</strong>ards, the report<strong>in</strong>g ofresults <strong>and</strong> the provision of <strong>in</strong>formation.4.1 <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> Requirements.Except for certa<strong>in</strong> groundwaters exempted by the Secretary of State, all water provided fordr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g, cook<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> wash<strong>in</strong>g must be dis<strong>in</strong>fected. A certa<strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>imum st<strong>and</strong>ard of treatmentis specified for surface-derived waters to satisfy the requirements of the EC surface waterdirective (75/440/EEC) (EC 1975). The Secretary of State may require that only approvedtreatment processes be used or approved substances be added to water to treat or improveits quality <strong>and</strong> these approvals may have conditions attached which must be observed.4.2 Wholesomeness Of <strong>Water</strong> Supplies.Historically dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water <strong>in</strong> the UK was required to be “wholesome” but there were no legalquality st<strong>and</strong>ards to def<strong>in</strong>e this. The EC directive (80/778/EEC) relat<strong>in</strong>g to the quality ofwater <strong>in</strong>tended for human consumption (the Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive) (EC 1980) wasconsidered by the UK Government to underl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> re<strong>in</strong>force exist<strong>in</strong>g UK policy <strong>and</strong> procedures<strong>and</strong> therefore it was implemented <strong>in</strong> the UK by government circular <strong>in</strong> 1982 (DoE 1982), witha deadl<strong>in</strong>e of July 1985 for compliance with its st<strong>and</strong>ards. It was the Government’s view thatcompliance with the Directive was a necessary condition of wholesomeness, but not a completedef<strong>in</strong>ition of it. Follow<strong>in</strong>g a challenge by the European Commission of the U.K. <strong>in</strong>terpretationof the EC Directive, the Government used the <strong>Water</strong> Act to <strong>in</strong>corporate the Directive’srequirements <strong>in</strong>to national law by means of regulations made by the Secretary of State. The<strong>Water</strong> Act (Section 52) places a duty to supply water to domestic premises which is wholesome<strong>and</strong> makes it a crim<strong>in</strong>al offence to supply water which is unfit for human consumption.4.3 <strong>Water</strong> Quality St<strong>and</strong>ards.The <strong>Water</strong> Supply Regulations def<strong>in</strong>e wholesomeness as meet<strong>in</strong>g all the prescribed st<strong>and</strong>ards<strong>in</strong> the Regulations <strong>and</strong> not conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g anyth<strong>in</strong>g which could be harmful to health, either onits own or <strong>in</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ation with other substances <strong>in</strong> the water. The Regulations provide legallydef<strong>in</strong>ed quality st<strong>and</strong>ards for dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water for the first time <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales(Appendix).(They have also been extended to Scotl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> are under consideration for NorthernIrel<strong>and</strong>.) They <strong>in</strong>corporate the same maximum admissible concentrations (MACs) def<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>the Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive for fortytwo parameters <strong>and</strong> the qualify<strong>in</strong>g comments for twoother parameters (total organic carbon <strong>and</strong> total bacterial counts.) In addition, a m<strong>in</strong>imumvalue of 5.5 has been adopted for pH. The st<strong>and</strong>ard for lead (0.05 mg/1) is more str<strong>in</strong>gentbecause no flush<strong>in</strong>g of the tap is permitted before sampl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> a litre sample volume mustbe taken. The M<strong>in</strong>imum Required Concentrations for total hardness <strong>and</strong> alkal<strong>in</strong>ity, applicableto water which is artificially softened dur<strong>in</strong>g water treatment, are also specified.St<strong>and</strong>ards have also been def<strong>in</strong>ed for other parameters, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g those <strong>in</strong> the EC Directivewhich have a Guide Value only (Table I). The limits for benzo 3,4 pyrene <strong>and</strong> the chlor<strong>in</strong>atedsolvents are based on World Health Organisation Guidel<strong>in</strong>e Values ((W.H.O. 1984).Table I: Additional st<strong>and</strong>ards for water for domestic purposes.


34 WATER TREATMENTSome of the descriptive st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>in</strong> the EC directive have been excluded from the <strong>Water</strong>Quality Regulations. Dissolved oxygen is not considered mean<strong>in</strong>gful for rout<strong>in</strong>e measurement<strong>and</strong> free carbon dioxide is not mean<strong>in</strong>gful for water at the tap (Miller, 1990). The st<strong>and</strong>ard forhydrogen sulphide (“undetectable organoleptically” ) is considered to be <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the taste<strong>and</strong> odour parameters. These st<strong>and</strong>ards apply to water samples taken from taps <strong>in</strong> thedistribution system, but the same microbiological st<strong>and</strong>ards are prescribed for water leav<strong>in</strong>gtreatment works <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> service reservoirs.4.4 Monitor<strong>in</strong>g frequencies.<strong>Water</strong> leav<strong>in</strong>g treatment works must be monitored for total <strong>and</strong> faecal coliforms <strong>and</strong> dis<strong>in</strong>fectantresidual at frequencies depend<strong>in</strong>g upon the average annual output of water from the works,rang<strong>in</strong>g from weekly to daily samples. Service reservoirs are monitored weekly for the samemicrobiological parameters.The majority of st<strong>and</strong>ards apply to water from the distribution system <strong>and</strong> the sampl<strong>in</strong>g ofwater is based on zones. A s<strong>in</strong>gle source, or a blend of several sources, feed<strong>in</strong>g a discrete areamust be designated as a s<strong>in</strong>gle zone (subject to a maximum zone population of 50,000.) Areaswith water, quality variations with<strong>in</strong> a zone should be subdivided. The sampl<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts must berepresentative of the whole zone <strong>and</strong>, for most parameters, these may be either fixed po<strong>in</strong>ts orr<strong>and</strong>omly selected customers’ taps. At least 50% of the microbiological samples <strong>and</strong> all thesamples exam<strong>in</strong>ed for copper, lead <strong>and</strong> z<strong>in</strong>c must be from r<strong>and</strong>omly selected customers’ taps.The m<strong>in</strong>imum frequencies of analysis for tap samples are generally slightly greater thanthose of the EC Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive (where it specifies frequencies.) Frequencies are notspecified <strong>in</strong> the Regulations for faecal streptococci, sulphite-reduc<strong>in</strong>g Clostridia, substancesextractable <strong>in</strong> chloroform, Kjeldahl nitrogen, dissolved hydrocarbons or phenols, althoughthe Regulations specify st<strong>and</strong>ards for them. This is <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e with the discretion allowed the‘competent national authority’ <strong>in</strong> the EC Directive. However, the Regulations require watersuppliers to analyse for any parameter which they believe may exceed the st<strong>and</strong>ard. If any ofthe non-microbiological parameters exceeds the st<strong>and</strong>ards, <strong>in</strong>creased monitor<strong>in</strong>g frequenciesare specified for the zone for up to two years. If water quality <strong>in</strong> any zone is consistently with<strong>in</strong>the st<strong>and</strong>ards, the frequency of monitor<strong>in</strong>g can be reduced. In addition to this compliancemonitor<strong>in</strong>g, water suppliers are expected to carry out sampl<strong>in</strong>g for operational monitor<strong>in</strong>g.An example of st<strong>and</strong>ard monitor<strong>in</strong>g frequencies is given (Table II) for selected groups ofparameters for the smallest <strong>and</strong> the largest permitted zones:Table II: St<strong>and</strong>ard monitor<strong>in</strong>g frequencies for the smallest <strong>and</strong> largest permitted sampl<strong>in</strong>gzones.5 COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT5.1 Interpretation of compliance requirements.The 1982 U.K. Government <strong>in</strong>terpretation of the EC Directive (DoE 1982) considered that formost parameters the average of samples taken over a period (usually one year) should becompared with the MACs to assess compliance. This was challenged by the European commission<strong>and</strong> now, for all the st<strong>and</strong>ards which derive from MACs, the Regulations require every distributiontap sample to comply with the st<strong>and</strong>ard (100% compliance). As <strong>in</strong> the Directive, the exceptions


WATER SUPPLY QUALITY IN PRIVATISED UK WATER SERVICES 35to this are for total coliforms <strong>and</strong> sodium. For total coliforms the water complies if 95 % of thesamples <strong>in</strong> any period meet the st<strong>and</strong>ard. The period will normally be one year, but if less thanfifty samples have been taken from a zone <strong>in</strong> one year the results of the previous fifty samplesare taken regardless of the period. For sodium, 80% of samples taken <strong>in</strong> the past three yearsmust not exceed the st<strong>and</strong>ard for the water to comply.For the parameters <strong>in</strong> Table I compliance is based on the average of results of analyses overtwelve months are compared with the st<strong>and</strong>ards. (For trihalo methanes a roll<strong>in</strong>g three monthperiod is used.) For samples of water leav<strong>in</strong>g treatment works <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> service reservoirs, everysample must comply with the bacteriological parameters for the water to be wholesome.5.2 Relaxations of the St<strong>and</strong>ards.Subject to there be<strong>in</strong>g no risk to public health, the Secretary of State may relax the st<strong>and</strong>ardsfor geographically def<strong>in</strong>ed areas where supplies fail to comply for specified reasons, as permittedby the EC Directive (Article 9). Where supplies are affected due to emergencies or exceptionalweather, temporary relaxations can be granted; temporary or permanent relaxations can beapproved due to the nature or structure of the ground. Conditions may be imposed to requireimprovements to water quality or monitor<strong>in</strong>g.5.3 Section 20 Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs Given to the Secretary of State.The Secretary of State has a duty under the <strong>Water</strong> Act to enforce the st<strong>and</strong>ards of wholesomewater. However, Section 20 of the Act allows him discretion <strong>in</strong> enforcement where a) thecontraventions are trivial or b) he is satisfied that the water supplier has given, <strong>and</strong> is comply<strong>in</strong>gwith, an undertak<strong>in</strong>g to take all necessary steps to achieve compliance (a “Section 20Undertak<strong>in</strong>g”). These are the type of action programmes referred to <strong>in</strong> Article 20 of the ECDr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive. The Secretary of State can still enforce compliance aga<strong>in</strong>st a companydespite an Undertak<strong>in</strong>g, if there are grounds for do<strong>in</strong>g so.6 REVIEW OF CURRENT QUALITY6.1 Level of compliance.In November 1989 each water hold<strong>in</strong>g company summarised its water quality <strong>in</strong> detailedprospectuses (Schroder, 1989) which were <strong>in</strong>dependently vetted by auditors as part of thewater privatisation share offer. A general view of the current water quality <strong>and</strong> the difficultiesfaced can be drawn from this source. The companies have tried to assess retrospectively thecompliance of their supplies <strong>in</strong> 1988/9 with the quality st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>in</strong> the Regulations. Insome cases the location <strong>and</strong> manner of sampl<strong>in</strong>g was dissimilar from the Regulations’requirements, but the extent of sampl<strong>in</strong>g was considerable. Thames <strong>Water</strong>, for examplereported 471,000 tests for 53 of the 57 parameters <strong>in</strong> the Regulations with only 627 failures(0.13%) overall. Wessex <strong>Water</strong> estimated 99,000 tests on 9,700 samples from distributionsystems <strong>and</strong> only 289 failures, (a compliance rate of 99.7%).Reported compliance for tap samples ranged from 88–94% for alum<strong>in</strong>ium, iron, manganese<strong>and</strong> trihalomethane <strong>in</strong> Yorkshire, 95.5% for iron <strong>in</strong> North West <strong>and</strong> overall, for a wide rangeof parameters, from 98.2 to 99.8% for other companies. The Regulations require 100 %compliance for most parameters <strong>and</strong> notwithst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g these high compliance figures, it wasacknowledged by the Government that this could not be achieved <strong>in</strong>stantaneously. Hence itpermitted Relaxations <strong>and</strong> Section 20 Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs, relat<strong>in</strong>g them to water sampl<strong>in</strong>g zones,although the remedial action could refer to specific water treatment works or service reservoirsas appropriate. <strong>Water</strong> supply quality deficiencies which affected only part of the zone stillrequired the whole zone to be nom<strong>in</strong>ated.7 RELAXATIONSRelaxations cover<strong>in</strong>g an estimated 3% of the population of Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales were granted<strong>in</strong> November 1989 for sodium, dissolved hydrocarbons, sulphate, magnesium, potassium,colour, alum<strong>in</strong>ium <strong>and</strong> manganese. These are subject to review at the end of 1994 or earlier,when they might be renewed. Temporary relaxations have been granted, subject to agreedimprovement programmes designed to achieve compliance by given dates up to 1995, forcolour, turbidity, pH, odour, taste, oxidisability, nitrite, ammonium, alum<strong>in</strong>ium, iron <strong>and</strong>manganese. The parameters covered by relaxations affect<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Water</strong> Services companiesare given <strong>in</strong> Table III.


36 WATER TREATMENTTable III: Parameters for which Relaxations have been granted to <strong>Water</strong> Services companiesTable IV: Parameters for which Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs have been accepted from <strong>Water</strong> ServiceCompanies [ ? = <strong>in</strong>sufficient data]Iron relaxations have been granted widely, for example affect<strong>in</strong>g supplies <strong>in</strong> over 30% ofzones <strong>in</strong> areas of East Anglia <strong>and</strong> Yorkshire. Iron can occur <strong>in</strong> groundwaters derived fromiron—rich strata such as Greens<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> waters from upl<strong>and</strong> catchments, giv<strong>in</strong>g rise toturbid water <strong>and</strong> caus<strong>in</strong>g deposits <strong>in</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> customer compla<strong>in</strong>ts of discoloured water ifadequate removal is not achieved <strong>in</strong> water treatment. Manganese is often associated withiron <strong>in</strong> these waters <strong>and</strong> relaxations for it are also widespread. <strong>Water</strong>s conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g naturallyoccurr<strong>in</strong>galum<strong>in</strong>ium, usually <strong>in</strong> low alkal<strong>in</strong>ity, soft upl<strong>and</strong> waters, sometimes comb<strong>in</strong>edwith high colour, <strong>in</strong> many cases have complied with the earlier <strong>in</strong>terpretation of the EC directive.Although some relaxations have been granted, many works are to be improved to achieve themore str<strong>in</strong>gent <strong>in</strong>terpretation <strong>in</strong> the Regulations by 1995 or earlier.


8 SECTION 20 UNDERTAKINGSWATER SUPPLY QUALITY IN PRIVATISED UK WATER SERVICES 37The Government’s Medical Advisers, hav<strong>in</strong>g considered the concentrations of the parameterssubject to Section 20 Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs, have concluded that the Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs accepted <strong>in</strong> autumn1989 pose no threat to public health. All the <strong>Water</strong> Services companies have Section 20Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs for some parameters (Table IV). The significant ones are discussed below.8.1 Distribution Systems.All the companies have given undertak<strong>in</strong>gs to <strong>in</strong>vestigate or carry out work on distributionsystems to overcome problems with some or all of the follow<strong>in</strong>g parameters: iron, manganese,alum<strong>in</strong>ium, colour, pH, turbidity or PAH. The Regulations have had a major impact <strong>in</strong> thisarea. In the past the “averag<strong>in</strong>g” of sample results could enable the st<strong>and</strong>ards to be met, butthis is no longer permitted.Iron.Iron can arise from corrosion of the ma<strong>in</strong> itself, but <strong>in</strong>adequate treatment of water at theworks can also give rise to colour, iron, alum<strong>in</strong>ium <strong>and</strong> manganese <strong>in</strong> distribution, lead<strong>in</strong>g todeposits <strong>and</strong> discoloured water. The undertak<strong>in</strong>gs have identified rel<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g or replacement ofma<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> many areas. All the <strong>Water</strong> Services companies have programmes for renovation oftheir distribution systems by rel<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g or replacement. Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> estimate that overa 20 year period they may need to rehabilitate 70% of their distribution ma<strong>in</strong>s whilst forAnglian <strong>Water</strong> the figure is 38%. Other companies’ estimates are between 4 <strong>and</strong> 13%. Thecosts of this work over the next 10 years are estimated by the Companies at £6 billion. Therewas serious doubt about the capacity of the pipel<strong>in</strong>e renovation companies to undertake thisamount of work <strong>and</strong> like several water suppliers, Wessex <strong>Water</strong> has set up its own commercialsubsidiary company to develop these services.Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).These compounds occur naturally <strong>in</strong> some untreated surface waters but can arise <strong>in</strong> excessof the limit of 0.2 ug/l <strong>in</strong> treated water from coal—tar bitumen l<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gs of water ma<strong>in</strong>s. ADepartment of the Environment survey <strong>in</strong> early 1989 showed there was no widespread problembut further more—localised studies suggested a problem with particles of bitumenaccumulat<strong>in</strong>g near deadends of distribution systems. Six of the plcs have given undertak<strong>in</strong>gsfor PAH <strong>and</strong> may need to carry out replacement of pipe l<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gs.Lead.The <strong>Water</strong> Quality Regulations require that where there is a significant risk of water fail<strong>in</strong>g tomeet the lead st<strong>and</strong>ard due to lead from communication or service pipes, the water suppliermust <strong>in</strong>vestigated how widespread the failures are <strong>in</strong> any zone. The test of a significant risk iswhether more than 2% of samples taken at r<strong>and</strong>om from customers’ taps fail to meet thest<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>in</strong> any zone (DoE 1989), adopt<strong>in</strong>g the sampl<strong>in</strong>g procedure for lead described above.These requirements were more str<strong>in</strong>gent than the previous <strong>in</strong>terpretation <strong>and</strong> water suppliershave not generally sampled <strong>in</strong> the manner now required. As a result, all the companies havegiven undertak<strong>in</strong>gs for lead. These affect all zones <strong>in</strong> North West, Southern, Welsh <strong>and</strong>Yorkshire <strong>Water</strong> (although this does not <strong>in</strong>dicate that supplies throughout these areas arefail<strong>in</strong>g to meet the st<strong>and</strong>ard.) Anglian <strong>Water</strong> has undertaken to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the extent of noncompliance<strong>in</strong> 14% of its zones <strong>and</strong> to monitor the effect of exist<strong>in</strong>g treatment withorthophosphoric acid <strong>in</strong> another 66% of them. Where significant non-compliance is foundwater suppliers must <strong>in</strong>vestigate the effectiveness of water treatment <strong>in</strong> reduc<strong>in</strong>gplumbosolvency <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stall it if practicable, no later than 1995. The householders <strong>and</strong> publichealth authorities must be <strong>in</strong>formed if water treatment is <strong>in</strong>effective <strong>and</strong> lead pipe replacementis necessary.8.2 Deficiencies at Service Reservoirs.Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs for total coliform bacteria have been given for service reservoirs which fail toachieve 100% compliance with the zero st<strong>and</strong>ard. The actions to be taken <strong>in</strong>clude manualchlor<strong>in</strong>ation of water, <strong>in</strong>stallation of cont<strong>in</strong>uous chlor<strong>in</strong>ation equipment to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> satisfactoryresidual concentrations <strong>and</strong> the prevention of <strong>in</strong>gress of ra<strong>in</strong>water through ducts, hatch coversor cracked walls or roofs. In some cases poor circulation of water <strong>in</strong> the reservoir is to beimproved. In each case timescales are specified for complet<strong>in</strong>g these remedies, generally by1992.


38 WATER TREATMENT8.3 Deficiencies at <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> Works.Iron, manganese, alum<strong>in</strong>ium <strong>and</strong> trihalomethanes.Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs have been given for water supply zones which could be affected by parameterswhich are not adequately controlled <strong>in</strong> treatment. Alum<strong>in</strong>ium, iron <strong>and</strong> manganeseundertak<strong>in</strong>gs are common, affect<strong>in</strong>g eight of the ten companies. One company has over 40%of its zones affected for iron <strong>and</strong> alum<strong>in</strong>ium with problems at 24 out of 59 of its works.Remedial measures <strong>in</strong>clude cont<strong>in</strong>uous monitor<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>ked to autoshutdown <strong>in</strong> the event ofconcentrations over the limit, improvements to the design, operation <strong>and</strong> control of watertreatment plant <strong>and</strong> the use of alternatives to alum<strong>in</strong>ium coagulants. Failure to comply withthe st<strong>and</strong>ard for trihalomethane, formed <strong>in</strong> water by the reaction of chlor<strong>in</strong>e with organicmatter, affects seven of the ten companies. Modifications to dis<strong>in</strong>fection practices, alternativedis<strong>in</strong>fectants <strong>and</strong> removal of precursors may be required. For frequent breaches of thesest<strong>and</strong>ards the undertak<strong>in</strong>gs generally require compliance by the end of 1992; for occasionalbreaches the time—limit is the end of 1994.Nitrate.Excess nitrate <strong>in</strong> water supplies was considered by the U.K. Government to be “man-made”rather than due to the nature of the ground <strong>and</strong> hence it has been the subject of undertak<strong>in</strong>gsrather than relaxations. The companies affected are Anglian, where 28% of the sampl<strong>in</strong>gzones were covered, Severn Trent (5%), Yorkshire (1%) <strong>and</strong> Thames <strong>Water</strong>, where 11% of thetreatment works required undertak<strong>in</strong>gs. Remedial measures <strong>in</strong>clude blend<strong>in</strong>g with low—nitrate water, treatment to remove nitrate <strong>and</strong> prevention of nitrate enter<strong>in</strong>g supplies bycatchment protection measures. Most improvements are to be by 1992, with the rema<strong>in</strong>derbetween 1993 <strong>and</strong> 1995.Nitrite.Nitrite <strong>in</strong> distributed water usually arises from microbiological action on ammonia which maybe added to form chloram<strong>in</strong>e—a more stable form of dis<strong>in</strong>fectant. Levels of nitrite above thest<strong>and</strong>ard have been experience <strong>in</strong> distribution systems <strong>and</strong> undertak<strong>in</strong>gs exist for Anglian(53% of zones), Thames (21%), Welsh (42%), Yorkshire (2%) <strong>and</strong> North West. Improvementsare to be completed by 1995.Pesticide.Pesticides (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g herbicides <strong>and</strong> fungicides) have been found <strong>in</strong> very low concentrations<strong>in</strong> water over a wide area. Before July 1989 the U.K. Government’s advice to water supplierswas to monitor for those compounds which were likely to be used <strong>in</strong> the catchment <strong>in</strong> additionto some environmentally persistent products banned from use some years ago. The EC st<strong>and</strong>ardof 0.1 ug/1 for any s<strong>in</strong>gle compound was not related to the vary<strong>in</strong>g toxicities of the wide rangeof products <strong>in</strong> use. The Government advice therefore was that provided concentrations didnot exceed guidel<strong>in</strong>e values based on the toxicity, there was no risk to health. The healthadvice has not altered, but with the Regulations came the requirement to comply with the ECst<strong>and</strong>ard. Undertak<strong>in</strong>gs have therefore been given for pesticide by six of the ten companies,affect<strong>in</strong>g from 1% to 60% of the sampl<strong>in</strong>g zones. Two companies have <strong>in</strong>sufficient data tojudge the extent of compliance. The terms of the undertak<strong>in</strong>g areto immediately <strong>in</strong>form the National Rivers Authority to enable it to <strong>in</strong>vestigate thepossibility of controll<strong>in</strong>g the leach<strong>in</strong>g of pesticides <strong>in</strong>to water;for the company to immediately <strong>in</strong>vestigate suitable water treatment methods to removethe pesticides;<strong>in</strong> the light of these <strong>in</strong>vestigations to <strong>in</strong>stall water treatment plant as soon as practicable,but generally by 1999.The lack of <strong>in</strong>formation on suitable pesticide treatment processes <strong>and</strong> the absence of arelationship between the EC st<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>and</strong> toxicity of the compounds has led several ECmember states to conclude that the limit is not currently achievable. The U.K. Governmenthas requested the European Commission to review the st<strong>and</strong>ard.9 COST OF IMPROVEMENTSThe cost of known requirements for improvements was estimated by companies <strong>in</strong> conjunctionwith Government—appo<strong>in</strong>ted auditors (Table V). Where there were known problems but theirextent or solutions were unknown <strong>in</strong> autumn 1989, the Government agreed that these costs


WATER SUPPLY QUALITY IN PRIVATISED UK WATER SERVICES 39could not be <strong>in</strong>cluded but might be passed on to customers via regulated charges at a laterdate. The £10 billion programme does not <strong>in</strong>clude the cost of remedial measures for much ofthe PAH, pesticide or lead problems.10 CONCLUSIONSTable V: Summary of water supply <strong>in</strong>vestment 1990—2000.(November 1989 prices).The quality <strong>and</strong> monitor<strong>in</strong>g of water supplies <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales is now specified by waterquality regulations, which <strong>in</strong>corporate the st<strong>and</strong>ards of the EC Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> directive <strong>and</strong>some additional st<strong>and</strong>ards, <strong>and</strong> specify the frequency of sampl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> analysis. Supplies arerequired to meet the majority of these st<strong>and</strong>ards for every sample exam<strong>in</strong>ed. Compared withan earlier <strong>in</strong>terpretation of the Directive, the stricter st<strong>and</strong>ards have resulted <strong>in</strong> some suppliesfail<strong>in</strong>g to comply. The <strong>Water</strong> Services companies established by the privatisation of the tenregional water authorities have been granted relaxations of some parameters for def<strong>in</strong>edareas <strong>and</strong> for others the Secretary of State has accepted undertak<strong>in</strong>gs from them to carry outimprovements to an agreed timetable. The most widespread non-compliance is for iron <strong>and</strong>related parameters from distribution systems <strong>and</strong> alum<strong>in</strong>ium, iron <strong>and</strong> pesticide at treatmentworks. Investigation of potential non-compliance with the more str<strong>in</strong>gent lead st<strong>and</strong>ard isrequired due to lead from domestic plumb<strong>in</strong>g materials. Programmes of improvement shouldbe completed for most water treatment problems by 1995 but the scale of the programme ofwater ma<strong>in</strong>s rehabilitation will require at least ten years for its completion. The estimatedcost for problems with known solutions is £10billion for Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales.11 REFERENCESDoE 1982: Department of the Environment/Welsh Office. Circular 20/82: EC Directive relat<strong>in</strong>g to theQuality of <strong>Water</strong> <strong>in</strong>tended for Human Consumption (80/778/EEC). Her Majesty’s Stationery Office,London.DoE 1989: Guidance on Safeguard<strong>in</strong>g the Quality of Public <strong>Water</strong> Supplies. Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice, London.EC 1975: Council Directive 75/440/EEC. Quality required of surface water <strong>in</strong>tended for the abstractionof dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water. Official Journal No. L194, 25.7.1975, p34.EC 1980: Council Directive 80/778/EEC. Relat<strong>in</strong>g to the quality of water <strong>in</strong>tended for human consumption.Official Journal No.HMSO 1989a: <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989. Chapter 15. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.HMSO 1989b: The <strong>Water</strong> Supply (<strong>Water</strong> Quality) Regulations 1989, Statutory Instrument 1989 No.1147.Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.HMSO 1989c: The <strong>Water</strong> Supply (<strong>Water</strong> Quality) (Amendment) Regulations 1989 Statutory InstrumentNo. 1384. Her Majesty’s stationery Office, London.Miller 1990: Paper from Bureau 1 meet<strong>in</strong>g, Paris, January 1990. Adaptation of Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive.Comments on Individual Parameters. D.G.Miller, <strong>Water</strong> Reserch Centre.Schroder 1989: The <strong>Water</strong> Share Offer, Pathf<strong>in</strong>der Prospectus. J. Henry Schroder Wagg & Co. London.W.H.O. 1984: Guidel<strong>in</strong>es for Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g—water Quality, Vol.1 Recommendations. World HealthOrganisation, Geneva.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe author acknowledges the contribution made to this paper by many unnamed employeesof the former water authorities <strong>and</strong> their advisers <strong>in</strong> draft<strong>in</strong>g the Prospectus for the <strong>Water</strong>Share offer. The presentation of this paper has been approved by Gareth Jones, Director ofScience <strong>and</strong> Quality, Wessex <strong>Water</strong> Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Services Ltd., but the views expressed are theauthor’s <strong>and</strong> do not necessarily represent those of the Company.


40 WATER TREATMENTAPPENDIXSCHEDULE OF WATER SUPPLY QUALITY STANDARDS FOR ENGLAND AND WALESAverage trihalomethanes (the sum of trichlorome thane, dichlorobromomethane,dibromochloromethane <strong>and</strong> tribromomethane) not to exceed 100 µg/1; if less than four samplesper year each sample not to exceed the limit.PRESCRIBED CONCENTRATIONS OR VALUESTABLE ANote (i) See regulation 3(5).(ii) If silver is used <strong>in</strong> a water treatment process, 80 may be substituted for 10.


WATER SUPPLY QUALITY IN PRIVATISED UK WATER SERVICES 41TABLE BNotes (i) The sum of the detected concentrations of <strong>in</strong>dividual substances.(ii) The sum of the detected concentrations of fluoranthene, benzo 3.4 fluoranthene,benzo 11.12 fluoranthene, benzo 3.4 pyrene, benzo 1.12 perylene <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>deno(1,2.3-cd) pyrene.TABLE CNotes (i) See regulation 3(6).(ii) Analysis by multiple tube method.TABLE D(i)Note: (i) See regulation 3(3)(d).TABLE ENote: (i) See regulation 3(2).


Chapter 5CONTROL OF DANGEROUSSUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACEWATERST F Zabel (<strong>Water</strong> Research Centre, UK)ABSTRACTThe Environmental Quality Objective (EQO) approach is be<strong>in</strong>g widely applied<strong>in</strong> the UK for the control of discharges to surface waters. The basis of theEQO approach is the def<strong>in</strong>ition of beneficial uses of fresh <strong>and</strong> sal<strong>in</strong>e waters<strong>and</strong> the sett<strong>in</strong>g of Environmental Quality St<strong>and</strong>ards (EQSs) to protect theuses with consent conditions for discharges be<strong>in</strong>g set so as to meet therelevant EQSs <strong>in</strong> the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters. However, <strong>in</strong> response to the M<strong>in</strong>isterialConference on the Protection of the North Sea <strong>in</strong> 1987, the UK has adoptedthe dual approach (apply<strong>in</strong>g uniform emission st<strong>and</strong>ards (UESs) <strong>and</strong> EQSswhichever are the more str<strong>in</strong>gent) for the control of particularly dangerous“Red List” substances. The paper describes the approach adopted <strong>in</strong> the UKfor the control of dangerous substances, with special emphasis on the controlof the “Red List” substances, <strong>and</strong> the procedure used <strong>in</strong> the UK for deriv<strong>in</strong>gEQS values <strong>and</strong> for sett<strong>in</strong>g limit values for effluent discharges to meet theEQSs <strong>in</strong> the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters.1. INTRODUCTIONAlthough legislation to control pollution of surface water dates back to thePublic Health Act of 1875, which made it an offence to pollute certa<strong>in</strong> waters,the EC Directive on the Control of Dangerous Substances (76/464/EEC)has been the most far-reach<strong>in</strong>g measure to achieve a reduction or elim<strong>in</strong>ationof pollution of surface waters by dangerous substances (CEC 1976). Thispaper summarises the legislation adopted <strong>in</strong> the UK to control pollution<strong>and</strong> discusses the approaches used <strong>in</strong> the UK to control the discharge ofdangerous substances to the aquatic environment.2. UK POLLUTION CONTROL LEGISLATIONIn the UK, Parliament adopts the enabl<strong>in</strong>g legislation to control pollution<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g discharges to sewers. The legislation provides the general©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 43–5443


44 WATER TREATMENTframework for controls <strong>and</strong> gives the Secretary of State for the Environmentthe power to issue orders giv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>structions for the implementation of thelegislation. The orders are issued as commencement orders or ‘statutory<strong>in</strong>struments’. The procedure for chang<strong>in</strong>g laws <strong>in</strong> the UK is to repeal certa<strong>in</strong>sections of exist<strong>in</strong>g legislation <strong>and</strong> to issue new legislation <strong>in</strong> Acts ofParliament. Thus some sections of the Public Health Act 1875 whichcontrolled discharges to surface waters are still <strong>in</strong> force whereas mostsections have been superseded by new Acts, the most important of whichare the Control of Pollution Act 1974 <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989. Similarly,although the control of discharges to sewers refers back to the Public HealthAct of 1936, most of the provisions <strong>in</strong> the Act have been superseded by theControl of Pollution Act 1974 <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989.The Control of Pollution Act 1974 strengthened the provisions for the controlof pollution, <strong>in</strong> particular the control of discharges to estuar<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> coastalwaters. The consent conditions for discharges to surface waters <strong>and</strong> themonitor<strong>in</strong>g data were made available for public scrut<strong>in</strong>y. The data can beused by the public to <strong>in</strong>itiate prosecutions. Applications for new consentsneed to be advertised allow<strong>in</strong>g objections to be raised to the consentconditions proposed.The <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989 set up the National Rivers Authority <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong>Wales which now has the responsibility for the monitor<strong>in</strong>g of discharges tosurface waters, both those from the newly privatised water companies <strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>dustry (previously the treatment of wastewaters <strong>and</strong> the monitor<strong>in</strong>gfunctions were carried out <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales by the same organisation,the <strong>Water</strong> Authorities). The <strong>Water</strong> Act 1989 also requires the National RiversAuthority to def<strong>in</strong>e statutory quality objectives for all surface waters. InScotl<strong>and</strong> the treatment <strong>and</strong> monitor<strong>in</strong>g functions have been separate s<strong>in</strong>ce1951 with the Regional Councils be<strong>in</strong>g responsible for treatment <strong>and</strong> theRiver Purification Boards for the monitor<strong>in</strong>g.The use-related EC directives, eg for the abstraction for dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water (75/440/EEC) (CEC 1975), were implemented <strong>in</strong> the UK by adm<strong>in</strong>istrative actionwhich <strong>in</strong>volved the Department of the Environment (<strong>and</strong>/or the Welsh Office<strong>and</strong> the Scottish Development Department) writ<strong>in</strong>g to the responsible bodies(at the time <strong>Water</strong> Authorities <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wales <strong>and</strong> River PurificationBoards <strong>in</strong> Scotl<strong>and</strong>) advis<strong>in</strong>g them on the contents of the directives <strong>and</strong> theactions necessary to comply with them. In Northern Irel<strong>and</strong>, the Departmentof Environment for Northern Irel<strong>and</strong> is itself the responsible body.As the Dangerous Substances Directive (CEC 1976) is essentially an enabl<strong>in</strong>gdirective, no immediate requirements to comply were needed. However,follow<strong>in</strong>g the publication of several ‘daughter’ directives for <strong>in</strong>dividualsubstances <strong>and</strong> the sett<strong>in</strong>g of environmental quality st<strong>and</strong>ards (EQSs) <strong>in</strong>the UK for several List II substances, the Department of the Environment<strong>and</strong> the Welsh Office published <strong>in</strong> 1985 a circular (DoE 1985) which advised


CONTROL OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACE WATERS 45the responsible authorities at the time (the <strong>Water</strong> Authorities <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> Wales) of the content of the Dangerous Substances Directive <strong>and</strong> the‘daughter’ directives then published. The circular also implemented thest<strong>and</strong>ards laid down <strong>in</strong> the directives <strong>and</strong> those agreed nationally for theList II substances (arsenic, chromium, copper, <strong>in</strong>organic lead, nickel <strong>and</strong>z<strong>in</strong>c). A similar circular was issued by the Scottish Development Departmentto the River Purification Boards <strong>in</strong> Scotl<strong>and</strong> (SDD 1985). This DoE circularhas recently been superseded by the updated Circular 7/89 (DoE 1989)implement<strong>in</strong>g all directives adopted so far for List I substances <strong>and</strong> EQSsfor an additional six List II substances or groups of substances (vanadium,boron, organot<strong>in</strong>s, mothproof<strong>in</strong>g agents, pH <strong>and</strong> iron).3. THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OBJECTIVE (EQO) APPROACHThe EC Dangerous Substances Directive (CEC 1976) provides two alternativeapproaches for control, the uniform emission st<strong>and</strong>ard (UES) or limit valueapproach <strong>and</strong> the environmental quality st<strong>and</strong>ard (EQO) approach.The EQO approach has been generally applied <strong>in</strong> the UK for the managementof discharges to surface waters. The EQO approach is based on the premisethat a m<strong>in</strong>imum acceptable concentration of a pollutant can be def<strong>in</strong>edwhich does not <strong>in</strong>terfere with the use of the water. This premise does nothold for certa<strong>in</strong> particularly dangerous compounds, which require differentcontrol strategies. For <strong>in</strong>stance, DDT control dem<strong>and</strong>s prohibition of use ortotal ban on discharges (complete recycl<strong>in</strong>g or destruction).A dist<strong>in</strong>ction has to be made between EQOs <strong>and</strong> EQSs. The EQO def<strong>in</strong>es theuse for which the water is <strong>in</strong>tended (eg abstraction for dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water) whereasthe EQS specifies the concentration of the substance which should not beexceeded to protect the particular use of the water. For example, <strong>in</strong> theAbstraction for Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive the EQS for nitrate is 50 mg/l.In the EC Dangerous Substances Directive environmental quality st<strong>and</strong>ards(EQSs) are described as environmental quality objectives (EQOs). This hasled to confusion as quality objectives are viewed by those countries whichopted for the limit value approach as long-term goals dem<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g very lowst<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> not as <strong>in</strong> the UK for sett<strong>in</strong>g consents for discharges.To apply the UK EQO approach, the different uses of water need to bedef<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards, <strong>in</strong> terms of the maximum acceptable concentrationof the particular contam<strong>in</strong>ant, must be derived. These concentrations mustbe low enough to protect the water’s uses by tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account thevulnerable targets requir<strong>in</strong>g protection: man, his food sources or other liv<strong>in</strong>gorganisms. The st<strong>and</strong>ards can then be used to derive consents for <strong>in</strong>dividualdischarges, tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account the dilution <strong>in</strong> the receiv<strong>in</strong>g water, but alsothe concentration of the substance already present <strong>in</strong> the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waterfrom other sources. The EQO approach can deal with diffuse <strong>in</strong>puts <strong>and</strong>


46 WATER TREATMENTcan be used to control multiple po<strong>in</strong>t sources. It also makes proper use ofthe receiv<strong>in</strong>g water capacity. The common uses of both fresh <strong>and</strong> sal<strong>in</strong>ewaters have been def<strong>in</strong>ed (Mance 1984), tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account the use-relateddirectives adopted by the EC (eg the Abstraction to Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive(CEC 1975) <strong>and</strong> the Freshwater Fish Directive (CEC 1978), Table 1.Table 1. Designated uses of surface waters for the derivation of EQS values- Not applicableIn practice, however, the sett<strong>in</strong>g of a reliable EQS for all water uses isfrequently not possible as the <strong>in</strong>formation on harmful effects is often limited.4. DERIVATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY STANDARDS (EQSs)Figure 1 illustrates the approach adopted for the derivation of EQSs <strong>in</strong> the UK.Available data on the toxic effects, both from laboratory studies <strong>and</strong> fieldobservations, are critically assessed. Particular attention is paid to theexperimental test method used.The lowest credible adverse effect concentration is derived from the availabletoxicity data. Particular emphasis is placed on chronic effects noted afterlong-term exposure, or exposure effects at specific sensitive life stages ofthe target species. A safety factor is then applied to obta<strong>in</strong> a tentative EQS,which depends on the quality <strong>and</strong> extent of the available toxicity data. Ifonly acute (short term) LC 50 values are available, an arbitrary safety factorof 100 is usually applied. This factor tends to be reduced to 10 if chronicLC 50 data are available for sensitive species. For some substances, ‘no effectsconcentrations’ (NOEC) are reported for long-term chronic studies. Thesevalues may be used as tentative st<strong>and</strong>ards without apply<strong>in</strong>g a safety factor,provided the test design is acceptable, <strong>and</strong> that they refer to relevant species<strong>and</strong> are supported by the other data available.The tentative EQS derived from the laboratory toxicity data is verified bycomparison with the available field toxicity data, tak<strong>in</strong>g care to dist<strong>in</strong>guish


CONTROL OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACE WATERS 47Figure 1. Schematic flow chart for the derivation of environmental quality st<strong>and</strong>ards.between the effects of the particular compound <strong>and</strong> those of other potentiallytoxic compounds present. It is important to compare the tentative EQSwith the highest observed concentration which has no effect on theecosystem, rather than with the lowest concentration which does have aneffect. Any discrepancies between the field data <strong>and</strong> the tentative EQS requirethe reassessment of the available field <strong>and</strong> laboratory data <strong>and</strong>, if necessary,the application of a different safety factor.The sett<strong>in</strong>g of EQS values relies heavily on knowledge of bioaccumulation<strong>and</strong> toxicity effects. This <strong>in</strong>formation is often <strong>in</strong>complete <strong>and</strong> depends on<strong>in</strong>terpretation. The field data are often <strong>in</strong>adequate, especially for the lessfrequently occurr<strong>in</strong>g organic compounds, to verify the tentative EQS derivedfrom the laboratory data. The application of safety factors must thereforetake account of the different toxicities <strong>and</strong> actions of the chemicals on thetarget organisms <strong>and</strong> the quality of the toxicity data available.When deriv<strong>in</strong>g EQS values for substances which are designed for a specificpurpose, such as pesticides, it is particularly important that toxicity testsare available for the target species as the sensitivities of different taxonomicgroups to these compounds vary widely.


48 WATER TREATMENTFigure 2 shows the wide range of concentrations of tributylt<strong>in</strong> (TBT) whichhave caused adverse effects <strong>in</strong> different species (Zabel et al 1988).Figure 2. Concentrations of TBT <strong>in</strong> ng/l reported to have caused adverse effects.TBT is designed as an anti-foul<strong>in</strong>g treatment <strong>and</strong> is therefore targeted atmolluscs <strong>and</strong> algae, which are much more sensitive to TBT than the nontargetfish species. However, there is also a wide range of sensitivities fordifferent species of the same taxonomic group, <strong>and</strong> it is therefore importantto collect data for more than one species.Bioaccumulation is another important parameter for assess<strong>in</strong>g ‘safeconcentrations’ <strong>in</strong> the environment s<strong>in</strong>ce some compounds can be selectivelyreta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the liv<strong>in</strong>g tissue of animals <strong>and</strong> plants. These compounds cancause direct effects on the target organism, or they may be transferred viathe food cha<strong>in</strong> to other organisms. They can also lead to discoloration orta<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g of the tissues, mak<strong>in</strong>g them unacceptable for human consumptionor caus<strong>in</strong>g their rejection as food by higher organisms.Bioaccumulation was utilised <strong>in</strong> the derivation of the mar<strong>in</strong>e environmentEQS for TBT. The correlation between the <strong>in</strong>cidence of imposex (caused bygrowth block<strong>in</strong>g the pallial oviduct of females, prevent<strong>in</strong>g the release ofeggs <strong>and</strong> caus<strong>in</strong>g premature death) <strong>in</strong> the dog whelk, Nucella lapillus, <strong>and</strong>the correspond<strong>in</strong>g TBT tissue concentrations was determ<strong>in</strong>ed. Thebioaccumulation factor was used to determ<strong>in</strong>e the water concentration whichwould produce an <strong>in</strong>significant <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the occurrence of imposex. Thiswater concentration was similar to the tentative EQS derived by apply<strong>in</strong>g


CONTROL OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACE WATERS 49an arbitrary safety factor of 10 to laboratory toxicity test results. It wasthus possible, us<strong>in</strong>g bioaccumulation, to verify the tentative EQS.When sett<strong>in</strong>g EQSs, it is important to establish whether the st<strong>and</strong>ard shouldbe set as total or dissolved concentration or, as <strong>in</strong> the case of ammonia, theun-ionised species. This approach requires a knowledge of the speciationof the compound <strong>in</strong> the environment, <strong>and</strong> is of particular importance for<strong>in</strong>organic compounds. For organic compounds, the EQS tends to beexpressed as total concentration.A decision has also to be made on the degree of compliance required for thest<strong>and</strong>ard to protect the use. The options <strong>in</strong>clude:– 100 per cent compliance (maximum allowable concentrations)– 95 per cent compliance (5 per cent exceedance can be tolerated)– 50 per cent compliance (annual mean concentration)The decision depends on the source of the substance <strong>and</strong> on the differencebetween acute <strong>and</strong> chronic toxicities.Table 2 shows the List II substances for which EQS values have been adopted<strong>in</strong> the UK <strong>and</strong> another 11 compounds which are currently under discussion.Table 2. Substances for which EQS values have been published


50 WATER TREATMENTThe rationale for the different st<strong>and</strong>ards for the <strong>in</strong>dividual substances isprovided <strong>in</strong> the appropriate <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre Technical Reports. Thesame methodology is also be<strong>in</strong>g applied to derive Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary EnvironmentalQuality St<strong>and</strong>ards (PEQSs) for those ‘Red List’ substances (see Section 5)for which EQS values have not yet been adopted. The st<strong>and</strong>ards adoptedare periodically reviewed based on new <strong>in</strong>formation published <strong>in</strong> theliterature. Currently the st<strong>and</strong>ards set <strong>in</strong> 1984 for the six List II metals(arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, nickel <strong>and</strong> z<strong>in</strong>c) are be<strong>in</strong>g reappraised.5. CONTROL OF PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS ‘RED LIST’SUBSTANCESBy <strong>in</strong>sist<strong>in</strong>g on apply<strong>in</strong>g the EQS approach to the control of dangeroussubstances, whereas the other EC Member States opted for the uniformlimit value (UES) approach, the UK has been accused of be<strong>in</strong>g lax on thecontrol of environmental pollution. This is partly based on the misconceptionthat the EQS is be<strong>in</strong>g used to allow discharges to utilise the full capacity ofthe receiv<strong>in</strong>g water. In reality the EQS is used by the controll<strong>in</strong>g authorityfor estimat<strong>in</strong>g the upper limit for a consent <strong>and</strong>, more importantly, as the<strong>in</strong>dicator of acceptable water quality for a specified use-a factor which isnot <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the UES approach. In practice the controll<strong>in</strong>g authority islikely to restrict the discharge for a new site to less than 20% of the residualavailable capacity to m<strong>in</strong>imise the potential impact on the receiv<strong>in</strong>g water.In its report on the EC ‘framework’ Directive, the House of Lords SelectCommittee on the European Communities suggested that Member Statesshould re-exam<strong>in</strong>e the alternative use of limit values <strong>and</strong> quality objectives(House of Lords 1985). This proposal was endorsed by the House of CommonsSelect Committee on the Environment (House of Commons 1987).In the M<strong>in</strong>isterial Declaration follow<strong>in</strong>g the Second M<strong>in</strong>isterial Conferenceon the Protection of the North Sea held <strong>in</strong> November 1987, the UK agreed toapply the dual approach to the control of certa<strong>in</strong> particular dangeroussubstances (DoE 1987). The proposal recommends:– identification of a limited range of the most dangerous substances basedon scientific criteria—the ‘Red List’– sett<strong>in</strong>g of strict environmental quality st<strong>and</strong>ards for all ‘Red List’substances– progressive application of emission st<strong>and</strong>ards based on the concept of‘best available technology not entail<strong>in</strong>g excessive costs’ (BATNEEC) forthe control of direct discharges of ‘Red List’ substances.The aim of the new proposals is that an effluent conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g ‘Red List’substances will have to meet <strong>in</strong>dustry-wide effluent st<strong>and</strong>ards as well asthe EQS for the receiv<strong>in</strong>g water to ensure that the effluent discharged does


CONTROL OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACE WATERS 51Table 3. UK ‘Red List’ substances* Substances which enter the environment predom<strong>in</strong>antly by <strong>in</strong>direct routesnot cause adverse effects. Best available technology will <strong>in</strong>itially be appliedto new <strong>and</strong> refurbished plants h<strong>and</strong>l<strong>in</strong>g any of the 23 ‘Red List’ substancesgiven <strong>in</strong> Table 3 (DoE 1989).In accordance with the M<strong>in</strong>isterial Declaration the UK has also undertaken toreduce <strong>in</strong>puts of the ‘Red List’ substances to UK coastal waters by about 50%.This might be achieved by apply<strong>in</strong>g strict EQS <strong>and</strong> limit values, but could also<strong>in</strong>volve additional control measures such as reduction <strong>in</strong> use, particularly fordiffuse <strong>in</strong>puts. The UK has <strong>in</strong>itiated a monitor<strong>in</strong>g programme to determ<strong>in</strong>e thebasel<strong>in</strong>e load discharged to provide proof for the success of the reductionprogramme. Work is also <strong>in</strong> progress to identify the major sources of ‘Red List’substances. The <strong>in</strong>formation will be used to develop action programmes toachieve the desired reduction of approximately 50% by 1995.Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) is responsible for develop<strong>in</strong>g‘BATNEEC’ for specified <strong>in</strong>dustries based on the <strong>in</strong>tegrated pollution control(IPC) concept. The aim of this approach is to m<strong>in</strong>imise pollution of allenvironmental compartments by mak<strong>in</strong>g the same authority responsiblefor controll<strong>in</strong>g discharges to all three environmental compartments (air,water, soil). Consents for discharges to water will be derived <strong>in</strong> consultationwith the National Rivers Authority to ensure that the EQS values <strong>in</strong> thereceiv<strong>in</strong>g water are not exceeded.


52 WATER TREATMENT6. CONCLUSIONS– The control of dangerous substances <strong>in</strong> the UK is based on the EQO/EQS approach which <strong>in</strong>volves sett<strong>in</strong>g appropriate st<strong>and</strong>ards to protectthe different uses of water.– The EQS values are used to derive consents for discharges tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>toaccount the concentration of the substance already present <strong>in</strong> thereceiv<strong>in</strong>g water from diffuse <strong>and</strong> other po<strong>in</strong>t sources.– For particularly dangerous substances, the ‘Red List’, the UK has adoptedthe dual approach of control us<strong>in</strong>g limit values based on BATNEEC <strong>and</strong>EQSs whichever are the more str<strong>in</strong>gent.– For the control of ‘Red List’ substances, the <strong>in</strong>tegrated pollution control(IPC) approach is be<strong>in</strong>g applied <strong>in</strong> an attempt to deal with the crosssectoralaspects of waste disposal. The effects on all three environmentalcompartments are be<strong>in</strong>g assessed when issu<strong>in</strong>g a consent for a particularprocess.– The aim of the quality objective approach is to move progressively towardshigher goals, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the m<strong>in</strong>imisation of <strong>in</strong>puts of the most dangeroussubstances to the aquatic environment, tak<strong>in</strong>g advantage of technicaladvances where practical.– The quality st<strong>and</strong>ards are viewed as the m<strong>in</strong>imum to be achieved <strong>and</strong>the aim is for a quality as well with<strong>in</strong> that st<strong>and</strong>ard as possible. Thest<strong>and</strong>ards must not be used to relax the control of discharges simplybecause the st<strong>and</strong>ard is easily met.REFERENCESCOUNCIL OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (1975) Council directive concern<strong>in</strong>g the quality requiredof surface water <strong>in</strong>tended for the abstraction of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water <strong>in</strong> Member States (75/440/EEC), OfficialJournal L194, 25 July.COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (1976) Council Directive on pollution caused by certa<strong>in</strong>dangerous substances discharged <strong>in</strong>to the aquatic environment of the Community (76/464/EEC), OfficialJournal L129, 18 May.COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (1978) Council Directive on the quality of freshwatersneed<strong>in</strong>g protection or improvement <strong>in</strong> order to support fish life (78/659/EEC), Official Journal L222, 14August.DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WELSH OFFICE (1985) <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> the environment.Circular 18/85 (Circular 37/85 Welsh Office), 2 September.DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (1987) M<strong>in</strong>isterial Declaration, ‘Second <strong>in</strong>ternationalconference on the protection of the North Sea’, London, 24–5 November 1987.DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WELSH OFFICE (1989) <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> the environment.Circular 7/89 (Circular 16/89 Welsh Office) 30 March.DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (1989) Agreed ‘Red List’ of dangerous substances confirmedby the M<strong>in</strong>ister of State (Lord Caithness). News Release 194, DoE, Marsham Street, London, 10 April.HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT (1987) House of CommonsSession 1986/87. 3rd Report from the Environment Committee (HC 183). HMSO, London.HOUSE OF LORDS SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (1985) Dangeroussubstances-Session 1984–85, 15th Report. HMSO, London, 23 July.


CONTROL OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACE WATERS 53MANCE G (1984) Derivation of environmental quality objectives <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards for black <strong>and</strong> grey listsubstances. Chem Ind (London), 509.SCOTTISH DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (1985) Implementation of EC Directive 76/464/EEC:Pollution caused by certa<strong>in</strong> dangerous substances discharged <strong>in</strong>to the aquatic environment of the Community.Circular 34/1985, 29 November.ZABEL T F, SEAGER J <strong>and</strong> OAKLEY S D (1988) Proposed environmental quality st<strong>and</strong>ards for List IIsubstances <strong>in</strong> water: organot<strong>in</strong>s. <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre Technical Report TR 255, Medmenham. March.


PART IIDesign <strong>and</strong> constructionof plant


Chapter 6THE GREATER LYON EMERGENCYWATER INSTALLATIONSM Delaye <strong>and</strong> C Abgrall (Compagnie Générale des Eaux, Lyon,France)THE VULNERABILITY OF THE LYONS CONURBATIONGreater Lyons is supplied with practically the whole of its dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water from the undergroundriver situated beneath the River Rhône. A huge area of 300 hectares, located North-East ofLyons <strong>and</strong> 5 kilometres from the Place Bellecour, conta<strong>in</strong>s over 130 wells <strong>in</strong> operation; water<strong>in</strong>filtrates from the river <strong>and</strong> alluvial deposits, which possess excellent filter<strong>in</strong>g properties,ensure that this water is purified by a natural process.Correct operation of this water catchment system is thus highly dependent on the quality ofwater from the River Rhône, <strong>and</strong> could be endangered by any accidental dump<strong>in</strong>g of chemicals<strong>in</strong> the river. It is common knowledge that the risk of this type of accident cannot be completelyexcluded.©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 57–6057


58 WATER TREATMENT


GREATER LYON EMERGENCY WATER INSTALLATIONS 59THE DECISION TO CONSTRUCT EMERGENCY WATER INSTALLATIONSFor this reason, <strong>in</strong> 1984 the Greater Lyons Council decided to set up emergency resources,which would make it possible to <strong>in</strong>terrupt pump<strong>in</strong>g operations <strong>in</strong> the catchment area dur<strong>in</strong>gthe passage downriver of the pollution slick. The capacity of the emergency water <strong>in</strong>stallations(150,000 cubic metres/day) was def<strong>in</strong>ed follow<strong>in</strong>g studies carried out on the risks of pollution<strong>and</strong> the correspond<strong>in</strong>g durations of <strong>in</strong>terruptions to water gather<strong>in</strong>g operations, it be<strong>in</strong>gunderstood, that low-priority water consumation (for the purposes of water<strong>in</strong>g, road wash<strong>in</strong>getc…) will be suspended dur<strong>in</strong>g the passage downriver of the pollution.Amongst the different solutions exam<strong>in</strong>ed, that <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g treatment of water from Lake Miribel-Jonage quickly emerged as the best choice, from both a technical <strong>and</strong> economic st<strong>and</strong>po<strong>in</strong>t.This lake, recently created, is a result of careffully-coord<strong>in</strong>ated extraction of alluvial depositsas part of a project for the development of a site for leisure activities. Located to the North-East of Lyons, it features a capacity of 7 000 000 cubic metres (which will eventually be<strong>in</strong>creased to 12 000 000 cubic metres) of water with highly satisfactory bacteriological <strong>and</strong>chemical characteristics.Given the geographical location of the lake, the logic beh<strong>in</strong>d the project is quite straightforward:Untreated water is drawn from the South-West side of the lake, <strong>and</strong> sent by a pump<strong>in</strong>gstationalong a pipe 1,10 metres <strong>in</strong> diameter to the treatment-plant, which is located <strong>in</strong>Rillieux, next to the Miribel canal. Treated water is returned to the catchment field pump<strong>in</strong>gnetwork, which means that the primary pump<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stallations of the conurbation can beused.The development of this project was entrusted to the “Compagnie Générale des Eaux”, aspart of a concession agreement for construction <strong>and</strong> operation of the project.TREATMENT PROCESSThe treatment process is of course adapted to suit characteristics of lake water.The Rillieux plant is thus the first <strong>in</strong>stallation of its size to use the ozoflotation techniquedeveloped by OTV, which is particularly suited to elim<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g algae <strong>and</strong> other suspendedparticles: although Lake Miribel does not for the time be<strong>in</strong>g give rise to any worries on thisaccount, algae development rema<strong>in</strong>s a constant threat to lake water.This process, which is carried out at the start of treatment operations, comes after flocculationwith ferric chloride followed by flash mix<strong>in</strong>g. The pr<strong>in</strong>ciple is as follows (see diagram below).<strong>Water</strong> overflow <strong>in</strong>to the ozonation compartment: porous plates diffus<strong>in</strong>g ozone are sweptalong by a stream of water, caus<strong>in</strong>g t<strong>in</strong>y bubbles to be created. This t<strong>in</strong>y bubbles are dragged<strong>in</strong>to the second compartment (flotation compartment), trapp<strong>in</strong>g a very hight proportion offloat<strong>in</strong>g particles <strong>and</strong> ensur<strong>in</strong>g optimum ozone transfer. The treated water exits from base ofthe flotation compartment <strong>and</strong> rejo<strong>in</strong>s the outlet channel.Periodic evacuation of impurities is carried out by rais<strong>in</strong>g the level of the water <strong>and</strong> us<strong>in</strong>g atransversal stream of water to sweep away the foam.The water is subsequently filtred by a battery of 9 tw<strong>in</strong>-layer “anthracites<strong>and</strong>” filters, afterwhich it undergoes a f<strong>in</strong>al ozonation process before enter<strong>in</strong>g the two 3 000 cubic metre tanksfor treated water. These tanks constitue the buffer storage of the <strong>in</strong>stallation <strong>and</strong> are used forbash wash<strong>in</strong>g the filters as well as for immediate start-up of the treatment plant.Sludge com<strong>in</strong>g from the ozoflotation process <strong>and</strong> from the filters is treated with the aid of arevolv<strong>in</strong>g blade thickener/clarifier followed by a belt-filter; this process makes it possible toreach a dry content value of over 25 %.One aspect related to the production of ozone is worthy of note: the ozone used here isproduced not from air but from pure oxygen, via a battery of two ozoniz<strong>in</strong>g devices.


60 WATER TREATMENTThis orig<strong>in</strong>al solution, which makes for easier start-up of the plant, is particulary suited to anemergency <strong>in</strong>stallation dest<strong>in</strong>ed for sporadic use.OPERATION OF THE PLANTTo guarantee perfect reliability-a vital objective for emergency equipmentthe <strong>in</strong>stallation willoperate four times a week <strong>in</strong> normal conditions. In addition, a water recirculation system hasalso been developed, enabl<strong>in</strong>g the plant to operate us<strong>in</strong>g its own water; this is to ensure thatthe processed water stored <strong>in</strong> the thanks rema<strong>in</strong>s at an optimal level of quality <strong>and</strong> to authorisethe immediate start-up of supply by the plant.The speed of operation of this type of emergency <strong>in</strong>stallation is obviously of the utmostimportance. In the event of pollution, the Rillieux plant, which is completely automated, willbe put <strong>in</strong>to service by remote-control from the central Croix-Luizet Station, which also controlsthe other production <strong>in</strong>stallations <strong>and</strong> the pump<strong>in</strong>g-stations.Accidental pollution will be detected by a warn<strong>in</strong>g station equipped with cont<strong>in</strong>uous analysers,located <strong>in</strong> Jons (20 kilometres upstream of the catchmen area). The presence of this stationhowever serves only to complement the usual channels for transmission of an alert which willsignal the presence of pollution before it reaches Jons.Collaboration with <strong>in</strong>dustrialists, which began at the moment of <strong>in</strong>itial risk studies, is thusbound to cont<strong>in</strong>ue. Such collaboration will also make it easier to h<strong>and</strong>le crisis situations,thanks to an improved knowledge of possible polluants <strong>and</strong> the fact that the variousparticipants have been made aware quickly <strong>and</strong> precisely.In conclusion, the development of the Rillieux emergency plant undoubtedly constitues amajor step forward regard<strong>in</strong>g a reliable supply of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water for the Lyons conurbation. Atechnological first thanks to its ozoflotation process it represents a break—for reasons ofsafety—with an age-old tradition <strong>in</strong> Lyons, namely the exclusive use of underground water.


Chapter 7EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR THEEXPLOITATION OF A PURIFICATIONSTATION: ORAGE (COMPUTER AIDFOR THE MANAGEMENT OFPURIFICATION)M Mansat (Greater Lyon Council, Lyon, France)Purification Station of MEYZIEU belong<strong>in</strong>g tothe LYON Metropolitan AuthorityS<strong>in</strong>ce its creation <strong>in</strong> 1969, the Sanitation Department of the Lyon MetropolitanAuthority (COURLY) ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s preferential deel<strong>in</strong>gs with OTV Company (Omniumof <strong>Treatment</strong> <strong>and</strong> Valorization), a branch of the General Company of <strong>Water</strong> (C.G.E).This Company has <strong>in</strong>deed co-operated <strong>in</strong> the build<strong>in</strong>g of two important purificationstations of Courly:– ST FONS on the left bank of the Rhône river (700 000 Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab.)– PIERRE-BENITE on the right bank of the Rhône (475 000 Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab.).OTV is also runn<strong>in</strong>g, on behalf of the Sanitation Department <strong>and</strong> together with BTACompany, the purification Station of ST FONS.Moreover, <strong>in</strong> 1988, OTV had been choosen as the pilot of a group <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g CGEEfor Electricity <strong>and</strong> MAIA-SONNIER for civil eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> charge of the build<strong>in</strong>gof a new purification Station <strong>in</strong> MEYZIEU.The fill<strong>in</strong>g of this station (capacity of 35 000 Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab. with a possibility of extentionto 50 000 Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab.) has been done by the end of 1989.This plant, modernly conceived <strong>and</strong> highly automated, has:• a classical pre-treatment,• a primary treatment made up of 2 lamellar decant<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es,• a biological treatment with 4 underwater bacterial filters made by OTV<strong>and</strong> called BIOCARBONE.The mud treatment is done via a thicken<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> 2 strip-filters aim<strong>in</strong>g atdesiccat<strong>in</strong>g muds before their dispatch<strong>in</strong>g to the purification station <strong>in</strong> PIERRE-BENITE where they will be burnt.Moreover, the Sanitation Department, aim<strong>in</strong>g at a strict management, tries to f<strong>in</strong>dmeans of curb<strong>in</strong>g expenses at best <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> particular its development problems.So it was a good opportunity for <strong>in</strong>novat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the field of purification stationsdevelopment, by putt<strong>in</strong>g together all skills of both OTV <strong>and</strong> COURLY’S Sanitation©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 61–6661


62 WATER TREATMENTDepartment, the first one regard<strong>in</strong>g technology <strong>and</strong> purification eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>the latter for management <strong>and</strong> runn<strong>in</strong>g of the Sanitation network <strong>and</strong> Stations.That’s why, it came from a common agreement to set up, on the purification Station<strong>in</strong> MEYZIEU, an expert system which helps <strong>in</strong> tak<strong>in</strong>g decisions.The Sanitation Department scope of powers:With an annual budget of about 500 MF <strong>and</strong> a manpower of 625 persons, the SanitationDepartment gets all powers regard<strong>in</strong>g Sanitation on COURLY’S area:– surveys <strong>and</strong> plans,– build<strong>in</strong>g of networks <strong>and</strong> purification stations– development of the network <strong>and</strong> purification stations.In that way, it has to adm<strong>in</strong>istrate:– 2 200 km of unitary collectors, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g 700 km which can be <strong>in</strong>spected,– 25 stations for the pickup of waste water,– 9 purification stations represent<strong>in</strong>g a total capacity of about 1 500 000Eq/<strong>in</strong>hab.Why implement<strong>in</strong>g an expert system?To help its management, the Sanitation Department developed a special system to:– curb <strong>and</strong> reduce operat<strong>in</strong>g costs,– widen its knowledge about exist<strong>in</strong>g equipments <strong>and</strong> improve the ability ofdeal<strong>in</strong>g with ra<strong>in</strong>y periods.These tools are:– a mathematical device (SERAIL), allow<strong>in</strong>g the rekon<strong>in</strong>g of theoretic flows<strong>in</strong> every po<strong>in</strong>t of the Sanitation network dur<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>in</strong>y periods of a given<strong>in</strong>tensity,– a computer file mention<strong>in</strong>g all manufacturers <strong>and</strong> their present or possiblerejections <strong>in</strong> the network,– an urban data base (SUR: Urban Reference System),– a teleprocess<strong>in</strong>g system for purification <strong>and</strong> pickup stations to which aregiven all pluviometric <strong>and</strong> exploitation measures,– an analytic accountancy for calculat<strong>in</strong>g cost prices <strong>and</strong> ratios.However sophisticated <strong>and</strong> perform<strong>in</strong>g tools may be, their implementation <strong>and</strong> uselead to two f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs:1) The knowledge about the network <strong>and</strong> stations operation has improved alot but there are few or no means of hav<strong>in</strong>g a rational <strong>in</strong>fluence on them:Storm Spillways are not, or slighthy, automated <strong>and</strong> present manufacturedpurification stations are not equipped with mach<strong>in</strong>es fitted to modify theiroutput <strong>and</strong> their impact on natural environnement.2) Information, measures <strong>and</strong> signs devices deliver so much data that it isimpossible for the operat<strong>in</strong>g man to collect them all at a precise moment<strong>and</strong> then, even if he got them, he wouldn’t have enough <strong>in</strong>tellectualcapacities to do the treatment <strong>and</strong> synthesis.That’s why <strong>in</strong> the purification station of MEYZIEU—which is equipped with thenecessary mach<strong>in</strong>es able to modify its output <strong>and</strong> impact on environnement—it was


EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR PURIFICATION STATION 63decided to set up an expert system that will give the operat<strong>in</strong>g man, thanks to itscomputation power <strong>and</strong> its swiftness <strong>in</strong> synthesiz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation, necessary elementsto make the manag<strong>in</strong>g decisions.Summary description of the station <strong>in</strong> Meyzieu (See diagram).I— PART OF THE EXPERT SYSTEM:Us<strong>in</strong>g a classical screen <strong>and</strong> a keyboard, the operator simulates the evolution ofthe station state for a day, a week or more.The operator must give the follow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation to the system:– the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g date of simulation,– scheduled precipitation (date, hour, <strong>in</strong>tensity)– number of decant<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es, biocarbone filters <strong>and</strong> strip-filters <strong>in</strong> use.At first, the system displays on the screen the follow<strong>in</strong>g graphs, accord<strong>in</strong>g to thetime (hour by hour <strong>and</strong> day by day):– flow at the station entrance– BOD, COD <strong>and</strong> MS concentration <strong>in</strong> primary water, decanted water <strong>and</strong>treated water– Mass of mud <strong>in</strong> the thicken<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e– Dates <strong>and</strong> hours when to do the wash<strong>in</strong>g of each biocarbone filter– Operat<strong>in</strong>g duration <strong>and</strong> frequency of mud dehydration (<strong>and</strong> number ofmach<strong>in</strong>es to be used simultaneously or not).From these graphs, the operator can do, <strong>in</strong> a second time, simulations which willallow a better management of the station.For each simutation, the same graphs-as above mentioned-will be displayed on thescreen.Thus, the operator can on dem<strong>and</strong>:• Simulate a bypass of primary water or decanted water (the bypass opensfrom 0 to 100 %).• Simulate a stop (for ma<strong>in</strong>tenance, sav<strong>in</strong>g or lack of manpower) of 1, 2, 3or 4 biocarbone filters, a lamellar decant<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e, 1 or 2 strip filters.• Simulate an additional feed of water or pollution <strong>in</strong> the station.Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the results given by the system dur<strong>in</strong>g simulations, the operator canbe led to take the follow<strong>in</strong>g decisions:– to manage the available manpower accord<strong>in</strong>g to circumstances: clean<strong>in</strong>gout or dehydration tasks on most favourable dates;– to manage the wash<strong>in</strong>g of filters or to carry out “m<strong>in</strong>i-wask<strong>in</strong>g” at mostpropitious dates <strong>and</strong> hours: electricity costs, sanitation output, etc…– to manage the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of the constituent elements of the station: adecant<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e stop for ma<strong>in</strong>tenance, a strip—filter stop, etc…– to be able to know, at any time <strong>and</strong> accord<strong>in</strong>g to the pluviometry, on oneh<strong>and</strong> which flow must be treated biologically <strong>and</strong> on the other h<strong>and</strong> byprimary process<strong>in</strong>g to respect the rejection st<strong>and</strong>ards;– to stop or set <strong>in</strong> action some biocarbone filters, some decant<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es,to open or shut more or less bypasses <strong>in</strong> order to save <strong>in</strong> particular theelectrical energy consumption <strong>and</strong> also to change the purification ouput ofthe station accord<strong>in</strong>g to the state of the river;


64 WATER TREATMENT– to avoid the muds to stay too long <strong>in</strong> the thicken<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> thereforethe emission of bad odors;– to carry out the muds dehydration when they can be conveyed quickly tothe purification station <strong>in</strong> PIERRE-BENITE to be burnt <strong>and</strong> when the furnacecapacity is enough to receive them without any problem.II— TECHNICAL DATA:– a PS 2 IBM computer Model 70 with a keyboard– number of rules: 100– software: OTV—Inference motor NEXPERT (Neurone—Data)Except the rules’ base of a classical expert system, algorhythms were drawn up byOTV Company. These algorhythms l<strong>in</strong>k entries <strong>and</strong> exits of the different plant’sconstituent elements (decant<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> thicken<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>es, biocarbone filters). Forexample, <strong>in</strong> a biological treatment: to a given entry (flow, MS, BOD, COD) <strong>and</strong> agiven clogg<strong>in</strong>g of the filter, you get a correspond<strong>in</strong>g exit, <strong>and</strong> it occurs a givenadditional clogg<strong>in</strong>g.III— FIGURES AND INFORMATION GIVEN TO THE SYSTEM:When the system was first set up, due to a lack of measures really done, only thefollow<strong>in</strong>g graphs were entered <strong>in</strong> the system memory:– flow=f (t) accord<strong>in</strong>g to the weekday <strong>and</strong> a given <strong>in</strong>tensity ra<strong>in</strong>* It is presently possible because the sanitation station of Meyzieu receives waterfrom only one bas<strong>in</strong>, of small capacity <strong>and</strong> relatively homogeneous.– BOD, COD, SM pollution=f (t) accord<strong>in</strong>g to the weekday <strong>and</strong> the ra<strong>in</strong>.These graphs are made out from statistics realized thanks to real measures takenon the network lead<strong>in</strong>g to the station.Later on, the attribute of an expert system aim<strong>in</strong>g at the data base development,the station collectors will improve graphs by giv<strong>in</strong>g real figures on flow <strong>and</strong> pollution.Here are the scheduled collectors:– Decanted water temperature– Decanted water COD– Treated water COD– Primary water COD– Decanted water SM– Treated water SM– Primary water SM– Concentration of drawn off muds– Concentration of thickened muds– Mud film <strong>in</strong> the thicken<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e– Flow of Jonage Canal (river where the reject is done)– Flow measure of primary water


EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR PURIFICATION STATION 65– Flow measure of water accepted <strong>in</strong> primary treatment– Flow measure of water accepted <strong>in</strong> biological treatment.FUTURE PROSPECTS:• The expert system set up <strong>in</strong> Meyzieu works most certa<strong>in</strong>ly on figures based on dry<strong>and</strong> polluted period flows that can be considered as reliable because they areestablished from statistics <strong>and</strong> real measures.However, the <strong>in</strong>fluence of pluviometry on these values can’t be determ<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>advance. The operator can only give, manually to the system, short term <strong>and</strong> relativelyuncerta<strong>in</strong> weather forecasts.Later on, the use of radar will allow future projections to be more strict <strong>and</strong> morereliable.– Moreover, we can expect that the implementation of the first system <strong>in</strong> thepurification station of Meyzieu will be followed by others <strong>in</strong> the 8 rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g plantsof COURLY.It will be a means to manage the whole sanitation network, to privilege or not somefeed<strong>in</strong>g bas<strong>in</strong>s rather than others, <strong>in</strong> order to reduce the runn<strong>in</strong>g cost <strong>and</strong> have abetter control over rejection <strong>in</strong> natural environment.The <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g control over the management of purification stations <strong>and</strong> stormspillways <strong>and</strong> the cont<strong>in</strong>uous <strong>and</strong> immediate knowledge about the pollution released<strong>in</strong> the environment, should prompt official authorities (Shipp<strong>in</strong>g Department, Bas<strong>in</strong>Agencies, etc…) to modify the rejection st<strong>and</strong>ards dictated to operators <strong>in</strong> sanitationnetworks. It seems <strong>in</strong>deed rational to have an optimum output <strong>in</strong> purification whenthe river receiv<strong>in</strong>g the reject is at its lowest level <strong>and</strong> though purification performancescan drop when the river is <strong>in</strong> spate.F<strong>in</strong>ally, for the conception, realization <strong>and</strong> adjust<strong>in</strong>g of this expert system, the OTVCompany <strong>and</strong> the Sanitation Department of COURLY have done great f<strong>in</strong>ancial<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>tellectual <strong>in</strong>vestments.It would be a pity to keep this expert system confidential <strong>and</strong> without evolution;therefore, OTV <strong>and</strong> the Sanitation Department of COURLY have set up an EconomicalInterest Group (GIE) which goals are:– to promote this k<strong>in</strong>d of system <strong>in</strong> other purification stations either <strong>in</strong>France or abroad;– to help the operators <strong>in</strong> def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g their needs, <strong>in</strong> conceiv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> adjust<strong>in</strong>gthis system helpful <strong>in</strong> tak<strong>in</strong>g decisions.


PART IIIPlant development


Chapter 8APPLYING TECHNOLOGY TO THEBOTTOM LINE IN A PRIVATISEDENVIRONMENTA E White (Biwater Ltd, UK)State-of-the-Art Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the Public Sector has often become anecessity to preserve Pride of PlaceA 25,000 m3 /day treatment works, with similar <strong>in</strong>fluent <strong>and</strong> effluent,designed <strong>and</strong> constructed <strong>in</strong> the North of Engl<strong>and</strong> can cost 50% of the costof a plant of identical capacity <strong>in</strong> Southern Engl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> vice versa.The difference <strong>in</strong> cost <strong>in</strong> this hypothetical, but real, example is the approachby the Eng<strong>in</strong>eer/Architect. Leav<strong>in</strong>g aside the cost of delay of a possible 12months caused by a ‘one off’ design, it is still the case today that manyprojects are costly because they become monuments to the Eng<strong>in</strong>eerresponsible. This approach is fostered <strong>and</strong> encouraged <strong>in</strong>directly by ourown Institution whose ‘visit to a works’ such as that proposed for thisafternoon, can foster an excellence of construction <strong>and</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ish, coupled withthe latest ‘state of the art’ technology, way out of commercial reason <strong>and</strong>justification.The privatised, competitive environment will not permit Eng<strong>in</strong>eers tobuild bridges with supports at one metre centres <strong>in</strong> titaniumConsult<strong>in</strong>g Eng<strong>in</strong>eers cannot escape similar criticism where over—eng<strong>in</strong>eered design means self protection beyond that required by technicaleng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g prudence.<strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> sewage treatment plant build<strong>in</strong>gs, when designed by Architects,have, on occasions, emphasised st<strong>and</strong>ards of f<strong>in</strong>ish appropriate to newGeneral Hospitals. This is not only unnecessary but unforgiveable especiallywhen it is at the expense of mechanical equipment <strong>in</strong> the ‘operat<strong>in</strong>g theatre’.There will be few eng<strong>in</strong>eers here today who will not be able to po<strong>in</strong>t toexamples <strong>in</strong> their own Authorities or Company where ‘appearance <strong>and</strong>© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 69–7469


70 WATER TREATMENTtechnical excellence’ is out of step with commercial reality. Cover<strong>in</strong>g rapidgravity filters, til<strong>in</strong>g of pump<strong>in</strong>g stations, <strong>and</strong> concrete <strong>in</strong> preference tosteel must become cost effective as well as technical niceties.New technology <strong>in</strong> a fiercely commercial environment will <strong>in</strong>troduce valueeng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g on a new scaleWe are now <strong>in</strong> a fiercely commercial environment not because we have acompetitor, as the monopoly is still <strong>in</strong>tact, but when a neighbour<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong>Company Ltd is supply<strong>in</strong>g its consumers with water at half the tariff of anAuthority plc, questions will be asked not only by the consumers but byshareholders.The <strong>in</strong>troduction of a “fully automated works” or “total telemetry” will nowonly proceed if the ‘rate of return’ on the capital required can be justifiedover that for a manual or semi-manual operation. Can we, as Eng<strong>in</strong>eers,use our skills, not to provide that which is technically best but to provide asafe m<strong>in</strong>imum of technical design that we can justify both <strong>in</strong> terms of safety<strong>and</strong> cost.We have accepted plastic technology as a cheaper alternative to steel oriron but as eng<strong>in</strong>eers this still took some swallow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> has taken nearly20 years to be fully accepted.Ours is an old fashioned <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>and</strong> change does not come easily especiallywhere our consumers’ health is at risk but today we need to lead with theimplementation of new technology.Capital needs to be conserved <strong>and</strong> its expenditure fully justified which shouldcatapult our conservative <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>in</strong>to lead<strong>in</strong>g with new technology wherecapital or runn<strong>in</strong>g costs can be safely cut.Costs per capita will <strong>in</strong>troduce f<strong>in</strong>ancial eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g as the first criteriafor designs which are required to meet only the m<strong>in</strong>imum environmentalst<strong>and</strong>ards of the day.Export<strong>in</strong>g eng<strong>in</strong>eers <strong>and</strong> contractors have had to demonstrate talents forf<strong>in</strong>ancial eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g to enable their clients to not only have the mostattractive offer but often to enable their Clients to proceed at all.Technology can enable f<strong>in</strong>ancial eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g to give a third world client amore expensive plant at a cheaper price e.g.The same <strong>Treatment</strong> Plant:


APPLYING TECHNOLOGY IN A PRIVATISED ENVIRONMENT 71The same balance of technology versus f<strong>in</strong>ance will be applied <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly<strong>in</strong> the UK <strong>and</strong> eventually throughout Europe where a ‘commercial return’versus the required environmental st<strong>and</strong>ard will become the order of theday. An example of this, but with non-concrete alternatives (on the groundsof cost <strong>and</strong> not f<strong>in</strong>ance) is as follows:A one million gallon (4,500m 3 ) open tank (reservoir/settl<strong>in</strong>g tank/hold<strong>in</strong>gtank etc)Concrete floor & glass-coated steel walls £75,145Concrete floor & concrete walls £135,440These examples are not high technology but meet their commercial <strong>and</strong>technical objectives at substantially lower cost.Effluent quality has never before come under the microscope to the extentthat is called for today <strong>and</strong> vast capital expenditure is required to br<strong>in</strong>gEEC effluent st<strong>and</strong>ards up to those set by the EEC. It is therefore importantnot only from the capital cost criteria but for those of ma<strong>in</strong>tenance <strong>and</strong>operation that designs are st<strong>and</strong>ardised.Basic technology can show a revival rather than a decl<strong>in</strong>e where the “man<strong>in</strong> a van” is cheaper for both plant operation <strong>and</strong> data record<strong>in</strong>g than thecost of capital required to provide remote operation <strong>and</strong> data supply.Conversely, despite the efficiency <strong>and</strong> economy of exist<strong>in</strong>g slow s<strong>and</strong> filters,for example, the value of the l<strong>and</strong> used could be better applied by the use ofhigher rate filtration to show a nett capital ga<strong>in</strong> to reduce future or exist<strong>in</strong>gborrow<strong>in</strong>g.New technology <strong>in</strong> low-head crossflow turb<strong>in</strong>es have <strong>in</strong>creased their use<strong>and</strong> viability on river weirs, night charg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> outfalls:


72 WATER TREATMENTLow Head Filtration. The cont<strong>in</strong>ual Automatic Backwash<strong>in</strong>g Filterrepresents new technology <strong>in</strong> the UK <strong>Water</strong> Industry as it is based on “LowHead” filtration. It comb<strong>in</strong>es a new approach to filter<strong>in</strong>g, which dramaticallyreduces capital <strong>and</strong> runn<strong>in</strong>g costs, with a modular dynamic backwash<strong>in</strong>gsystem. The package is very efficient <strong>in</strong> regard to space utilisation; thestructures are simple to construct <strong>and</strong> sav<strong>in</strong>gs of up to 20% can be achievedwhen compared with conventional rapid gravity filters. The units are fullyautomatic <strong>and</strong> self-conta<strong>in</strong>ed. Where mann<strong>in</strong>g levels are m<strong>in</strong>imised,automation costs can escalate but not with this filter. Up to 50% sav<strong>in</strong>gscan be realised by the use of a st<strong>and</strong>ardised Programmable Logic Controllerthat sequences the unit <strong>and</strong> is able to monitor performance. The low totalpower <strong>and</strong> low <strong>in</strong>stantaneous backwash flow mean further sav<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong>peripherals such as cabl<strong>in</strong>g, transformers <strong>and</strong> wash water h<strong>and</strong>l<strong>in</strong>g.Similarly, because wash water is derived direct from the filtered waterchannel, there need be no washwater storage tank.Pellet Reactors. Soften<strong>in</strong>g of bulk water supplies has always produced, asa by-product, large volumes of sludge that present significant problems ofdisposal. Traditional systems are also limited by low settl<strong>in</strong>g velocities orhigh replacement cost of res<strong>in</strong>s. Both of these are overcome with pelletreactor soften<strong>in</strong>g—the immediate benefits be<strong>in</strong>g more efficient use of sitearea <strong>and</strong> an easily h<strong>and</strong>led, self dewater<strong>in</strong>g sludge (<strong>in</strong> the form of hardspherical pellets). Because it is a high rate process (approximately 10 timesfaster than conventional lime systems) based on s<strong>and</strong> seeded fluidised bedpr<strong>in</strong>ciples, it is also easier to control <strong>and</strong> automate—this added robustnessactually simplifies runn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> therefore allows economies <strong>in</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>gcosts. Over the life of the plant, sav<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> the order of 10–15% can beexpected—the larger the works the greater the proportional sav<strong>in</strong>gs.Hybrid Sewage <strong>Treatment</strong>. Energy efficient processes have been developedwhich reduce operat<strong>in</strong>g costs by up to 25% over conventional methods.Mechanical surface aeration is known to be more efficient over the earlystages of the aeration process, whilst f<strong>in</strong>e bubble diffused air systems havepeak efficiency later <strong>in</strong> the aeration process when the basic pollut<strong>in</strong>g matterhas begun to break down. By carefully comb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the two processes <strong>in</strong>to ahybrid system we can produce a plant <strong>in</strong> which the aeration process efficiencyis cont<strong>in</strong>ually maximised.The Biwater Tower<strong>Advances</strong> <strong>in</strong> water treatment <strong>and</strong> environmental management are, of course,utilised totally differently whether <strong>in</strong> Europe, or, say, the Third World.The Biwater Tower is one example of an advance <strong>in</strong> water treatment whichcould have a substantial impact on Third World development. It streaml<strong>in</strong>esa conventional water supply system by omitt<strong>in</strong>g double pump<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> a


APPLYING TECHNOLOGY IN A PRIVATISED ENVIRONMENT 73clear water hold<strong>in</strong>g tank. The speed with which this advanced form of watertreatment plant can be <strong>in</strong>stalled enables a complete State or Region to becompletely serviced by piped, treated water with<strong>in</strong> a period as short as 12months. The “advance” enables fabrication both overseas or <strong>in</strong> the recipientmarket dependent on the availability of local steel plate or off-shore fund<strong>in</strong>g.To date nearly 200 of these Towers have been <strong>in</strong>stalled <strong>in</strong> West Africa <strong>and</strong>the Far East <strong>and</strong> are <strong>in</strong>corporated with<strong>in</strong> projects totall<strong>in</strong>g over $500 million.The smallest Tower, which can be erected <strong>in</strong> one day, can be suppliedcomplete for approximately $25,000.To over-simplify the benefits of the Tower, it can be said that it is aconventional reservoir with a water treatment plant supplied free ofadditional cost!Where 2/3rds of the world are still without piped, treated water, this advance<strong>in</strong> water treatment will make a substantial impact because of its simplicityof operation as the whole unit’s basic function is operated by one multiportvalve.The Tower is not an advance <strong>in</strong> water technology as conventionalsedimentation <strong>and</strong> filtration rates are used.The environmental impact of the conventional re<strong>in</strong>forced concreteconstruction is such that it is difficult to remove or enlarge when obsolete,whereas, of course, steel can have an after-life <strong>and</strong> is easily removable.The Biwater Tower is only one <strong>in</strong>stance of dozens of new advances <strong>in</strong> bothwater <strong>and</strong> effluent treatment where eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g excellence has to be balancedwith f<strong>in</strong>ancial eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g to enable both the developed <strong>and</strong> the Third Worldto make piped, treated water affordable.In conclusionProfit now ranks <strong>in</strong> priority with water <strong>and</strong> effluent st<strong>and</strong>ards. The aboveexamples of new technology are but a few of the hundreds of opportunitiesopen to the design eng<strong>in</strong>eer to make every penny spent, count.The true mean<strong>in</strong>g of an ‘eng<strong>in</strong>eer’ is now back <strong>in</strong> fashion.


Chapter 9THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANAERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANTA J Smith, J J Qu<strong>in</strong>n <strong>and</strong> P J Hardy (Thames <strong>Water</strong> plc, Isleworth, UK)ABSTRACT.The Biological Aerated Filter is a comparatively recent development <strong>in</strong> sewagetreatment. This high rate process comprises an aerated submerged packedbed of granular silicatic media with upward or downward wastewater flow.The high specific surface area of the media allows the attachment of a highconcentration of biomass, typically 4 times that found <strong>in</strong> suspended growthsystems. As a result the process requires an aeration tank volumesignificantly smaller than conventional process options. In addition, themajority of suspended solids are removed <strong>in</strong> pass<strong>in</strong>g through the bed <strong>and</strong>f<strong>in</strong>al settlement is not required.A pilot scale evaluation of an aerated treatment filter comb<strong>in</strong>ed with an<strong>in</strong>tegral high rate polish<strong>in</strong>g filter has been carried out for the completetreatment of settled sewage.A good quality effluent with ammoniacal nitrogen concentrations less than2mg/l was achieved at volumetric load<strong>in</strong>g rates of 1.7kg BOD 5 /m 3 .d <strong>and</strong>0.6 kgTKN/m 3 .d.Us<strong>in</strong>g the results from the pilot plant a full scale prefabricated biologicalaerated filter package plant was designed <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stalled at Chesham sewagetreatment works, conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g aeration <strong>and</strong> filtration zones <strong>in</strong> a s<strong>in</strong>gle module.S<strong>in</strong>ce commission<strong>in</strong>g the plant has reliably produced a good quality effluent.1. INTRODUCTIONIncreases <strong>in</strong> population <strong>and</strong> water use <strong>and</strong> improvements <strong>in</strong> effluent <strong>and</strong>river quality st<strong>and</strong>ards require the development of quick-build, cost effectivesolutions to uprate <strong>and</strong> upgrade exist<strong>in</strong>g sewage treatment plant.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 75–8875


76 WATER TREATMENTPublic awareness of both environmental <strong>and</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ancial issues, <strong>and</strong> recentlegislation has re<strong>in</strong>forced the need for high-rate, prefabricated, packagetreatment plant as alternatives to conventional process options. Most currentsewage treatment options <strong>in</strong> the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom are based on aerobicprocesses <strong>in</strong> use s<strong>in</strong>ce the early 1900’s ( 1,2 ).Development has led to <strong>in</strong>creases <strong>in</strong> efficiency <strong>and</strong> quality, however large“aeration” tank volumes, f<strong>in</strong>al settlement <strong>and</strong> tertiary treatment are normallyrequired to produce good quality fully nitrified effluents. As a result theiruse <strong>in</strong> prefabricated package plants is limited by size.A comparatively recent development is the Biological Aerated Filter. Firstpatented <strong>in</strong> North America <strong>in</strong> the early 1970’s (3), a number of commercialvariants are available (Biocarbone(4), Biofor(5)) <strong>and</strong> plants are operational<strong>in</strong> France, Japan <strong>and</strong> North America.Work <strong>in</strong> the UK has been limited. A pilot plant evaluation for carbonaceousoxidation of settled sewage <strong>and</strong> tertiary nitrification of secondary effluent hasbeen carried out by the <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre(6). Further pilot scale work hasbeen carried out by Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> plc(7) <strong>in</strong>to the production of highquality effluents <strong>and</strong> a large scale evaluation for complete treatment on a 1250population equivalent plant has been carried out by Thames <strong>Water</strong>(8).The process comprises a submerged packed bed of granular media. Air is<strong>in</strong>troduced at or near the base with wastewater flow<strong>in</strong>g upwards ordownwards through the bed.The large specific surface area of the media allows the growth of a highconcentration of attached biomass which is responsible for treatment,typically 4 to 5 times that found <strong>in</strong> suspended growth systems. As a resultthe process requires aeration tank volumes significantly smaller thanconventional process options.Table 1 shows a comparison of 5 day Biochemical oxygen dem<strong>and</strong> volumetricload<strong>in</strong>g rates (VLR) for conventional treatment options <strong>and</strong> the biologicalaerated filter. For an equivalent effluent quality, the aerated filter requiresan aeration tank volume approximately 3 times smaller than an activatedsludge plant <strong>and</strong> 20 times smaller than a percolat<strong>in</strong>g filter.In addition to the relatively small aeration tank size, suspended solidsremoval is accomplished throughout the bed <strong>and</strong> effluent quality is oftengood enough to discharge directly to the receiv<strong>in</strong>g watercourse without f<strong>in</strong>alsettlement.Where good quality effluents are required f<strong>in</strong>al effluent polish<strong>in</strong>g can beachieved by a static portion of the bed below an <strong>in</strong>termediate aeration grid,as <strong>in</strong> the Biocarbone process, or by a separate high rate filter.


DEVELOPMENT OF AERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANT 77Table 1Process Volumetric Load<strong>in</strong>g Ratesfor 90% NitrificationNote:1. Volumetric load<strong>in</strong>g rate (VLR) kgBOD 5 /m 3 media.d2. Food to microorganism ratio (F:M) 0.12Mixed liquor solids (MISS) 3500 mg/13. F:M 0.1, MLSS 3500 mg/14. F:M 0.05, MLSS 3500 mg/15. Dependent on total nitrogen VLRInitial work was carried out on a pilot plant at Thames <strong>Water</strong>’s Ash Valeresearch facility. The objective of the study was to obta<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation onthe performance of an aerated flooded filter with separate high rate solidsremoval stage. Us<strong>in</strong>g the process <strong>in</strong>formation ga<strong>in</strong>ed from the pilot plant afull scale aerated filter package plant was designed <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stalled at CheshamSewage <strong>Treatment</strong> works.2. PLANTA schematic of the aerated filter pilot plant is shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.1. The plant isbased on a steel conta<strong>in</strong>er hous<strong>in</strong>g 4 lm x lm x 4m high filter cells with an<strong>in</strong>tegral 4m x 1m x 3m high washwater reservoir. Inlet <strong>and</strong> outlet connectionsare provided to allow each filter to be operated <strong>in</strong>dependently, <strong>in</strong> parallel orseries, as either aerated treatment units or as an upflow or downflow polish<strong>in</strong>gfilter. Process air was supplied from a coarse bubble aeration grid positionedon the false floor above the plenum chamber of each treatment filter.Washwater was supplied through 4 separate submersible pumps mounted<strong>in</strong> the washwater reservoir <strong>and</strong> connected directly to the washwater <strong>in</strong>let ofeach plenum chamber. The backwash air scour was supplied by a s<strong>in</strong>gleblower mounted with<strong>in</strong> the control section of the conta<strong>in</strong>er. Backwash liquorswere removed from the top of each filter by submersible pumps <strong>and</strong> returnedto the ma<strong>in</strong> works <strong>in</strong>let. Valves were electrically actuated by a computerised


78 WATER TREATMENTcontrol system. The backwash cycle could be <strong>in</strong>itiated manually orautomatically on time or headloss with sequence control by contact electrodes.A number of different support media types were evaluated for hardness,biomass attachement <strong>and</strong> headloss development. The media chosencomprised a silicate material with a rough porous structure <strong>and</strong> a 3mmFIGURE 1.


DEVELOPMENT OF AERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANT 79effective gra<strong>in</strong> size. Both treatment <strong>and</strong> polish<strong>in</strong>g filters were filled with thesame media to depths of 2m <strong>and</strong> 1.8m respectively.Screened, degritted raw sewage from the ma<strong>in</strong> works flow was fed to aprimary sedimentation tank. Settled sewage flowed <strong>in</strong>to a hold<strong>in</strong>g tank <strong>and</strong>was pumped from there to the <strong>in</strong>let of each treatment filter.3. METHODThe programme of work for the pilot plant was divided <strong>in</strong>to 2 operationalphases. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the first period the plant was operated with 3 downflowaerated filters treat<strong>in</strong>g the same load with equal air supply, followed by adownflow polish<strong>in</strong>g filter. In the second period the load to 2 of the treatmentfilters was <strong>in</strong>creased, with the third act<strong>in</strong>g as a control on unchanged load.Early results from the pilot plant evaluation showed the feasibility of largersized plant based on an aerated treatment zone followed by an <strong>in</strong>tegral highrate polish<strong>in</strong>g filter.As a result a full scale treatment module was designed <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stalled atChesham sewage treatment works. The performance of the new plant wasmonitored over a period of months.Samples of <strong>in</strong>fluent, treatment filter effluent <strong>and</strong> polish<strong>in</strong>g filter effluentwere taken from the pilot plant, with <strong>in</strong>fluent <strong>and</strong> effluent samples fromthe full-scale plant. The samples were analysed for suspended solids (SS), 5day Allyl Thiourea <strong>in</strong>hibited biochemical oxygen dem<strong>and</strong> (BOD 5 ), totalkjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH 4 -N), nitrite nitrogen (NO 2 -N) <strong>and</strong> nitrate-nitrogen (N0 3 -N).4. RESULTSStart up of the 3 treatment filters was achieved by <strong>in</strong>itial batch aeration ofsettled sewage followed by a period of cont<strong>in</strong>uous low flow. The flow was<strong>in</strong>creased from 5.5 1/m to 16.7 1/m over a 1 month period.Dur<strong>in</strong>g the steady state phase the flow to the treatment filters was keptconstant at 16.7 1/m. All of the flow from the 3 treatment filters was passedto the downflow polish<strong>in</strong>g filter giv<strong>in</strong>g a total flow of 50.1 1/m. These flowsrelate to hydraulic load<strong>in</strong>g rates (HLRs) of 1.0 m/h <strong>and</strong> 3.0 m/h for treatment<strong>and</strong> filtration respectively.The process air flow rate was kept constant at a rate calculated from thestoichiometric oxygen dem<strong>and</strong> for carbonaceous oxidation <strong>and</strong> nitrification<strong>and</strong> an assumed oxygen transfer efficiency.The average volumetric load<strong>in</strong>g rates (VLR) for this period were 0.86 kgBOD5/m 3 .d, 0.18 kg NH 4 -N/m 3 .d <strong>and</strong> 0.36 kg TKN/m 3 .d Effluent quality


80 WATER TREATMENTFIGURE 2


DEVELOPMENT OF AERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANT 81averaged 3.9 mg/l SS, 3.6 mg/l BOD 5 <strong>and</strong> 1.6 mg/l NH 4 -N from the base ofthe treatment filters.The f<strong>in</strong>al effluent from the polish<strong>in</strong>g filter averaged 2.2 mg/l SS, 2.1 mg/lBOD5 <strong>and</strong> 0.7mg/l NH4-N, equivalent to removal rates of 98% SS, 97%BOD 5 <strong>and</strong> 95% NH 4 -N.Although on constant flow the the settled sewage strength varied throughoutthe day subject<strong>in</strong>g the plant to partial diurnal load variation. A number of<strong>in</strong>tensive surveys were carried out by analys<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dividual 24 hourly samplesof <strong>in</strong>fluent <strong>and</strong> effluent. Typical results for Filter 1 are shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.2.Backwash<strong>in</strong>g of the filters was carried out every 24 hours us<strong>in</strong>g a cycledwash sequence <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g periods of air scour, comb<strong>in</strong>ed air <strong>and</strong> water, highrate water <strong>and</strong> a pumped dra<strong>in</strong> down. The volume of effluent used daily forbackwash<strong>in</strong>g was equivalent to 8% of the total flow.Effluent quality from the treatment filters deteriorated immediately afterbackwash<strong>in</strong>g. Typically, suspended solids rose to a maximum of 60mg/l<strong>and</strong> returned to less than 20mg/l 45 m<strong>in</strong>utes after backwash<strong>in</strong>g, asillustrated <strong>in</strong> Fig.3.FIGURE 3F<strong>in</strong>al effluent quality was not affected dur<strong>in</strong>g this period because of theaction of the polish<strong>in</strong>g filter <strong>in</strong> remov<strong>in</strong>g the extra solids <strong>and</strong> the dilutioneffect of the other filters still <strong>in</strong> operation. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the load variation phasethe sewage flow to filters 2 <strong>and</strong> 3 was <strong>in</strong>creased <strong>in</strong> 2 stages. The flow tofilter 1 was kept constant as a control. Each filter was allowed to reachequilibrium over a 7 day period before sampl<strong>in</strong>g. Each operat<strong>in</strong>g periodlasted approximately 21 days. Process air flow to all filters was kept constant.


82 WATER TREATMENTFilter 1 cont<strong>in</strong>ued to produce a good quality effluent with over 90% BOD 5,SS <strong>and</strong> NH 4 -N removal at VLR’s of 1.2–1.3 kg BOD 5 /m3 /d <strong>and</strong> 0.4–0.45 kgTKN/m3 /d. Effluent quality averaged 7 mg/1 BOD5 , 8 mg/1 SS <strong>and</strong> 1.3mg/1 NH 4 -N. Nitrification rema<strong>in</strong>ed close to 90% up to the limit<strong>in</strong>g TKNVLR of 0.6 kg/m3 .d.Above this figure a reduction <strong>in</strong> NH4-N removal efficiency was seen. Themaximum VLR ’ s of 3.85 kgBOD5/m 3 . d <strong>and</strong> 1.35 kgTKN/m 3 .d gave 75%BOD removal <strong>and</strong> 69% solids removal. Nitrification, as <strong>in</strong>dicated by bothNH4-N removal <strong>and</strong> NO3-N formation, was negligible however a 22%reduction <strong>in</strong> TKN was observed.Operat<strong>in</strong>g data <strong>and</strong> plant performance for the 2 periods are given <strong>in</strong> TablesII <strong>and</strong> III.Table IILoad Variation Period 1Filter NumberNote: HLR : Hydraulic load<strong>in</strong>g rate (m/h)HRT : Hydraulic retention time (based on 50% voidage) (m<strong>in</strong>)VLR : Volumetric load<strong>in</strong>g rate kg/m 3 media.d


DEVELOPMENT OF AERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANT 83Table IIILoad Variation Period 2Filter NumberNote: HLR : Hydraulic load<strong>in</strong>g rate (m/h)HRT : Hydraulic retention time (based on 50% voidage) (m<strong>in</strong>)VLR : Volumetric load<strong>in</strong>g rate kg/m 3 media. d5. PACKAGE PLANT DESIGNUs<strong>in</strong>g the data from the pilot plant evaluation a large scale package aeratedfilter plant was designed <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stalled at Chesham sewage treatment works.The plant was based on prefabricated relocatable steel conta<strong>in</strong>ers fortreatment, washwater storage <strong>and</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g, plant control, <strong>and</strong> process<strong>and</strong> backwash air supply.The overall dimensions of each module were governed by the constra<strong>in</strong>tsimposed by transport to site however, an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> treatment capacity ispossible simply by <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the number of treatment units as required.The treatment module comprises an aerated treatment section, high ratedownflow polish<strong>in</strong>g filter <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegral pipework <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument hous<strong>in</strong>g. Aschematic is shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.4.


84 WATER TREATMENTThe tank was constructed from 6mm thick mild steel plate with appropriatestiffen<strong>in</strong>g to allow it to be moved full of media. Based on maximum downflowvelocities a surface area ratio of 6:1 treatment: filtration was used <strong>in</strong> design.The aerated section has 36m3 of exp<strong>and</strong>ed shale media, with 4.5m3 of thesame media <strong>in</strong> the polish<strong>in</strong>g filter.The floor of both filters is made up of 1m2 galvanised steel plates hold<strong>in</strong>gthe filter nozzles. Process air is supplied by an aeration system mounted onthe floor of the treatment zone.Pipework, actuated valves <strong>and</strong> flow measurement of settled sewage, processair, backwash air <strong>and</strong> wash water are mounted <strong>in</strong> a hous<strong>in</strong>g attached toone end of the module.6. OPERATIONSettled sewage is pumped from an exist<strong>in</strong>g sump to the <strong>in</strong>let <strong>in</strong> the top of thetreatment section <strong>and</strong> flows down through the aerated media <strong>in</strong>to the plenumchamber. Effluent from the plenum chamber flows up over a high level weir,which ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s the liquid level <strong>in</strong> the treatment filter <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>to the top ofthe polish<strong>in</strong>g filter. The flow passes down through the polish<strong>in</strong>g filter whereexcess solids are removed. F<strong>in</strong>al effluent flows <strong>in</strong>to the washwater storagereservoir <strong>and</strong> out <strong>in</strong>to the receiv<strong>in</strong>g watercourse. Backwash<strong>in</strong>g of bothtreatment <strong>and</strong> polish<strong>in</strong>g filters is carried out simultaneously under automaticcontrol. The backwash sequence <strong>in</strong>volves periods of air scour only, air scourplus low rate water wash <strong>and</strong> high rate wash, as <strong>in</strong> the pilot plant.Although designed as a research <strong>and</strong> development <strong>in</strong>stallation the plant


DEVELOPMENT OF AERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANT 85was required to treat a constant 1000 m3 /d offload from the ma<strong>in</strong> works toa 7mg/l 95 percentile st<strong>and</strong>ard while parts of the exist<strong>in</strong>g works aredemolished to make way for a new oxidation ditch. S<strong>in</strong>ce commission<strong>in</strong>gthe plant has consistantly produced a good quality effluent averag<strong>in</strong>g 13mg/lSS, 14 mg/lBOD5 <strong>and</strong> 3.8 mg/lNH 4 -N. Average VLR’s for the sameperiod were 2.2 kgBOD 5 /m3 .d, 0.37 kgNH4 -N/m3 .d <strong>and</strong> 0.68 kgTKN/m 3 .d.The calculation of VLR was based on the volume of media under aeration.Operat<strong>in</strong>g data for November 1989 is given <strong>in</strong> Table IV. Exam<strong>in</strong>ation of themedia has shown an attached growth of small, th<strong>in</strong> rod bacteria. Exam<strong>in</strong>ationof the backwash liquors has shown a predom<strong>in</strong>ance of Sphaerotilus spp.,Thiothrix spp. <strong>and</strong> Beggiotoa sp. with colonies of Opercularia spp., Carchesiumspp. <strong>and</strong> Vorticella spp. The predom<strong>in</strong>ant species are often associated withlow dissolved oxygen levels or nutrient defficiency(9,10 ).The characteristic grey filamentous growth of Beggiotoa sp. <strong>and</strong> Sphaerotilusspp. were also found on the outlet weir of the treatment unit althoughdissolved oxygen levels <strong>in</strong> the effluent were normaly greater than 2mg/l.Table IVChesham Aerated Filter Package PlantOperat<strong>in</strong>g Data November 1989Note: HLR : Hydraulic load<strong>in</strong>g rate (m/h)HRT : Hydraulic retention time (based on 50% voidage) (m<strong>in</strong>)VLR : Volumetric load<strong>in</strong>g rate kg/m 3 media. d


86 WATER TREATMENTThe supernatant liquid above the bed was similar to the backwash liquoralthough lower <strong>in</strong> suspended solids. At certa<strong>in</strong> times, however it conta<strong>in</strong>eda suspended growth of large light coloured flocs. These flocs comprisedstellate clumps of filaments <strong>in</strong>termeshed with a mass of rod shaped bacteria.The appearance of these flocs corresponded with periods of exceptionaleffluent clarity although no l<strong>in</strong>k with any process or climatic variable wasfound.Backwash<strong>in</strong>g of the filter was carried out every 24 hours or on reach<strong>in</strong>g apredeterm<strong>in</strong>ed loss of head. The volume of washwater used was between5% <strong>and</strong> 8% of the average daily flow.7. CONCLUSIONSThe results from the pilot evaluation <strong>and</strong> full scale plant show that biologicalaerated filters can reliably produce good quality nitrified effluents, provid<strong>in</strong>ga high rate alternative to conventional treatment options.Effluent quality was governed by organic, nitrogen <strong>and</strong> hydraulic load<strong>in</strong>grates. Pilot plant effluent NH 4 -N concentrations rema<strong>in</strong>ed below 2mg/l upto VLR’s of 0.6 Kg TKN/m3 .d. <strong>and</strong> 1.7 Kg BOD5/m 3 .d., with a residencetime of only 40 m<strong>in</strong>utes. Effluent from the full scale package plant averaged13 mg/1 SS, 14 mg/1 BOD 5 , <strong>and</strong> 3.8 mg/1 NH 4 -N at VLR’s of 2.2 kgBOD 5 /m 3 . d <strong>and</strong> 0.68 kgTKN/m 3 d.High concentrations of attached biomass resulted <strong>in</strong> comparatively smallaeration tank volumes <strong>and</strong> no f<strong>in</strong>al settlement was required, mak<strong>in</strong>g theprocess ideal for prefabricated package <strong>in</strong>stallations.Although filamentous organisms were present <strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> above the bed noadverse effect on effluent quality was observed.<strong>Treatment</strong> filter effluent suspended solids <strong>in</strong>creased with <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>ghydraulic <strong>and</strong> organic load<strong>in</strong>g rates. The <strong>in</strong>tegral high-rate tertiary filtrationstage <strong>and</strong> dilution effect from other filters ensured a good quality f<strong>in</strong>al effluentat all times. With less str<strong>in</strong>gent SS <strong>and</strong> BOD 5 st<strong>and</strong>ards the dilution effectalone could ensure the required effluent quality.The separation of treatment <strong>and</strong> filtration allowed a greater aerated beddepth to maximise nitrification <strong>and</strong> optimise f<strong>in</strong>al solids removal. The useof prefabricated steel plant m<strong>in</strong>imises site work <strong>and</strong> reduces the overallconstruction period. Initial estimates have shown a sav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> capital costsover conventional process <strong>and</strong> construction options. In addition, changes


DEVELOPMENT OF AERATED FILTER PACKAGE PLANT 87<strong>in</strong> load or effluent quality requirements can be catered for by <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g ordecreas<strong>in</strong>g the number of treatment modules.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.The work was carried out as part of the Thames <strong>Water</strong> plc Research <strong>and</strong>Development Programme. Thanks are due to Wayne Edwards, Chris Woods<strong>and</strong> Karen Aston for plant operation <strong>and</strong> microbiological analysis. Any viewsexpressed <strong>in</strong> this paper are those of the authors <strong>and</strong> not necessarily thoseof Thames <strong>Water</strong> plc.REFERENCES.1. Ardern, E. <strong>and</strong> Lockett, W.T., 1914, “ Experiments of the Oxidation of Sewage without the Aid ofFilters, Parts I, II <strong>and</strong> III” J.Soc.Chem.Ind., 33, 523.2. Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal, 1908, Fifth Report, H.M. Stationary Office.3. Biological Aerated Filters. Canadian Patent No. 953039, 1974.4. Leglise, J.P., Gilles, P., <strong>and</strong> Moreaud, H., 1980,” A new Development <strong>in</strong> Biological Aerated Filters.”Presented at the 53rd Annual WPCF Conference, Las Vegas.5. Amar, D., Faup, G.M., Richard, Y., <strong>and</strong> Partos, J., 1984, “Epuration aerobie par cultures fixees:Precede Biofor.” Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 7th Symposium on Wastewater <strong>Treatment</strong>, Montreal, Canada.6. Dillon, G.R., <strong>and</strong> Thomas, V.K., 1989, “A Pilot Scale Evaluation of the Biocarbone Process for the<strong>Treatment</strong> of Settled Sewage <strong>and</strong> for Tertiary Nitrification of Secondary Effluent.” Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs ofthe IWAPRC/EWPCA Conference on Technological <strong>Advances</strong> <strong>in</strong> Biofilm Reactors, Nice, France.7. Lilly, W., Bourn, G., Crabtree, H., Upton, J., <strong>and</strong> Thomas, V., “The production of high qualityeffluents <strong>in</strong> sewage treatment us<strong>in</strong>g the Biocarbone Process.” Paper presented Inst.Wat.Env.Man.,West Midl<strong>and</strong>s Branch, October 1989.8. Thames <strong>Water</strong>, 1989, “Biocarbone Process Evaluation”, Research <strong>and</strong> Development Internal Report.9. Richard, M., Hao, O., <strong>and</strong> Jenk<strong>in</strong>s, D.,1985,” Growth K<strong>in</strong>etics of Sphaerotilus Species <strong>and</strong> theirsignificance <strong>in</strong> Activated Sludge.” J.<strong>Water</strong> Pollut. Control Fed., 57, 68.10. Hatt<strong>in</strong>gh, W.H.J.,1963,” The Nitrogen <strong>and</strong> Phosphorous requirements of Micro-organisms.” <strong>Water</strong>Waste Treat., 10, 380.


Chapter 10PLANT MONITORING ANDCONTROL SYSTEMS: MAKING THECASE AND MANAGING THEIMPLEMENTATIONM F Williams (Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong>, UK), D L Gartside (Kennedy &Donk<strong>in</strong> Systems Control, UK)ABSTRACT:Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> has <strong>in</strong> excess of 5000 operational siteswhich require the monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> control of mechanical <strong>and</strong>electrical plant.In late 1988 a study was made of the plant monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>control issues which resulted <strong>in</strong> a bus<strong>in</strong>ess case for a telemetrysystem to provide remote monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> control of 3500 sites.Design <strong>and</strong> implementation of the system commenced <strong>in</strong> early1989 with a target for completion by the end of 1992.The Paper describes the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case methodology <strong>and</strong> theproject management techniques used to def<strong>in</strong>e, design <strong>and</strong>implement the system.The Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Case preparation <strong>in</strong>cluded a review ofappropriate design solutions, cost estimates, <strong>in</strong>terfac<strong>in</strong>g ofexist<strong>in</strong>g telemetry <strong>and</strong> ICA systems, implementation <strong>and</strong>programm<strong>in</strong>g issues.This <strong>in</strong>volved use of sample eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g audits of operationalsites to determ<strong>in</strong>e site functionality, exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong>ICA <strong>and</strong> Communications. Overall scheme requirements be<strong>in</strong>gextrapolated us<strong>in</strong>g databases <strong>and</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ancial modell<strong>in</strong>gtechniques.In the design of the scheme, users requirements were satisfiedby produc<strong>in</strong>g design <strong>in</strong>tent documents for Telemetry,Instrumentation, Communication <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>terfaces to ICASchemes. Presentations <strong>and</strong> demonstrations to users were akey feature to obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g user acceptance.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 89–10489


90 WATER TREATMENTINTRODUCTIONModel specifications <strong>and</strong> St<strong>and</strong>ards applicable to the scheme<strong>and</strong> other related projects were produced to fast track theimplementation <strong>and</strong> to maximise exist<strong>in</strong>g capital <strong>in</strong>vestmenton scheme sites.The siteworks <strong>in</strong>volved close coord<strong>in</strong>ation between the systemseng<strong>in</strong>eers <strong>and</strong> operations personnel to enable speedy, efficient<strong>and</strong> progressive completion of activities.Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> provide vital water services to a population of over 8million people <strong>in</strong> over 20 thous<strong>and</strong> square kilometers <strong>in</strong> the centre ofEngl<strong>and</strong>. Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> own of the order of 800 reservoirs, 1000 sewageworks, 40 major water treatment works <strong>and</strong> over 70 thous<strong>and</strong> kilometersof underground ma<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> sewers. The bus<strong>in</strong>ess has an annual turnover ofapproximately 500 million pounds, an annual capital <strong>in</strong>vestment of over160 million pounds <strong>and</strong> employs approximately 8 thous<strong>and</strong> people.Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> is responsible for manag<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>heritance of afragmented, complex network of water supply systems, sewage <strong>and</strong> effluenttreatment plants <strong>and</strong> other associated resources, some of which are overone hundred years old. The organisational structure of Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong>has evolved to support the chang<strong>in</strong>g needs of the bus<strong>in</strong>ess. The bus<strong>in</strong>ess isoperated on firm commercial pr<strong>in</strong>ciples with all new <strong>in</strong>vestment justifiedaga<strong>in</strong>st clearly def<strong>in</strong>ed objectives.Experience of the application of technology to the bus<strong>in</strong>ess has, <strong>in</strong> the past,not been entirely successful. Therefore, to meet the challenge of a majornew <strong>in</strong>itiative for the improved operation of Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong>’s resources,a detailed bus<strong>in</strong>ess case was prepared by a project team compris<strong>in</strong>g SevernTrent <strong>Water</strong> staff, Kennedy <strong>and</strong> Donk<strong>in</strong> Systems Control eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>gconsultants <strong>and</strong> a management consultant. The successful bus<strong>in</strong>ess caseis the basis of an ambitious but realistic programme for the implementationof a Plant Monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> Control System with<strong>in</strong> Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong>.The paper describes the background to the <strong>in</strong>itiative, the methodologyemployed for the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case <strong>and</strong> the design <strong>and</strong> implementationphilosophy for the Plant Monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> Control System.BACKGROUNDThe organisational structure <strong>and</strong> management of Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> haschanged considerably <strong>in</strong> the transformation from local authority control tothat of a private water company. Such changes have <strong>in</strong>cluded staffreductions, a variety of organisational structures <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g concernabout customer expectations <strong>and</strong> environmental legislation.


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 91Aga<strong>in</strong>st this background of change, the 1988 Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> bus<strong>in</strong>essplan states ‘The ma<strong>in</strong> objectives of the organisation are to improve our.services where necessary <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> them over most of the region wherethey are satisfactory’.One of the many ways Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> expects to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> the trend oflower operat<strong>in</strong>g costs is to ‘Ensure that organisational structure isappropriate for the services to be provided <strong>in</strong> the light of improv<strong>in</strong>gtechnology <strong>and</strong> techniques’.Technology <strong>in</strong> the form of telemetry has contributed to the downward trendof operat<strong>in</strong>g costs whilst upgrad<strong>in</strong>g the level of service through an <strong>in</strong>creasedoperational monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> control capability.The present organisational structure provides a clear def<strong>in</strong>ition betweenoperations <strong>and</strong> support services. Fifteen operational districts have beenformed each managed by an accountable District Manager. DistrictManagers <strong>in</strong>herited a variety of <strong>in</strong>strumentation, control <strong>and</strong> telemetrysystems with a wide variance <strong>in</strong> age, capability <strong>and</strong> usefulness. Seven ofthe 15 operat<strong>in</strong>g districts relied on systems which were perceived to begiv<strong>in</strong>g reduced reliability <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>creased cost of ma<strong>in</strong>tenance.Equally Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> were aware, <strong>and</strong> had experienced the pitfalls<strong>and</strong> problems where technology rather than the operational need, determ<strong>in</strong>edthe levels of <strong>in</strong>vestment. Also, with<strong>in</strong> the wider ICA <strong>in</strong>dustry, many casesare reported of project failures due to operator dissatisfaction, <strong>in</strong>creasedcost of ownership, <strong>in</strong>appropriate <strong>and</strong> often over-eng<strong>in</strong>eered design solutions,extended development programmes <strong>and</strong> protracted commission<strong>in</strong>g.Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> adopted a pragmatic <strong>and</strong> bus<strong>in</strong>ess approach to resolv<strong>in</strong>gthe issue of what, if anyth<strong>in</strong>g, was required to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> improve thesupervision <strong>and</strong> management of district sites <strong>and</strong> assets. The pr<strong>in</strong>cipalquestions asked were:(i)(ii)(iii)What are the available solution options?How do they compare?What is the optimum level of <strong>in</strong>vestment commensurate with thebenefits to be obta<strong>in</strong>ed?In September 1988, Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> formed a small project team toaddress the above issues. This team comprised Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong>eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g services, Kennedy <strong>and</strong> Donk<strong>in</strong> Systems Control Ltd (KDSC) aseng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g consultants <strong>and</strong> a management consultant. The project (if <strong>in</strong>deedthere was a need for one), was to be titled ‘The Plant Monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> ControlSystem (PMCS)’.


92 WATER TREATMENTThe project team’s first task was to present the first stage bus<strong>in</strong>ess casereport to the Severn Trent Board of Directors.THE BUSINESS CASEThe core of the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case approach is its emphasis on identify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>achiev<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess objectives. A significant element <strong>in</strong> the approach is theconcentration on operational management <strong>and</strong> recognition of the key roleof District Managers as owners <strong>and</strong> users.Each District Manager has a responsibility to:(i)(ii)(iii)utilise their staff (<strong>and</strong> others as necessary) to def<strong>in</strong>e the need,identify the achievable benefits,directly support the provision of the eventual solution.Considerable effort was expended to change exist<strong>in</strong>g cultural <strong>and</strong>organisational attitudes to this more rigorous <strong>and</strong> ‘fast-track’ approach.Lead by the Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> PMCS Project Manager the team addressedthe follow<strong>in</strong>g areas.The def<strong>in</strong>ition of need <strong>and</strong> opportunity, the project description, the positionof the project <strong>in</strong> relation to the water bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>and</strong> activities, the relationshipwith <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>terface to other capital projects or <strong>in</strong>itiatives <strong>and</strong> the relevanceto the bus<strong>in</strong>ess plan. This report was completed with<strong>in</strong> 2 weeks <strong>and</strong>submitted to the sanction<strong>in</strong>g board on the 21st September 1988.Runn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> parallel with the above activity assessments of potential benefits,design solution options were studied <strong>and</strong> an assessment of risks lead<strong>in</strong>g toa recommended solution was made. This report was complete with<strong>in</strong> 5weeks <strong>and</strong> submitted to the sanction<strong>in</strong>g board on the 13th October 1988.Upon the sanction<strong>in</strong>g board’s agreement to proceed, <strong>and</strong> work<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong>the budget determ<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> allocated at this stage, the next task was toassess <strong>in</strong> detail the first stage of the implementation.This assessment addressed the detailed benefits associated with <strong>and</strong>accounted to each District Manager, detail costs <strong>and</strong> risk assessments,project timescale <strong>and</strong> cash flow projections.The recommendation <strong>in</strong> stage 1 was for a phased implementation acrossthe three areas based on need. Southern Area had the greatest need <strong>and</strong>was to be implemented first, the North <strong>and</strong> East need was almost as great<strong>and</strong> was to follow immediately after the Southern approval. The Western


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 93area need was not great <strong>and</strong> was not scheduled to be started until the othertwo area systems were operational. See Figure 1 <strong>and</strong> 2.The report for the Southern Area of Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> was submitted tothe sanction<strong>in</strong>g board on the 11th November 1988 <strong>and</strong> approval to proceedwas issued on the same day.ANALYSIS OF NEEDSIn the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case approach the needs analysis focused on the operationalneed rather than the desirability of provid<strong>in</strong>g a facility or feature.FIGURE 1—STW—SOUTHERN PMCSFIGURE 2—STW—NORTH EASTERN PMCS


94 WATER TREATMENTThe Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> bus<strong>in</strong>ess plan clearly identified the framework with<strong>in</strong>which operational needs were to be determ<strong>in</strong>ed by def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g two specificobjectives viz:‘Meet quality <strong>and</strong> service level specifications at m<strong>in</strong>imum cost’.‘Remove need for further cost <strong>in</strong>creases <strong>and</strong>, where possible, reduce costsfurther’.Expenditure was to be applied where the greatest step <strong>in</strong> identified benefitwas possible. The preferred solution was to be appraised by its ability toachieve a given level of service at the lowest operat<strong>in</strong>g cost.This implied careful selection of sites <strong>and</strong> the level of signal <strong>and</strong> controlprovision for each site. Each District Manager was responsible for provid<strong>in</strong>gsuch <strong>in</strong>formation from often <strong>in</strong>complete <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>accurate records.To assist <strong>in</strong> the selection <strong>and</strong> def<strong>in</strong>ition of need, the PMCS project team hadconsiderable data available to them cover<strong>in</strong>g similar <strong>in</strong>stallations throughoutthe UK <strong>and</strong> some very accurate detail <strong>in</strong>formation on some 80 Severn Trent<strong>Water</strong> sites.This data, held on computer databases, comprised the follow<strong>in</strong>g typicalfields: site types, levels of signal provision, operational criticality, level ofexist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>vestments <strong>and</strong> benefit potential.For PMCS, at the site level, the operational need was classified as:(a)(b)(c)Alarm only—the occurrence of a def<strong>in</strong>ed abnormal event.Monitor<strong>in</strong>g—the near constant (hourly) surveillance of process <strong>and</strong>plant conditions.Remote control—the ability to start/stop operations on site from aremote location.To assist <strong>in</strong> the evaluation of solutions, two service levels were def<strong>in</strong>ed:(i)(ii)Service levels as provided by exist<strong>in</strong>g telemetry on some 1900 sites.Service levels achieved on (i) provided for 3450 key sites.In addition to the site related need the analysis determ<strong>in</strong>ed the operationalfunctionality required from any technology based solution. For example thetype of displays <strong>and</strong> reports, the archiv<strong>in</strong>g of data <strong>and</strong> the need for operatorassist facilities. Other important issues determ<strong>in</strong>ed at this stage were theuse of shared facilities, ownership <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>tenance, reliability, resilience<strong>and</strong> performance requirements.


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 95In summary, the needs assessment considered some 5600 <strong>in</strong> number sites<strong>in</strong> steps of 20, 40 <strong>and</strong> 70% cover<strong>in</strong>g 70 <strong>in</strong>stallation types. The level ofprovision ranged from simple alarm monitor<strong>in</strong>g to remote monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>control across a mix of <strong>in</strong>stallation types. Aga<strong>in</strong>st operational need thefollow<strong>in</strong>g opportunities were assessed; reduced manpower <strong>and</strong> transportcosts, reduced electricity costs, improved asset management <strong>in</strong>formation,improved customer service <strong>and</strong> improved bus<strong>in</strong>ess management<strong>in</strong>formation.DESIGN SOLUTION OPTIONSFollow<strong>in</strong>g on from the needs analysis, three solution approaches werepursued:(a) do noth<strong>in</strong>g(b) a manual solution(c) a technical solution.The ‘do noth<strong>in</strong>g’ solution was rejected early <strong>in</strong> the project as the solutiondid not allow exist<strong>in</strong>g service levels to be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed.The ‘manual’ solution assumed that all expenditure on exist<strong>in</strong>g telemetrywould cease <strong>and</strong> manpower would be employed to take over the functionsof the exist<strong>in</strong>g telemetry systems as <strong>and</strong> when these systems fail.The ‘technical’ solution <strong>in</strong>volved the provision of telemetry, <strong>in</strong>strumentation<strong>and</strong> site wir<strong>in</strong>g. To address the issue of scale <strong>and</strong> functionality the follow<strong>in</strong>gtechnical solutions were considered:(i) Like for like replacement.(ii) Simple alarm monitor<strong>in</strong>g of some 20% of sites <strong>in</strong> each district.(iii) District based systems capable of a mixed sole functionality over arange 20, 40 <strong>and</strong> 70% of sites.(iv) Area based systems similar to (iii) but with the additional capability ofre-rout<strong>in</strong>g data between operational centres.(v) A regional system us<strong>in</strong>g shared equipment, organisational structure<strong>in</strong>dependent <strong>and</strong> provid<strong>in</strong>g a central service to district managers.With<strong>in</strong> the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case methodology the emphasis on cost versus benefitsrequired that solutions were rigorously appraised with cost accuracies with<strong>in</strong>10–15%.From experience of similar schemes, the PMCS project team realised thatsome 60–70% of the scheme cost would be committed to site related activities,viz. signals, communications, type of outstation. This be<strong>in</strong>g the very areawhere exist<strong>in</strong>g data was at its most <strong>in</strong>complete.


96 WATER TREATMENTVarious telemetry solutions were drafted us<strong>in</strong>g models derived from with<strong>in</strong>the UK water <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>and</strong> elsewhere. The specification of outstationfunctionality <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>put/output size was determ<strong>in</strong>ed us<strong>in</strong>g referencedatabase data of site types <strong>and</strong> likely signal provision <strong>and</strong> perform<strong>in</strong>gstatistical analysis to extract PMCS specific <strong>in</strong>formation. This along withother statistically derived data was then subjected to pilot site audits totest the analysis.The computers <strong>and</strong> workstations components of the various designs wereaga<strong>in</strong> drafted from computer stored records of manufacturers’ quoted <strong>and</strong>recently tendered prices. An important element <strong>in</strong> all designs was theidentification of the need for software development. Clearly some softwaremodification <strong>and</strong> development may have been required, but the impact ofsuch development was to be clearly def<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> the impact onimplementation determ<strong>in</strong>ed.Communications are a key component of all the technical solutionsconsidered. Based on the needs analysis a range of potential solutions wasconsidered.Consistent with most UK schemes, the use of the British Telecom PrivateSwitched Telephone Network, already establshed <strong>in</strong> 90% of outstation totelemetry computer applications was to be the preferred choice. For therema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g communication l<strong>in</strong>es to sites private wire <strong>and</strong> radiocommunication were to be specified. The high level communications wereto be based on the manufacturer <strong>in</strong>dependent protocols supportedthroughout Europe which offered high resilience <strong>and</strong> ‘open’<strong>in</strong>terconnection.The solution options available for site <strong>in</strong>vestments required considerationof exist<strong>in</strong>g asset life <strong>and</strong> reliability, the adequacy <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of exist<strong>in</strong>gassets <strong>and</strong> the suitability of measurement equipment to deliver theoperational need.Generally the PMCS project did not attempt to replace exist<strong>in</strong>g compatible<strong>in</strong>struments, provide local automation on works or provide qualitymonitor<strong>in</strong>g other than by <strong>in</strong>terfac<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>struments which were current<strong>and</strong> necessary.A major factor associated with site related solutions was the recognitionthat sites would need to cont<strong>in</strong>ue to rema<strong>in</strong> operational dur<strong>in</strong>g the<strong>in</strong>stallation period <strong>and</strong> that exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>strumentation <strong>and</strong> telemetry wouldrema<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> service until the new facility had been proven operationally.


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 97Consider<strong>in</strong>g some 3450 sites with a possible <strong>in</strong>put/output count of between10 to 50 signals on average, (developed from exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> new <strong>in</strong>struments)each with an <strong>in</strong>strument loop possibly requir<strong>in</strong>g between 2 <strong>and</strong> 8 elementsof work to be costed, the range of likely solutions available was considerable.Such a range of solutions can only be adequately h<strong>and</strong>led by comprehensivedatabases <strong>and</strong> computational methods supported by an up to date costdatabase.The utilisation of such a database is at this stage of the project a vitalfactor; provid<strong>in</strong>g the ability to manipulate various solution options with<strong>in</strong> ashort timescale. Equally, by adopt<strong>in</strong>g the correct database structure, thelater stages of design <strong>and</strong> implementation are considerably enhanced bythe provision of site related data <strong>and</strong> costs to the project team <strong>and</strong> seniormanagement. See Figure 3.The assessment of technical solutions centred on the three most viableoptions viz. the district systems, the area systems <strong>and</strong> a regional system.Each option met the specification for the two service levels.Each solution was evaluated aga<strong>in</strong>st the follow<strong>in</strong>g criteria:(i) what did it provide?(ii) the capital <strong>and</strong> revenue costs,(iii) risks to implementation <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g owner acceptance,(iv) potential benefits <strong>in</strong> cash terms,(v) major disadvantages.Based on the assessment aga<strong>in</strong>st the criteria a recommendation was made<strong>and</strong> accepted to adopt the solution based on area base telemetry systems.The accepted solution was formed around three telemetry areas viz:Southern, North Eastern <strong>and</strong> Western which approximately co<strong>in</strong>cided withFIGURE 3—KDSC PROJECT DATA-BASE STRUCTURE


98 WATER TREATMENTthe regional water resource system boundaries. Across the region some3450 sites would be provided with alarm monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> control functionality<strong>and</strong> report<strong>in</strong>g to 16 operational centres.DESIGN METHODOLOGYThe design phase had a number of key objectives. First the District ownershad to perceive that they were the client <strong>and</strong> that the design was consistentwith their expectations. Secondly the design activities had to def<strong>in</strong>e thedetails of the solution to enable costs <strong>and</strong> risk to be identified <strong>and</strong> def<strong>in</strong>ed.Thirdly the design activities had to enable suppliers to offer a compliant<strong>and</strong> competitively priced solution to the specifications. Design commenced<strong>in</strong> January 1989 <strong>and</strong> started with a series of presentations to the staff ofthe five Districts with<strong>in</strong> the Southern Area. The emphasis of these earlypresentations was to report back on the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case approach <strong>and</strong> theapproved solution. The districts were to be treated as clients <strong>and</strong> thereforetheir underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g of the solution <strong>and</strong> the stages <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> implement<strong>in</strong>gthe solution was paramount. The analysis of the needs had determ<strong>in</strong>ed thesalient user requirements <strong>and</strong> therefore, <strong>in</strong> order to bridge the gap betweenoperational users <strong>and</strong> equipment suppliers, the project team adoptedappropriate elements of a structured systems approach to ICA projects.Figure 4 diagramatically represents the role of the Bus<strong>in</strong>ess Case <strong>in</strong> theevaluation of the design. Design <strong>in</strong>tent documents were used to describethe technical solution <strong>in</strong> a form, <strong>and</strong> to a detail, suitable for operationalstaff underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> sanction.In this way an adequate underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g of what was to be delivered wasgenerated early <strong>in</strong> the project. Great stress was placed on a progressiveappreciation <strong>and</strong> user acceptance of the solution.Presentations were made to the district owners <strong>in</strong> June of 1989 <strong>and</strong>comprised formal presentations <strong>and</strong> demonstrations of typical man-mach<strong>in</strong>e<strong>in</strong>terfaces. They also highlighted the issues of resilience <strong>and</strong> failures us<strong>in</strong>gcomputer models <strong>and</strong> simulations.The design <strong>in</strong>tent documents represent the highest level of systemspecification. The detailed specifications were generated us<strong>in</strong>g story boardtechniques <strong>and</strong> work shop sessions concentrat<strong>in</strong>g on specific areas ofconcern to the user. Issues such as flexibility, exp<strong>and</strong>ability, capacity <strong>and</strong>performance were addressed <strong>and</strong> specified as well as the need for operationaldata to be passed on to management <strong>in</strong>formation systems <strong>and</strong> the use ofoperational support comput<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> a telemetry network.


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 99FIGURE 4—DESIGN EVOLUTION AND ROLE OF THE BUSINESS CASEIt was recognised that site work would consume a considerable amount ofthe scheme budget. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the preparation of the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case the level ofsignal provision for each potential benefit had been produced. This level ofprovision <strong>and</strong> the related scopes of work for each type of role were held <strong>in</strong> adatabase which associated a budgetary cost to each scope of work. Thedetailed signal provision formed the basis for determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the site by site,district by district user requirement specification.Additional design <strong>in</strong>tent documents were produced for <strong>in</strong>strumentation <strong>and</strong>site facilities such as communications <strong>and</strong> power. Instrument specifications<strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards were prepared to def<strong>in</strong>e the details of work to be undertakenunder site contracts. These st<strong>and</strong>ards are based on project experience <strong>and</strong>technical expertise which give the essential operational context to both theconditions found on site <strong>and</strong> the limitations of the possible <strong>in</strong>strumenttechnologies <strong>and</strong> practices offered by contractors.With<strong>in</strong> each district, the total number of sites were divided <strong>in</strong>to plann<strong>in</strong>ggroups, typically 4–5 <strong>in</strong> number represent<strong>in</strong>g 30–40 sites per group.The design <strong>in</strong>tent documents, st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> specifications <strong>in</strong>fluenced <strong>and</strong>guided the plann<strong>in</strong>g of site audits <strong>and</strong> the detailed def<strong>in</strong>ition of userrequirements for each site.User requirements were produced automatically for each site us<strong>in</strong>g thecomputer data bases referred to earlier. Changes to meet specific operationalneeds were identified <strong>and</strong> additional benefits determ<strong>in</strong>ed. Theserequirements were agreed <strong>and</strong> accepted by the District Manager at aplann<strong>in</strong>g meet<strong>in</strong>g.Based on each District Managers’ user requirements, each site was visited


100 WATER TREATMENTto audit the exist<strong>in</strong>g signal <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument provision <strong>and</strong> to def<strong>in</strong>e thenew <strong>in</strong>strumentation, outstation <strong>and</strong> communications requirements. Thesite audit provided data <strong>and</strong> photographic records of all the site equipmentenabl<strong>in</strong>g detail scopes of work to be prepared for an <strong>in</strong>strumentation <strong>and</strong>electrical contractor to tender for the work on a fixed price basis. Thesame process allowed a close check on budget cost<strong>in</strong>gs to reflect backwardsto the bus<strong>in</strong>ess case estimate <strong>and</strong> forward to predict the likely outturncosts.The mass of data generated from audit<strong>in</strong>g the sites was assembled <strong>in</strong>to thesite database. A series of programs were run on the database computer togenerate detailed site by site, loop by loop scopes of work, along withcompilations of <strong>in</strong>put/output lists necessary to size telemetry outstations,identify operational access constra<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>and</strong> def<strong>in</strong>e work items to be done byothers eg. applications for the right of access.The site database generated structured project reports present<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>formation on a site-by-site basis, <strong>and</strong> a summary of estimated costs atproject, site <strong>and</strong> loop level so that Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> could review <strong>and</strong>approve the design. Follow<strong>in</strong>g client approval the site work tenderspecification <strong>and</strong> schedules were automatically generated from thedatabases.PROCUREMENT AND IMPLEMENTATIONIn parallel with the detailed def<strong>in</strong>ition of the requirements <strong>and</strong> thespecification of the solution, the appropriate means of procurement neededto be addressed to ensure that the solution was delivered to the specifiedquality, cost <strong>and</strong> timescales.Inherent <strong>in</strong> this stage was a need to m<strong>in</strong>imise implementation risk <strong>and</strong>thereby secure a system capable of achiev<strong>in</strong>g the benefits. The procurement<strong>and</strong> implementation strategy recognised the technology split betweentelemetry <strong>and</strong> site work, that site work was to be carried out while sitesrema<strong>in</strong>ed operational, the large number of sites spread geographically <strong>and</strong>the similar <strong>and</strong> repetitive nature of many of the tasks <strong>and</strong> activities.Based on these considerations, the telemetry systems (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g outstations)were to be procured <strong>and</strong> managed as a s<strong>in</strong>gle contract per area (viz. Southern,North Eastern <strong>and</strong> Western) <strong>and</strong> the site works were to be divided <strong>in</strong>tosome 14 contracts, each District based.For the telemetry system the suppliers <strong>in</strong>vited to bid were prequalified fromthe response to a public <strong>in</strong>vitation, both <strong>in</strong> the UK <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> Europe,


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 101to express <strong>in</strong>terest. The pre-qualifications <strong>in</strong>cluded a first stage questionnaireidentify<strong>in</strong>g broad technical <strong>and</strong> commercial suitability. This was followedby a second more rigorous review of technical capability <strong>and</strong> quality systemswhich <strong>in</strong>volved visits to the c<strong>and</strong>idate’s premises <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>spection of theirpractices <strong>and</strong> procedures. Also client <strong>and</strong> credit references were taken upfrom the potential suppliers.Pre-qualification resulted <strong>in</strong> a tender list of five <strong>and</strong> a tender specificationfor the Southern Telemetry Area (STA) PMCS Telemetry System was released<strong>in</strong> August 1989 with a period of 2 months for response.Evaluation of the five received tenders <strong>in</strong>volved assessment of the technicalcompliance together with the analysis of the f<strong>in</strong>ancial implications of variouslevels of def<strong>in</strong>ite <strong>and</strong> optional work. These levels were def<strong>in</strong>ed by the siteaudits completed to date, <strong>and</strong> schedules of anticipated procurement to beclarified dur<strong>in</strong>g the rema<strong>in</strong>der of the audit programme. To compare theseaspects of the bids a number of models of the f<strong>in</strong>al priced configurationwere established rang<strong>in</strong>g from the m<strong>in</strong>imum expected to the maximumanticipated expansion. These models took <strong>in</strong>to account the cost of ownershipwhich <strong>in</strong>cluded ma<strong>in</strong>tenance software licences <strong>and</strong> expansion costs. With<strong>in</strong>this range the mix of outstation types was varied to reflect the uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty<strong>in</strong> the outcome of the <strong>in</strong>complete audit activities. This process allowed thebids to be compared, costs assessed <strong>and</strong> the implications of the costs onthe procurement strategy to be evaluated.Aris<strong>in</strong>g from the telemetry specification <strong>and</strong> the tender returns for theSouthern Area, the technical solution offered is of high quality provid<strong>in</strong>g asystem able to meet the needs of the District Managers. Potential existswith the technical solution for expansion <strong>and</strong> enhancements without majorimplications to the PMCS <strong>in</strong>vestment. The system provides a variety offunctionality <strong>in</strong> outstation types <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the use of third-party outstations.Five district centres are served by two telemetry computer centres us<strong>in</strong>g ahighly resilient configuration. Provision exists with<strong>in</strong> the system for the<strong>in</strong>tegration of local, on-site SCADA <strong>and</strong> control systems compatible withthe PMCS <strong>and</strong> to a def<strong>in</strong>ed price offered as part of the PMCS telemetrycontract. The analysis <strong>and</strong> def<strong>in</strong>ition of the <strong>in</strong>terface to operationalmanagement systems is <strong>in</strong>cluded as an option of the contract.Prequalifications similar to the telemetry tender exercise took place to securea select list of potential <strong>in</strong>strumentation <strong>and</strong> electrical contractors. Aga<strong>in</strong>steach project 6 bidders were selected to competitively tender for the project.The implementation programme required that a significant proportion ofsites be completed prior to the telemetry system delivery <strong>and</strong> sett<strong>in</strong>g towork. Thus a progressive approach to site <strong>in</strong>stallation, test<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>


102 WATER TREATMENTacceptance, communication <strong>in</strong>stallation <strong>and</strong> outstation <strong>in</strong>stallation wasdef<strong>in</strong>ed. Provision has been made for the exist<strong>in</strong>g telemetry <strong>and</strong> the newPMCS equipment to operate <strong>in</strong>dependently <strong>and</strong>, as part of the test<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>commission<strong>in</strong>g strategy, sites completed early will be exercised us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terimtelemetry provisions.Dur<strong>in</strong>g this extensive period work<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> the operational Districts, carefulplann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> close co-ord<strong>in</strong>ation between contractors <strong>and</strong> operational staffis essential. The quality of work <strong>and</strong> the safe work<strong>in</strong>g practices dem<strong>and</strong>edrequire a rigorous <strong>and</strong> structured approach to site access, supervision <strong>and</strong>take-over.CONCLUSIONThe bus<strong>in</strong>ess case approach adopted by Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> established aculture <strong>and</strong> philosophy for the PMCS project based on bus<strong>in</strong>ess need.The establishment of the need <strong>and</strong> the benefits identified by DistrictManagers have enabled a clear <strong>and</strong> unambiguous user requirement to bedef<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> agreed.The design stage has <strong>in</strong>volved a number of elements which emphasise therole of client <strong>and</strong> that of the PMCS project team. The use of the design<strong>in</strong>tent documents to enable the owner, as opposed to the equipmentsupplier, to underst<strong>and</strong> what was to be delivered has contributedsignificantly to the owner acceptance of the project. Comb<strong>in</strong>ed with modernmethodologies <strong>and</strong> practices has been the cultural changes <strong>in</strong> attitudes tosolv<strong>in</strong>g the bus<strong>in</strong>ess needs rather than the exploration of the technology.Some changes to the basic signal provision have occurred due <strong>in</strong> part to thegreater emphasis on environmental <strong>and</strong> customer expectations. The bus<strong>in</strong>esscase has been flexible <strong>in</strong> that while additions have been appraised, their<strong>in</strong>clusion <strong>in</strong> the scheme is based on need <strong>and</strong> benefit.The design activities have met the prime objective ie. that of establish<strong>in</strong>gthe detail necessary to describe to owners <strong>and</strong> suppliers what is technicallyrequired.Bids are of a high quality <strong>and</strong> fall with<strong>in</strong> the confidence levels expected attender<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> are with<strong>in</strong> the budget.The audit<strong>in</strong>g of some 1200 sites has been successfully completed with<strong>in</strong>the timescales <strong>and</strong> has generated considerable data concern<strong>in</strong>g sites <strong>and</strong>the exist<strong>in</strong>g assets <strong>and</strong> facilities. The use of the computer databases <strong>in</strong> the


PLANT MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS 103bus<strong>in</strong>ess case preparation, dur<strong>in</strong>g the design <strong>and</strong> through to theimplementation has enabled greater control <strong>and</strong> flexibility <strong>in</strong> all areas ofthe project. Increas<strong>in</strong>g levels of sophistication <strong>and</strong> applications are be<strong>in</strong>ggenerated as a result of the available <strong>in</strong>formation held on the computer.The project rema<strong>in</strong>s on target to the orig<strong>in</strong>al implementation programmesubmitted to the Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> board <strong>in</strong> late 1988 <strong>and</strong> is with<strong>in</strong> thebudgets allocated.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe authors gratefully acknowledge the help they have received <strong>in</strong> thepreparation of this paper from their colleagues. Acknowledgement is alsomade to the Directors of Severn Trent <strong>Water</strong> Ltd <strong>and</strong> Kennedy <strong>and</strong> Donk<strong>in</strong>Systems Control for their permission to publish this paper.


Chapter 11PUMP SCHEDULING: OPTIMISINGPUMPING PLANT OPERATIONT J M Moore (BHR Group Ltd, Cranfield, UK)1 INTRODUCTIONOne of the most significant costs of operat<strong>in</strong>g a water supply system is that of the electricalpower used for pump<strong>in</strong>g. The primary object of pump schedul<strong>in</strong>g is to m<strong>in</strong>imise this cost byutilis<strong>in</strong>g offpeak electricity, reduc<strong>in</strong>g pump<strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g periods when maximum dem<strong>and</strong> chargesare levied <strong>and</strong> by mak<strong>in</strong>g use of efficient pumps <strong>and</strong> cheaper water sources. In addition thescheduled supply system must cont<strong>in</strong>ue to operate with<strong>in</strong> a variety of constra<strong>in</strong>ts; these<strong>in</strong>clude meet<strong>in</strong>g all consumer dem<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g reservoir levels <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>s pressureswith<strong>in</strong> prescribed limits. In all but the simplest cases the complexity of the schedul<strong>in</strong>g problemis such that it cannot be performed effectively without a computer.To benefit from pump schedul<strong>in</strong>g a system must have the follow<strong>in</strong>g characteristics:– adequate reservoir storage to allow reduced pump flow dur<strong>in</strong>g peak electricity charge periods.Perversely, although not unexpectedly, peak charge periods tend to co<strong>in</strong>cide with peak waterdem<strong>and</strong>.– pump<strong>in</strong>g capacity which exceeds water dem<strong>and</strong> so that reservoirs can be filled when required.Fortunately the majority of water supply systems have both these characteristics.As well as reduc<strong>in</strong>g pump<strong>in</strong>g costs under normal operat<strong>in</strong>g conditions, schedul<strong>in</strong>g programs<strong>in</strong>troduce the possibility of decision support to aid the operator when unexpected situationsarise, eg pump failure, loss of source, pipe burst, or most commonly a change <strong>in</strong> dem<strong>and</strong>.The case studies discussed <strong>in</strong> this paper have been scheduled by PUMPLAN, Ref. 1, a schedul<strong>in</strong>gsoftware package developed at BHRGroup. PUMPLAN is unique, as far as the author is aware,<strong>in</strong> that it uses a KBS (Knowledge Based Systems) approach to the problem of schedul<strong>in</strong>grather than conventional mathematical optimisation methods.2 THE PROCESS OF SCHEDULING A PUMPING SYSTEM2.1 NETWORK ANALYSISUnless it is simple, with few pipes <strong>and</strong> discrete dem<strong>and</strong>s, the first stage <strong>in</strong> schedul<strong>in</strong>g asystem of any size is to build <strong>and</strong> calibrate a numerical hydraulic model, Fig.1, us<strong>in</strong>g acommercial network analysis package such as WATNET, GIN AS, or FLOWMASTER. The size<strong>and</strong> complexity of the network model largely depends on what it is to be used for. For example,detailed models will be required if leakage control, pressure control, or local operationalproblems are to be studied.©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 105–116105


106 WATER TREATMENTFIG. 2 COMBINING DISTRIBUTED DEMANDSFIG. 3 EQUIVALENT PIPE


OPTIMISING PUMPING PLANT OPERATION 107However if the network model is to be used to study pump <strong>and</strong> source optimisation, then aless detailed model which may only represent the primary trunk ma<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> the system isadequate.When a full model has been satisfactorily calibrated it may be reduced to a simpler networkmodel <strong>in</strong> various ways for use <strong>in</strong> a pump schedul<strong>in</strong>g program. For example:Dem<strong>and</strong>sWhere distributed dem<strong>and</strong>s occur, Fig.2, the full network model is used to determ<strong>in</strong>e whatproportion of the dem<strong>and</strong> is supplied at the different off-take po<strong>in</strong>ts on the ma<strong>in</strong>. Comparisonsshould be made at several dem<strong>and</strong> flows to see if the flow split between the off-takes issignificantly affected.Equivalent PipesWhere parallel or more complex pipe connectivities occur, Fig. 3, then the full network modelis used to determ<strong>in</strong>e an equivalent s<strong>in</strong>gle pipe.2.2 SIMPLIFIED NETWORK TO BE SCHEDULEDThe simplified network to be scheduled is shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.4; it is equivalent to the orig<strong>in</strong>al fullnetwork shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.1. The simplification process elim<strong>in</strong>ates the need for the schedul<strong>in</strong>gprogram to undertake complex network analysis as well as schedule the pumps, whilstpreserv<strong>in</strong>g sufficient accuracy for the schedul<strong>in</strong>g to be effective; to do both would <strong>in</strong>creasethe process<strong>in</strong>g time unacceptably.FIG.4 SIMPLIFIED NETWORK [STUDY 1]2.3 OTHER DATA REQUIRED FOR SCHEDULINGMuch of the data needed for a schedul<strong>in</strong>g program will already have been collected to producethe network model. Other data required are:– Pump performance. This has a direct effect on the pump<strong>in</strong>g costs Ref.2; it is always preferableto use current site data rather than the works test data, particularly if pump deterioration issuspected.– Electricity tariff.


108 WATER TREATMENT– Operational constra<strong>in</strong>ts such as maximum <strong>and</strong> m<strong>in</strong>imum reservoir levels <strong>and</strong> waterabstraction limits.3 PUMPLANPUMPLAN is a 286 or 386 PC based demonstrator program, produced by BHRGroup’s softwaredivision SFK, which applies KBS techniques to the problem of pump schedul<strong>in</strong>g. PUMPLAN iscapable of schedul<strong>in</strong>g real Me systems with up to three pump<strong>in</strong>g stations <strong>and</strong> five reservoirs.To date it has been supplied to two of the newly formed UK water companies.The KBS approach has been adopted to overcome the drawbacks of traditional mathematicaloptimisation techniques on which most schedul<strong>in</strong>g programs are based. The mathematicaloptimisation techniques fall <strong>in</strong>to two ma<strong>in</strong> categories; l<strong>in</strong>ear programm<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> dynamicprogramm<strong>in</strong>g.L<strong>in</strong>ear programm<strong>in</strong>g methods usually converge rapidly to a solution for quite complicatedproblems; but the l<strong>in</strong>ear representation of the system hydraulic equations, ie the networkmodel, is only an approximation. Often a much simplified bulk transfer model is generatedus<strong>in</strong>g a network package separate from the schedul<strong>in</strong>g package. This is likely to be <strong>in</strong>accurate<strong>and</strong> will make the program <strong>in</strong>flexible to changes <strong>in</strong> dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> connectivity.Dynamic programm<strong>in</strong>g is more flexible than l<strong>in</strong>ear programm<strong>in</strong>g but comput<strong>in</strong>g requirements<strong>in</strong>crease dramatically with network complexity <strong>and</strong> this means that large networks have to besplit <strong>in</strong>to several smaller ones that are then scheduled separately.PUMPLAN uses a KBS approach which is based on a heuristic (rule of thumb) search strategyto decide on a small number of plausible pump schedules for detailed <strong>in</strong>vestigation. This<strong>in</strong>volves the <strong>in</strong>telligent generation of flow control valve schedules as well as pump schedules.Feasibility checks are then carried out <strong>and</strong> a cost generated. The flexibility of this approach issuch that the scheduler may use a network model of whatever complexity is desired (at thecost of run time). The <strong>in</strong>tegration of the network model with the schedul<strong>in</strong>g algorithm makesit more able to re-schedule accurately for dem<strong>and</strong> or system changes than with a l<strong>in</strong>earmodel. It allows for efficient flow control valve schedul<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> has also made it possible for adegree of generalisation to be built <strong>in</strong>to PUMPLAN such that any feasible comb<strong>in</strong>ation ofpipes, <strong>and</strong> appropriate reservoirs <strong>and</strong> valves, can be scheduled simply by re-def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g thestatus of the shut-off valves <strong>in</strong> Fig.4; no additional network analysis is necessary.Although the KBS approach has advantages over the more traditional mathematical approachesthe PUMPLAN algorithm <strong>in</strong> its present form has various limitations.– It can only h<strong>and</strong>le fairly small networks at present.– It is rather slow because the heuristics used do not reduce the number of plausible pump<strong>in</strong>gschedules selected for detailed exam<strong>in</strong>ation sufficiently; although the search space is reducedfrom a possible 11 24 regimes to 81.Both these are limitations of the present implementation of PUMPLAN <strong>and</strong> are not fundamentalto the KBS approach. Developments are under way to improve the algorithm.4 CASE STUDIES4.1 STUDY 1The network shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.1, models the extensions planned for 1995 to a medium sizedwater distribution system serv<strong>in</strong>g a population of approximately 50,000 plus several <strong>in</strong>dustrialdem<strong>and</strong>s. One of the major developments <strong>in</strong>volves the construction of a new pump<strong>in</strong>g station,PS1, <strong>and</strong> source. This station will supply the system with the majority of its water via a 10kmlong 900mm diameter trunk ma<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> four FCVs (Flow Control Valves) V1, V2, V3 <strong>and</strong> V4.The valves are shown more clearly <strong>in</strong> the simplified network, Fig.4, used for schedul<strong>in</strong>g.Three variable level reservoirs R1, R2 <strong>and</strong> R3, <strong>and</strong> a fixed level reservoir R4 are supplied fromthe FCVs. A second pump<strong>in</strong>g station, PS3, us<strong>in</strong>g a fixed pump<strong>in</strong>g regime, provides part of thewater requirement at R1.


OPTIMISING PUMPING PLANT OPERATION 109The network was simplified as described <strong>in</strong> Section 2.The ma<strong>in</strong> objective of the study was to optimise the operation of the pumps at PS1. In additionto the pump optimisation it was also necessary to determ<strong>in</strong>e the open<strong>in</strong>g of the FCVs suchthat the dem<strong>and</strong> flows are met <strong>and</strong> reservoir levels controlled with the added requirementthat throttl<strong>in</strong>g losses <strong>in</strong> the valves were to be m<strong>in</strong>imised. The problem is complex even <strong>in</strong>such a relatively simple network, because the operation of any of the FCVs will affect, to agreater or lesser extent, the head <strong>and</strong> flow delivered by the pumps. As a consequence thehead upstream of the FCVs <strong>and</strong> hence the flow through them will change. Solv<strong>in</strong>g this problemdemonstrated the potential of the KBS approach; it proved possible to def<strong>in</strong>e rules govern<strong>in</strong>gthe control of the FCVs such that a low loss (not always the lowest) FCV setup can be achievediteratively. The approach allowed the effect of different rules on system operation to be exam<strong>in</strong>eddur<strong>in</strong>g the development of PUMPLAN.Figs.5, 6, 7 <strong>and</strong> 8 show the operation of the system under normal conditions with average daydem<strong>and</strong>s.The level profiles, Fig.5, of the reservoirs R1, R2 <strong>and</strong> R3 are co<strong>in</strong>cident <strong>in</strong> this case becausePUMPLAN has <strong>in</strong>tentionally been set up so that at all times there is equal shortfall or excessof water (<strong>in</strong> terms of reservoir % level) throughout the system; also the <strong>in</strong>itial maximum <strong>and</strong>m<strong>in</strong>imum levels of these three reservoirs are the same. The profiles show an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong>reservoir level dur<strong>in</strong>g the off-peak electricity charge period with maximum station flow <strong>and</strong> adecrease dur<strong>in</strong>g the peak rate <strong>and</strong> maximum dem<strong>and</strong> charge periods as reserve storage isused to supplement the reduced pump flow. R4 is a constant level reservoir.The pump schedules for PS1 <strong>and</strong> PS3 are shown <strong>in</strong> Figs.6 <strong>and</strong> 7 respectively; it can be seenthat maximum advantage is be<strong>in</strong>g taken of off-peak electricity between 00:00 hrs <strong>and</strong> 07:00hrs <strong>and</strong> that m<strong>in</strong>imum pump<strong>in</strong>g takes place for the rest of the day with the reservoirs supply<strong>in</strong>gpart of the dem<strong>and</strong>.The correspond<strong>in</strong>g valve operation schedule is shown <strong>in</strong> Fig.8. The <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> open<strong>in</strong>g ofvalves 1, 2 <strong>and</strong> 3 at 07:00 hrs is due to a steeply peak<strong>in</strong>g dem<strong>and</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ed with a simultaneousreduction <strong>in</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g. The effect is somewhat exaggerated by the valve open<strong>in</strong>g versus losscharacteristics which are such that above an open<strong>in</strong>g of about 0.5 the valve has a rapidlydim<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g effect on the flow. After 08:00 hrs FCV4 closes completely. This is because R1 isFIG. 5 RESERVOIR LEVEL PROFILES [STUDY 1]


110 WATER TREATMENTFIG. 6 PS1 PUMP SCHEDULE [STUDY 1]FIG. 7 PS3 PUMP SCHEDULE [STUDY 1]able to meet all the dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> branch 4 <strong>and</strong> part of the dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> branch 1. The rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gdem<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> branch 1 is supplied via FCV1, which rema<strong>in</strong>s partially open.Because this is a new system pump<strong>in</strong>g costs are not available, however it is estimated thatthe pump<strong>in</strong>g energy cost of normal operation averaged over a year will be about £90,000 ifthe pumps are scheduled; this is about 17% cheaper than if the system were operat<strong>in</strong>g underlevel control dur<strong>in</strong>g the day out still reta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g maximum pump<strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g the off-peak period.The use of schedul<strong>in</strong>g programs <strong>in</strong> the decision support role is illustrated <strong>in</strong> Figs.9, 10 <strong>and</strong> 11where the failure of PS3 has been simulated. Normally PS3 supplies 9.4 Ml/day of water to


OPTIMISING PUMPING PLANT OPERATION 111FIG. 8 FCV OPENING [STUDY 1]R1 out of a total dem<strong>and</strong> of 22.4 Ml/day; PS1 has to be re-scheduled to provide an additional72% of flow as cheaply as possible. The change <strong>in</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g will also affect the operation ofthe FCVs <strong>in</strong> particular those that supply R1, ie FCVs 1 <strong>and</strong> 4.With reduced pump<strong>in</strong>g capacity the reservoir level profile, Fig.9, is now very much flatter <strong>and</strong>even by runn<strong>in</strong>g the maximum of three pumps PS1 cannot significantly <strong>in</strong>crease levels dur<strong>in</strong>gthe offpeak period. Fig. 10 shows that PS1 is now required to run three pumps until 13:00FIG. 9 RESERVOIR LEVEL PROFILES [STUDY 1]


112 WATER TREATMENThrs to prevent reservoirs dropp<strong>in</strong>g below the m<strong>in</strong>imum level of 55%. As dem<strong>and</strong> reduces <strong>in</strong>the second half of the day two pumps are sufficient to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> reservoir levels.The valve open<strong>in</strong>gs, Fig. 11, show that FCVs 1 <strong>and</strong> 4 are further open than <strong>in</strong> the previousexample to enable PS1 to make up for the flow loss from PS 3.4.2 STUDY 2The trunk ma<strong>in</strong> system shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 12 is currently used to pump water from PS 1 to thetreatment works at R1 <strong>and</strong> R5; the total system dem<strong>and</strong> is 55 Ml/day. The objectives of theFIG. 10 PS1 PUMP SCHEDULE [STUDY 1]FIG. 11 FCV OPENING [STUDY 1]


OPTIMISING PUMPING PLANT OPERATION 113FIG. 12 SIMPLIFIED NETWORK [STUDY 2]study were firstly to reduce pump<strong>in</strong>g costs by schedul<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> secondly to reduce abstractionat PS1 by pump<strong>in</strong>g from PS3. This station had been little used for a number of years; <strong>in</strong>tegrat<strong>in</strong>gits operation with that of PS1, coupled with recent pipe modifications at R1, considerably<strong>in</strong>creased the scope for pump schedul<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> this system. Under certa<strong>in</strong> circumstances thewater quality of one of the sources at PS1 limited the useable pump comb<strong>in</strong>ations available atthis station.PUMPLAN showed that by capitalis<strong>in</strong>g on the <strong>in</strong>creased pump<strong>in</strong>g capacity now that PS3 wasavailable <strong>and</strong> by schedul<strong>in</strong>g both stations, a 14% reduction <strong>in</strong> the current annual pump<strong>in</strong>genergy cost of over £400,000 could be achieved. At the same time abstraction rates at PS1were reduced to a satisfactory level.The schedules for PS1 <strong>and</strong> PS2, Figs.13 <strong>and</strong> 14, show that reduced pump<strong>in</strong>g has been achievedbetween 07:00 hrs <strong>and</strong> 19:00 hrs when both peak rates <strong>and</strong> maximum dem<strong>and</strong> chargesapply. Some <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g is necessary between 19:00 <strong>and</strong> 24:00 hrs to prevent reservoirlevels dropp<strong>in</strong>g below the desired start level for the follow<strong>in</strong>g day; although peak rate electricityis be<strong>in</strong>g used, the effect on pump<strong>in</strong>g cost is not as serious as it would have been had theadditional pump been switched on dur<strong>in</strong>g the maximum dem<strong>and</strong> period. The correspond<strong>in</strong>greservoir profiles are shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 15 <strong>and</strong> reflect the changes <strong>in</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g comb<strong>in</strong>ationthroughout the day.5 PUMP SCHEDULING—THE FUTUREThe privatisation of the water <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>and</strong> new legislation are creat<strong>in</strong>g a need for cont<strong>in</strong>uedimprovement <strong>in</strong> the efficiency <strong>and</strong> reliability of water supply system operation <strong>and</strong> also <strong>in</strong>water quality. These improvements will necessitate more sophisticated control of the day today operation of supply systems; it is <strong>in</strong> the operational decision support role that schedul<strong>in</strong>gprograms will become <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly important.


114 WATER TREATMENTDecision support programs will not only be required to give the operator advice on optimis<strong>in</strong>gnormal operation but also <strong>in</strong> unforseen circumstances. Changes <strong>in</strong> dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> pump status,for <strong>in</strong>stance, are normally easy for schedul<strong>in</strong>g programs to deal with, however pipe burstscan present much greater difficulties. This is an important area where the KBS approach isexpected to have major advantages over the traditional programm<strong>in</strong>g methods, because ithas the potential to be able to h<strong>and</strong>le unplanned changes <strong>in</strong> connectivity. A further possibilityis that of advis<strong>in</strong>g on the best way of re-rout<strong>in</strong>g supply around a burst ma<strong>in</strong>.At present PUMPLAN takes no account of water quality constra<strong>in</strong>ts but these could be<strong>in</strong>troduced <strong>in</strong> much the same way as the dem<strong>and</strong> constra<strong>in</strong>ts.FIG. 13 PSl PUMP SCHEDULE [STUDY 2]FIG. 14 PS3 PUMP SCHEDULE [STUDY 2]


OPTIMISING PUMPING PLANT OPERATION 115FIG. 15 RESERVOIR LEVEL PROFILES [STUDY 2]6 CONCLUSIONSAlthough primarily <strong>in</strong>tended to demonstrate BHRGroup’s <strong>in</strong>novative approach to pumpschedul<strong>in</strong>g, PUMPLAN has already proved itself as a useful tool <strong>in</strong> commercial applications.The KBS approach allows the possibility of extremely advanced decision support software tobe considered that will be capable of advis<strong>in</strong>g on a much wider range of unplanned situationsthan had previously been thought feasible.The philosophy that it is more important to f<strong>in</strong>d an operationally good schedule that has beenbased on rigorous network analysis than to f<strong>in</strong>d a mathematical optimum, based on a lessaccurate network model, helps to overcome some of the drawbacks <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> the softwarepresently available.REFERENCES1] MJ.Likeman, T.J.M.Moore “A Knowledge Based Approach to Pump Schedul<strong>in</strong>g” BHRGroup 1990.2] TJ.M.Moore, P.N.Smith “Methods of Assess<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> Reduc<strong>in</strong>g the Cost of <strong>Water</strong> Supply Pump<strong>in</strong>g”BHRGroup Report N° RR3207 Jan 1990.


Chapter 12GAS LIQUID MIXING AND MASSTRANSFER IN THE WATERPROCESSING AND CHEMICALINDUSTRIES: A BRIEF COMPARISONOF THE TECHNOLOGIESA J Green <strong>and</strong> M J Whitton (BHR Group Ltd, Cranfield, UK)1. IntroductionThe aim of this paper is to briefly review, compare <strong>and</strong> contrast some of thetechnologies employed <strong>in</strong> the aerobic treatment of wastewater, aga<strong>in</strong>st thoseused by the chemical/pharmaceutical <strong>in</strong>dustries for gas liquid mass transfer.The paper does not profess to provide a detailed analysis of the pros <strong>and</strong> consof the technologies, but more suggest areas where transfer from one <strong>in</strong>dustryto another may be of value.The paper limits its scope to devices employ<strong>in</strong>g gas <strong>in</strong> liquid dispersions, ratherthan liquid <strong>in</strong> gas dispersions or liquid films. Thus such devices as packedcolumns, plate columns, trickl<strong>in</strong>g filters etc. are not covered.2. Gas Liquid Mass TransferThe rate of mass transfer of a specified component, e.g. oxygen, from a gas to aliquid can be described by:-whereJ = mass transfer rate (kg s-1 )K L = liquid side mass transfer coefficient (m/s)V L = volume of dispersion (m 3 )a = <strong>in</strong>terfacial area/unit volume (m -1 )C L * = Interfacial concentration of the specified component <strong>in</strong> the liquid(kg m -3 )C L = concentration of the specified component <strong>in</strong> the bulk of the liquid(kg/m 3 )(1)©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 117–128117


118 WATER TREATMENTFor the aeration of water, the mass transfer rate must be sufficient to satisfy theoxygen dem<strong>and</strong>, both chemical <strong>and</strong> biological, over the required treatment period.Equation 1 identifies the ma<strong>in</strong> controll<strong>in</strong>g variables <strong>in</strong> the process:1. The mass transfer coefficient (K ). This is affected to some degree by theLlevel of turbulence <strong>in</strong> the liquid,but more significantly by the liquid physical<strong>and</strong> chemical properties. Thus K will depend on the effluent composition.L2. Interfacial area (a). This will depend on the degree of turbulence <strong>in</strong> thesystem <strong>and</strong> the fluid properties. The physical <strong>and</strong> chemical properties ofthe liquid medium <strong>in</strong>fluence bubble coalescence behaviour <strong>and</strong> hencebubble size distribution.3. Concentration driv<strong>in</strong>g force ().For the calculation of k a the <strong>in</strong>terfaciallconcentration is assumed to be the liquid concentration which is <strong>in</strong>equilibrium with the bulk gas concentration. The concentration driv<strong>in</strong>gforce can be <strong>in</strong>creased either by <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the percentage of oxygen <strong>in</strong>the gas (eg use of pure oxygen rather than air) or by pressuris<strong>in</strong>g the gas(eg by <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g tank depth).To cope with the uncerta<strong>in</strong>ties of 1 <strong>and</strong> 2, many manufacturers quote a so called“a-factor”, which is the ratio of oxygen transfer rate <strong>in</strong> the actual effluent to that <strong>in</strong>clean water (where most development work has been carried out). K <strong>and</strong> a areLdifficult to measure <strong>in</strong>dependently so the vast majority of literature data are reportedas the product k a.lIn addition to the primary purpose of supply<strong>in</strong>g oxygen, mix<strong>in</strong>g systems often haveto satisfy a number of additional functions.(i) Good liquid mix<strong>in</strong>g to prevent ‘dead zones’,(ii) Suspend solids,(iii) Strip out Carbon Dioxide produced by the bacteria.3. The Differences between <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> Chemical Process RequirementsRequirementsBefore look<strong>in</strong>g at the techniques employed <strong>in</strong> the two <strong>in</strong>dustries, it is worth identify<strong>in</strong>gsome significant differences between the requirements. These, <strong>in</strong> general terms,are as follows:1. The value of the product. <strong>Water</strong> is probably the ultimate “low value”product. As such, runn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> capital cost are the key considerations <strong>in</strong>the design. For higher value chemical, <strong>and</strong> particularly pharmaceutical,products cost is of lower importance. If a system can be designed, forexample, to <strong>in</strong>crease product yield, this is very likely to overwhelm any<strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> development or capital/runn<strong>in</strong>g costs.


GAS LIQUID MIXING AND MASS TRANSFER 1192. The scale of operation. The size of operation of waste treatment equipmentmay be orders of magnitude greater than a chemical production plant,although the largest vessels may be a few 10’s of metres <strong>in</strong> diameter.Direct scaleup of a chemical/pharmaceutical plant geometry to thatrequired for water treatment may not be feasible from a physical/mechanical eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g st<strong>and</strong>po<strong>in</strong>t. Additionally, at large scale, waterdepth considerations become very important, because of the <strong>in</strong>creasedpressure required from any air supply to cope with the head of water.3. The rate of mass transfer <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensity of mix<strong>in</strong>g employed. For watertreatment, only slow mass transfer is required to supply the biologicaldem<strong>and</strong>s. Typical values of K a are of the order of 10 s -1 . For chemical/Lpharmaceutical operations, values up to 0.1 s -1 are common.These differences will be considered further <strong>in</strong> the Discussion Section.4. Chemical <strong>and</strong> Pharmaceutical Techniques4.1 Agitated VesselsThe “workhorse” of the chemical process <strong>in</strong>dustry for gas liquid mass transfer isthe agitated mix<strong>in</strong>g vessel. Although a wide range of geometries are used, two of themost common are illustrated <strong>in</strong> Figures 1 <strong>and</strong> 2. Tall vessels, eg Figure 2, have agreater surface area/unit volume than the st<strong>and</strong>ard geometry vessels, Figure 1,<strong>and</strong> are therefore used when heat transfer is critical, as is the case <strong>in</strong> somepharmaceutical processes.Figure 1: St<strong>and</strong>ard geometry vessel with a s<strong>in</strong>gle impeller


120 WATER TREATMENTFigure 2: Tall vessel fitted with multiple impellersFigure 3: 6 blade Rushton turb<strong>in</strong>eFigure 4: Gas liquid flow patterns


GAS LIQUID MIXING AND MASS TRANSFER 121The most commonly used impeller for gas liquid applications is the Rushton turb<strong>in</strong>e,Figure 3, which has a mostly radial flow pattern. Such systems suffer a number oflimitations:(a)(b)(c)As gas rate <strong>in</strong>creases for a fixed impeller speed the power drawn by theimpeller decreases, Figure 4. Its ability to disperse gas reduces, Figure 4(b), until it becomes overwhelmed by gas or flooded, Figure 4 (c).It produces a relatively small amount of liquid flow compared to its power.In multiple impeller configurations, there is a tendency for flow tocompartmentalise, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> poor top to bottom mix<strong>in</strong>g.As a result of the above, there is currently a great deal of <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>galternatives to the Rushton, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the scaba SRGT, Figure 5 (a), (said to keepconstant power draw with <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g gas rate, Ref 1) <strong>and</strong> axial flow turb<strong>in</strong>es suchas the Prochem, Figure 5 (b) or the Lightn<strong>in</strong> A315. Work is underway at a numberof <strong>in</strong>stitutions, notably Fluid Mix<strong>in</strong>g Processes (FMP) at BHR Group, to improvedesign data for exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> novel arrangements.Figure 5 (a): Scaba 4SRGT turb<strong>in</strong>eFigure 5 (b): Prochem hydrofoil4.2 Airlift ReactorsAn alternative to the agitated vessel is the airlift reactor illustrated <strong>in</strong> Figure 6. Insuch a design the upflow of air drives the fluid around a loop, either <strong>in</strong>ternallywith<strong>in</strong> the vessel, or externally. Such systems are widely used <strong>in</strong> the biotechnology


122 WATER TREATMENTFigure 6: Airlift bubble column<strong>in</strong>dustry, where there is concern that delicate organisms will be damaged by fluidshear <strong>in</strong> the impeller region of an agitated vessel. The design provides good aeration<strong>and</strong> circulation of the fluid.4.3 In L<strong>in</strong>e DevicesHigh <strong>in</strong>tensity, <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e devices are now be<strong>in</strong>g used more widely, such as motionlessmixers or ejectors, Figure 7. These devices offer the opportunity to <strong>in</strong>crease process<strong>in</strong>grate <strong>and</strong>/or reduce plant scale (“Proces Intensification”). Scale up <strong>and</strong> prediction ofperformance of such devices is claimed to be simple, but there are few data <strong>in</strong> theliterature. As a result, work has commenced recently at BHR Group to <strong>in</strong>vestigatesuch devices <strong>in</strong> more detail, Ref 2.Figure 7: Gas liquid jet ejector


5. Waste <strong>Water</strong> Process<strong>in</strong>g TechniquesGAS LIQUID MIXING AND MASS TRANSFER 1235.1 Submerged Turb<strong>in</strong>e AeratorsThese are the water <strong>in</strong>dustries equivalent of the agitated mix<strong>in</strong>g vessel. Variousdesigns are on the market, rang<strong>in</strong>g from axial to radial flow turb<strong>in</strong>es, with an airsparge beneath, usually aeration units are mounted with<strong>in</strong> square or rectangulartanks, often with multiple units. Often the units are fitted with some form of baffl<strong>in</strong>g.The turb<strong>in</strong>e performs multiple roles:– breakup <strong>and</strong> dispersion of sparged air– mix<strong>in</strong>g of liquid <strong>in</strong> the tank– suspension of sludge, prevent<strong>in</strong>g settlementOne disadvantage of such systems is that additional equipment (i.e. a blower) isneeded to <strong>in</strong>troduce the air. To overcome this, various designs of selfaspirat<strong>in</strong>gturb<strong>in</strong>es have been developed, e.g. Ref 3. However, these are generally less efficientat pump<strong>in</strong>g the liquid.5.2 Surface AeratorsThese devices are similar to submerged turb<strong>in</strong>es, but are positioned at or near thesurface. Air is drawn down from atmosphere <strong>and</strong> pumped <strong>in</strong>to the tank by theagitator, Figure 8 (a). These can either be mounted on a fixed frame or float on thesurface. They have the advantage of lower capital <strong>and</strong> runn<strong>in</strong>g cost than submergedturb<strong>in</strong>es, but require more freeboard, due to the extensive surface disturbancescaused, <strong>and</strong> (if on a fixed frame) are less able to cope with fluctuat<strong>in</strong>g liquid levels.Additionally, the devices have less <strong>in</strong>fluence on the base of tanks, so suspensionperformance is reduced.As an alternative, “brush” aerators have been used, Figure 8 (b), i.e. impeller shaftmounted horizontally. In these designs mass transfer occurs through both liquid <strong>in</strong>air <strong>and</strong> air <strong>in</strong> liquid dispersion. They are often used <strong>in</strong> oxidation ditches, where al<strong>in</strong>ear water flow is required, this be<strong>in</strong>g enhanced by the aerator.F<strong>in</strong>ally plung<strong>in</strong>g jet devices, Figure 8 (c), have been found to have great potential,Ref 4, but have yet to f<strong>in</strong>d their full commercial potential.5.3 Bubble DiffusersThese can be separated <strong>in</strong>to two categories: coarse bubble diffusers, compris<strong>in</strong>garrays of perforated sparge pipes, <strong>and</strong> f<strong>in</strong>e bubble diffusers, compris<strong>in</strong>g f<strong>in</strong>e-pore,


124 WATER TREATMENTFigure 8 (a): Mechanical surface aeratorFigure 8 (b): Brush type surface aerator, ref. (11)Figure 8 (c): Plung<strong>in</strong>g jet aeratorlarge open area porous materials (e.g. ceramics, plastics, s<strong>in</strong>tered metals). Thelatter are often designed to cover the entire tank floor, to ensure even dispersion ofair with<strong>in</strong> the tank <strong>and</strong> avoid sludge settlement, Ref 5. This removes the need forgood liquid phase mix<strong>in</strong>g. Reference 10 recommends tanks with large length towidth ratios, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an approximation to plug flow (i.e. all effluent has thesame residence time). Conversely, effluent mixed <strong>in</strong> a large square tank will have avery wide range of residence times.5.4 Other TechniquesThere is a wide range of other techniques currently used, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the follow<strong>in</strong>g:(a)(b)Ejectors. A technique has been developed by the Electricity CouncilResearch Centre which employs an ejector to achieve rapid mass transfer,the jet then be<strong>in</strong>g used to mix the tank.Fixed Head Aerator. This device was developed by BHRA, Ref. 6, <strong>and</strong> usessimilar pr<strong>in</strong>ciples to (a), i.e. achiev<strong>in</strong>g rapid, localised mass transfer, thenmix<strong>in</strong>g the tank with the jet, Figure 9.


GAS LIQUID MIXING AND MASS TRANSFER 125Figure 9: Arrangement of fixed head aerator, ref. (6)(c)(d)ICI “deep shaft” process. This operates <strong>in</strong> a similar manner to the airliftreactor, Section 4.2, see Figure 10. Very large depths are employed (up to100m), giv<strong>in</strong>g very high partial pressures <strong>in</strong> the gas phase, <strong>and</strong> hencerapid mass transfer.Enriched oxygen techniques. Enriched air, or pure oxygen, are used to<strong>in</strong>crease the mass transfer rate by <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the concentration dur<strong>in</strong>gforce (e.g. BOC Vitox process or the Unox process).Figure 10: Deep shaft aerator, ref. (12)


126 WATER TREATMENT6. DiscussionFrom the previous two sections, it is clear that there is little commonality betweenthe technologies used <strong>in</strong> the chemical/pharmaceutical <strong>in</strong>dustries <strong>and</strong> waste watertreatment. Even where similar are employed (e.g. submerged turb<strong>in</strong>e aerators),their application tends to’be very different. Whilst, undeniably, many of thedifferences arise from the fundamentally different requirements outl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> Section3, the <strong>in</strong>evitable question is: can the <strong>in</strong>dustries improve their processes (<strong>and</strong>profitability) learn<strong>in</strong>g more from each other?Technology transfer at the manufacturer level is good: for example, Mix<strong>in</strong>g EquipmentCompany (Lightn<strong>in</strong>) are market leaders <strong>in</strong> both <strong>in</strong>dustries. However, evidence fromthe chemical process <strong>in</strong>dustries has proven that there is great benefit <strong>in</strong> theequipment end users themselves improv<strong>in</strong>g their knowledge of processes: the successof process <strong>in</strong>dustry related research club projects, such as FMP <strong>and</strong> HILINE atBHR Group <strong>and</strong> others (e.g. HTFS, SPS etc) is a good example.Look<strong>in</strong>g at two recent conferences related to mix<strong>in</strong>g provides some enlightenment.A conference of “Bioreactor Fluid Dynamics”, Ref. 7, attracted no papers <strong>and</strong> nodelegates from the water <strong>in</strong>dustry; yet what is an activated sludge treatment plant,if not a bioreactor? The most recent European Conference on Mix<strong>in</strong>g, Ref. 8, attractedonly 2 papers as waste water applications out of a total of 77. Equally, recentconferences related to wastwater treatment probably attracted few delegates fromthe chemical <strong>in</strong>dustry. Process <strong>in</strong>dustry research clubs have had little success <strong>in</strong>recruit<strong>in</strong>g members from the water <strong>in</strong>dustry, although FMP <strong>and</strong> HILINE have recentlyboth recruited members (Yorkshire <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> C.G.E. respectively).A detailed analysis of the pros <strong>and</strong> cons of the technologies will not be tackled, but,speak<strong>in</strong>g from expertise relat<strong>in</strong>g to the chemical <strong>in</strong>dustry, the follow<strong>in</strong>g observationsare made on water process<strong>in</strong>g techniques:1. Many water treatment tanks appear to be designed totally around civileng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g considerations, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> square or rectangular, relativelyshallow tanks with flat bases. Mixers are <strong>in</strong>troduced as an “add on extra”.Could more effort be placed <strong>in</strong> design<strong>in</strong>g a comb<strong>in</strong>ed tank/agitator system,closer to the geometries developed <strong>and</strong> optimised for the chemical <strong>in</strong>dustry?This may result <strong>in</strong> higher civil costs, but would the improved/reducedprocess<strong>in</strong>g cost compensate?2. Aeration techniques such as ejectors <strong>and</strong> the fixed head aerator employlocal, rapid mass transfer with jet mix<strong>in</strong>g to keep tanks well mixed. Theorig<strong>in</strong>al technology for liquid jet mix<strong>in</strong>g actually comes from the water<strong>in</strong>dustry (mix<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> reservoirs), but has s<strong>in</strong>ce been greatly advanced forapplications such as oil storage tanks. Have the latest data, e.g. Ref. 9,been transferred back to the water <strong>in</strong>dustry to aid designers?


In summary, to quote reference 10, could it be thatGAS LIQUID MIXING AND MASS TRANSFER 127“…mechanical devices, economy of thought or love of concrete have ruled design”.7. Conclud<strong>in</strong>g RemarksAs stated at the outset, this paper has not <strong>in</strong>tended to provide deep analysis <strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>sights <strong>in</strong>to the differences between chemical pharmaceutical processes <strong>and</strong> wastewater treatment.However, it is hoped that, by sett<strong>in</strong>g down the different techniques used <strong>in</strong> both<strong>in</strong>dustries, it will prompt members of both, <strong>and</strong> particularly the water <strong>in</strong>dustry,to th<strong>in</strong>k about how they might use each other’s expertise <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigate theliterature <strong>and</strong> other sources of data more fully. If so, the paper will have achievedits purpose.References1. “Gas Dispersion Performance <strong>in</strong> Fermenter Operation” A.W.Nienow, Chem. Eng. Progress,February 1990.2. “High Intensity In-L<strong>in</strong>e Mass Transfer Equipment, A Collaborative R&D Programme:HILINE. Proposal to Potential Members”. A.J. Green, BHR Group, June 1988.3. “Sorption Characteristics for gas-liquid contact<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> mixed vessels” M.Zlokarnik, Adv.<strong>in</strong> Biochem Eng. 8 134 (1978)4. “The effect of contam<strong>in</strong>ants on the oxygen transfer rate achieved with a plung<strong>in</strong>g jetcontactor” J.A.C.van de Donk, R.G.J.M.Lans, J.M.Smith, 3rd European Conference onMix<strong>in</strong>g, York, BHRA, pp 289–297 (1979).5. “Energy Sav<strong>in</strong>g by F<strong>in</strong>e-bubble Aeration” B.Chambers & G.L.Jones. <strong>Water</strong> PollutionControl (1985).6. “The Development & site test<strong>in</strong>g of an aerator”, R.K<strong>in</strong>g & H.C.Young. Symposium onthe Profitable Aeration of Waste <strong>Water</strong>, London. BHRA pp 31–54, April 1980.7. “Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of 2nd International Conference on Bioreactor Fluid Dynamics” R. K<strong>in</strong>g(ed), Cambridge. BHRA 1988.8. “Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 6th European Conference on Mix<strong>in</strong>g”, Pavia, Italy, 1988. Distributedby BHRA.9. “Jet Mix<strong>in</strong>g Design Guide” R.K.Grenville, BHRA (confidential to FMP members).


128 WATER TREATMENT10. “Putt<strong>in</strong>g Chemical Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to Aerobic Effluent <strong>Treatment</strong>-2” R.Olley. The ChemicalEng<strong>in</strong>eer, July 1989.11. The aeration of waste water: Basic physical functions”. A.W.Nienow Symposium on theprofitable aeration of waste water, London, BHRA, April 1980, pp1–12.12. “Fermentation reactors”, W.Sittig, Chemtech, Oct.1983, pp 606–613


PART IVControl <strong>and</strong> measurementtechniques


Chapter 13OPTIMISATION OF SECONDARYCHLORINATION PRACTICE IN THEUKC R Hayes (<strong>Water</strong> Quality <strong>Management</strong>, UK), A Elphick(Consultant, UK)SUMMARYThe need for boost<strong>in</strong>g chlor<strong>in</strong>e concentrations with<strong>in</strong> water supply distributionnetworks is reviewed <strong>in</strong> relation to UK practice <strong>and</strong> recent changes <strong>in</strong> the UK’swater legislation. Comparisons are made between UK practices <strong>and</strong> those of otherEuropean States.There is a need to clarify better several microbiological quality issues, <strong>in</strong> order to beable to def<strong>in</strong>e more objective approaches to the management of chlor<strong>in</strong>ation.Irrespective of these current uncerta<strong>in</strong>ties, it is concluded that secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ationwill be <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly necessary <strong>in</strong> the UK, at least <strong>in</strong> the short to medium term. Thisview relates to the technical challenge of achiev<strong>in</strong>g microbiological, aesthetic (eg.taste) <strong>and</strong> chemical (eg. trihalomethanes <strong>and</strong> nitrite) st<strong>and</strong>ards with<strong>in</strong> the next fewyears to satisfy legislative dem<strong>and</strong>s.An objective approach is proposed for manag<strong>in</strong>g chlor<strong>in</strong>e residuals with<strong>in</strong> distributionnetworks, based on the specification of target m<strong>in</strong>imum concentrations. Itsimplementation <strong>in</strong> any network will require prelim<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>vestigations to determ<strong>in</strong>ethe need for secondary dos<strong>in</strong>g; if such dos<strong>in</strong>g is required, it will then be necessaryto select appropriate doses <strong>and</strong> dos<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts. Such <strong>in</strong>vestigations might besupported by a secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation model.The design <strong>and</strong> use of chlor<strong>in</strong>ation plant, <strong>in</strong> respect of secondary dos<strong>in</strong>g applications<strong>and</strong> for optimisation studies, are reviewed.INTRODUCTIONThe benefits of ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g chlor<strong>in</strong>e residuals throughout a water supply distributionnetwork have often been perceived to be:(i)(ii)the suppression of bacterial regrowth <strong>and</strong> the preservation of generalsanitary conditionthe provision of a buffer aga<strong>in</strong>st low level contam<strong>in</strong>ation(iii) the presence of a chemical <strong>in</strong>dicator to detect gross contam<strong>in</strong>ation© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 131–140131


132 WATER TREATMENTThese perceived benefits have been exam<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> conjunction with the legislativest<strong>and</strong>ards that apply to microbiological quality, <strong>in</strong> order to establish the objectivesfor dis<strong>in</strong>fection processes. In this exam<strong>in</strong>ation, comparisons have been made toother European practices.The constra<strong>in</strong>ts of other quality st<strong>and</strong>ards, such as taste, nitrite <strong>and</strong>trihalomethanes, have also been considered to help determ<strong>in</strong>e the most likely meansof achiev<strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fection goals. From this review, it is evident that secondarychlor<strong>in</strong>ation will be <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly necessary <strong>in</strong> the short to medium term.Optimisation of secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation will require the adoption of a more objectiveapproach to manag<strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fection residuals with<strong>in</strong> distribution networks <strong>and</strong>prelim<strong>in</strong>ary field study, techniques <strong>and</strong> plant for which are discussed. The scopefor develop<strong>in</strong>g an optimisation model is identified.LEGISLATIVE ASPECTS OF DISINFECTIONDis<strong>in</strong>fection PracticeIn the UK, it has been considered necessary that all public water supplies shouldbe dis<strong>in</strong>fected, national guidel<strong>in</strong>es (DoE,1983 <strong>and</strong> WAA,1988) reflect<strong>in</strong>g this view.The recent <strong>Water</strong> Supply (<strong>Water</strong> Quality) Regulations 1989 ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> this approachas a legal requirement, although the Government can authorise for specifiedgroundwaters not to be dis<strong>in</strong>fected. The national guidel<strong>in</strong>es have also drawn attentionto the need (DoE,1983) or advantage (WAA, 1988) of ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fectantresiduals throughout a distribution network.In establish<strong>in</strong>g these general requirements for dis<strong>in</strong>fection, neither the nationalguidel<strong>in</strong>es nor the Regulations, <strong>in</strong>dicate the type of dis<strong>in</strong>fectant to be employed, itsdose <strong>and</strong> contact time or the concentration of the residuals to be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed. Rather,it is left to the <strong>in</strong>dividual water undertakers to manage dis<strong>in</strong>fection such thatmicrobiological st<strong>and</strong>ards are achieved.The <strong>in</strong>tegrity of microbiological st<strong>and</strong>ards is closely related to sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequency,which has varied across the UK due to ambiguous sampl<strong>in</strong>g guidance (DoE,1983).In consequence, dis<strong>in</strong>fection practice has varied also. To compound matters, severalof the microbiological parameters are poorly def<strong>in</strong>ed.The most explicit guidance for manag<strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fection is provided by the World HealthOrganisation (WHO,1984). For primary dis<strong>in</strong>fection at sourceworks it isrecommended that between 0.2 <strong>and</strong> 0.5 mg/1 free chlor<strong>in</strong>e (the higher concentrationis desirable for “unprotected” sources) is ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed for a m<strong>in</strong>imum 30 m<strong>in</strong>utescontact period with turbidity


OPTIMISATION OF SECONDARY CHLORINATION IN UK 133dis<strong>in</strong>fection, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation, consideration must be given to thewater quality objectives of such treatment; these are discussed below.Microbiological St<strong>and</strong>ardsThe EC “dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water” directive (EC, 1980) requires all samples of water at thepo<strong>in</strong>t of use to be free of faecal coliforms (E.coli) <strong>and</strong> pathogens, <strong>and</strong> that at least95% of such samples to be free of total coliforms. The recent UK Regulationsimplement these st<strong>and</strong>ards although rout<strong>in</strong>e monitor<strong>in</strong>g for pathogens is notspecified.The coliform <strong>in</strong>dicator approach to microbiological quality control has been generallysuccessful <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>imis<strong>in</strong>g water borne disease <strong>in</strong> the UK (Galbraith et al,1987).However, possible limitations of the approach are <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly be<strong>in</strong>g realised: egwith respect to entero-viruses (WRc,1986) <strong>and</strong> protozoan parasites (DoE,1989).The ma<strong>in</strong> weakness, however, <strong>in</strong> rely<strong>in</strong>g solely on coliform st<strong>and</strong>ards for determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gdis<strong>in</strong>fection practice, is the uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty that is <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> any water sampl<strong>in</strong>g.The confidence to be expected <strong>in</strong> a given sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequency can be estimatedstatistically us<strong>in</strong>g the properties of the b<strong>in</strong>omial distribution (A E Warn, personalcommunication); such estimates <strong>in</strong>dicate that there is a risk of poor water qualityfail<strong>in</strong>g to be noticed at low sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequencies, as illustrated <strong>in</strong> Table 1.Table 1. Statistical estimates of true failure rates giv<strong>in</strong>g zero failed samples as afunction of sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequency.It must thus be realised that the m<strong>in</strong>imum sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequencies specified by theEC directive <strong>and</strong> the UK Regulations carry risks of fail<strong>in</strong>g to notice poor quality,particularly for smaller supplies for which the specified m<strong>in</strong>imum frequencies arelowest. The authors conclude that, <strong>in</strong> seek<strong>in</strong>g to achieve high st<strong>and</strong>ards ofmicrobiological quality, additional approaches must also be followed.The EC directive conta<strong>in</strong>s guide levels for 22 <strong>and</strong> 37 C bacterial colony counts.These have been virtually ignored <strong>in</strong> the UK <strong>and</strong> the new Regulations only require“no significant <strong>in</strong>crease over that normally observed ”; this approach may havesome validity to samples taken from a fixed po<strong>in</strong>t but is difficult to apply to r<strong>and</strong>omsamples, particularly those from surface-water derived supplies <strong>in</strong> which thepotential for bacterial regrowth is often high. Greater recognition of the possiblesignificance of colony counts could be warranted <strong>in</strong> the UK for the follow<strong>in</strong>g reasons:(i) high colony counts may be <strong>in</strong>dicative of the presence of spoilage organisms(ii)of concern to hospitals <strong>and</strong> the food <strong>and</strong> dr<strong>in</strong>k manufactur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustrieshigh colony counts may be <strong>in</strong>dicative of the presence of Aeromonashydrophilla, be<strong>in</strong>g of possible health concern (Burke et al,1984)(iii) high colony counts may be <strong>in</strong>dicative of conditions suitable for <strong>in</strong>festationby aquatic animals (eg Nais worms)Conditions that lead to elevated colony counts <strong>in</strong>clude the presence of assimilibleorganic carbon (AOC), the stagnation of water <strong>and</strong> the attenuation of effective chlor<strong>in</strong>eresiduals which may be exacerbated <strong>in</strong> extensive distribution networks.


134 WATER TREATMENTSuch deterioration has been particularly appreciated <strong>in</strong> the Netherl<strong>and</strong>s whereAOC control is practised at several works; by reduc<strong>in</strong>g the driv<strong>in</strong>g force for bacterialgrowth, it has been possible to substantially reduce the need for carry<strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fectantresiduals throughout distribution, the ultimate example be<strong>in</strong>g the cessation of“safety” chlor<strong>in</strong>ation for supplies to Amsterdam (Schellart,1987). It is also worthnot<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>in</strong> the Netherl<strong>and</strong>s, tentative st<strong>and</strong>ards for Aeromonas hydrophilla havebeen promulgated due to health concerns (A Hulsmanpersonal communication).Of further relevance to dis<strong>in</strong>fection practice is the requirement of the EC directivefor pathogens to be absent. Whilst this requirement is also conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the UK’snew Regulations, neither item of legislation def<strong>in</strong>es rout<strong>in</strong>e monitor<strong>in</strong>g clearly, albeitthe EC directive does state that such monitor<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong> a supplementary manner tocoliforms, may be necessary. Recognis<strong>in</strong>g that some pathogenic micro-organismscould be present <strong>in</strong> the absence of coliforms, it would seem appropriate for furtherclarification of m<strong>in</strong>imum sampl<strong>in</strong>g requirements to be provided by the regulatorybodies; such a development could materially <strong>in</strong>fluence dis<strong>in</strong>fection practices.Aesthetic <strong>and</strong> Chemical Constra<strong>in</strong>tsDespite general recognition that microbiological quality is paramount, <strong>and</strong> thereforepresumeably the means of its achievement, an antagonistic range of aesthetic <strong>and</strong>chemical st<strong>and</strong>ards make the fulfillment of microbiological objectives potentiallydifficult. Such constra<strong>in</strong>ts are:(i)(ii)the desirability of m<strong>in</strong>imis<strong>in</strong>g chlor<strong>in</strong>ation by-products, various st<strong>and</strong>ardsfor trihalomethanes hav<strong>in</strong>g been applied throughout Europe; theoperational implication is to reduce the use of chlor<strong>in</strong>e with the potentialfor poorer microbiological qualitythe st<strong>and</strong>ard for nitrite of 0.1 mg/1 NO2 which, because of itsimplementation as an absolute maximum, probably precludes the useof chloram<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> many supplies due to nitrite formation associated withthe ammonia used <strong>and</strong>/or the breakdown of chloram<strong>in</strong>e—this constra<strong>in</strong>tappears, <strong>in</strong> the UK, to be the cause of a move away from chloram<strong>in</strong>e tofree chlor<strong>in</strong>e as a dis<strong>in</strong>fection residual <strong>in</strong> distribution, with the identifiedneed for many more secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong>stallations (Schroders,1989)(iii) the st<strong>and</strong>ard for taste of a dilution number of 3 is presently be<strong>in</strong>g applied<strong>in</strong> the UK to dechlor<strong>in</strong>ated samples (DoE,1989b); as such the st<strong>and</strong>ardshould have little constra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g effect on the management of free chlor<strong>in</strong>eresiduals with<strong>in</strong> distribution—however, the use of dechlor<strong>in</strong>ated samplesmay not be consistent with the EC directive <strong>and</strong> any future change tounaltered samples could impact on chlor<strong>in</strong>e residual management; thepractical implications would then be the need to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> effectiveresiduals by apply<strong>in</strong>g smaller chlor<strong>in</strong>e doses at more po<strong>in</strong>ts (ie secondarychlor<strong>in</strong>ation).(iv) the EC directive requires the absence of “animacules <strong>and</strong> algas” althoughthe UK’s new Regulations offer no clear st<strong>and</strong>ards. The UK Governmenthas stated (DoE,1984) that water undertakers should “take steps to controltheir presence”; such steps have often <strong>in</strong>cluded the dos<strong>in</strong>g of pyrethroid<strong>in</strong>secticides but implementation of the EC directive’s pesticide parametercould preclude such dos<strong>in</strong>g


OPTIMISATION OF SECONDARY CHLORINATION IN UK 135– by implication, higher concentrations of dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residual throughoutdistribution can be anticipated <strong>and</strong> therefore more secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation<strong>in</strong>stallations.THE SCOPE FOR RATIONALISING THE MANAGEMENT OF CHLORINERESIDUALS IN DISTRIBUTIONPerceived Operational BenefitsMicrobiological quality control is essentially restrospective due to the time taken toperform microbiological tests, a review of data over a period of time help<strong>in</strong>g waterundertak<strong>in</strong>gs to determ<strong>in</strong>e the <strong>in</strong>tegrity of their operational procedures. In suchjudgements, an assessment of the risks of microbial <strong>in</strong>gress must be <strong>in</strong>cludedtogether with the operational measures that can provide some form of protection.Undoubtably, good design <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of supply networks are a prerequisiteto consistently high st<strong>and</strong>ards of microbiological quality. Additionally, thema<strong>in</strong>tenance of an “effective” dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residual throughout distribution isperceived to offer protection aga<strong>in</strong>st low level <strong>in</strong>gress as well as avoid<strong>in</strong>g regrowthproblems. Assum<strong>in</strong>g these objectives to be valid, it is reasonable to conclude thatm<strong>in</strong>imum dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residual concentrations can be specified as targets to suitthe possible dis<strong>in</strong>fectant types as well as for different water types (primarily surfaceor ground derived). Such an approach is less sensitive to the other major perceivedbenefit of ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residuals <strong>in</strong> distribution; namely, the <strong>in</strong>dicationof gross contam<strong>in</strong>ation through total loss of the residual.Chlor<strong>in</strong>e Concentration Targets for <strong>Water</strong> <strong>in</strong> DistributionIn order to def<strong>in</strong>e numerical targets, the biocidal effectiveness of the different formsof dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residual must first be appreciated; a simple classification is offered<strong>in</strong> Table 2.Table 2 Biocidal Effectiveness of Dis<strong>in</strong>fectant ResidualsOn the basis of this classification, whilst free chlor<strong>in</strong>e, chlor<strong>in</strong>e dioxide <strong>and</strong> ozoneall offer sound options for primary dis<strong>in</strong>fection of source waters, only free chlor<strong>in</strong>e<strong>and</strong> monochloram<strong>in</strong>e have the stability <strong>and</strong> biocidal effectiveness to be consideredas residuals for distribution network protection. Chlor<strong>in</strong>e dioxide is used at severalEuropean waterworks as a “safety” dis<strong>in</strong>fectant but the authors question this practicefor the reasons stated above.Experience <strong>in</strong> Europe is <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g the benefits of AOC removal <strong>in</strong>treatment <strong>and</strong> the subsequent reduced requirement for safety dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residualsto be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed. In several European States, groundwaters are not, generally,dis<strong>in</strong>fected at all, rais<strong>in</strong>g fundamental questions about the need for ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gdis<strong>in</strong>fectant residuals <strong>in</strong> distribution. In compar<strong>in</strong>g these countries to the UK, itmay be the case that the more highly developed approaches to protect<strong>in</strong>g raw water


136 WATER TREATMENTresources through protection zones, as <strong>in</strong> the Netherl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> West Germany,permit the “need” for safety dis<strong>in</strong>fection to be avoided; further, there may bedifferences <strong>in</strong> the general condition of distribution networks. However, for the timebe<strong>in</strong>g, the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residuals <strong>in</strong> UK systems is anticipated.With regard to the above arguments, the authors propose (<strong>in</strong> Table 3) a set ofchlor<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> monochlor<strong>in</strong>e target concentrations which can be applied to alldistribution systems; how the targets are achieved will be dependent on the <strong>in</strong>dividualcircumstances of each distribution system.Table 3 Proposed Target M<strong>in</strong>imum Concentrations for Free Chlor<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong>Monochloram<strong>in</strong>eGiven that AOC control was effective for a surface-derived water, then the groundwater targets could apply. Given that catchment protection measures were <strong>in</strong> force<strong>and</strong> that the distribution system was <strong>in</strong> sound condition then these targets couldbecome unnecessary, ie the practices of other European States could follow.Maximum concentrations of 0.5 mg/1 free chlor<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> 1.5 mg/1 monochloram<strong>in</strong>ecould be debated; these will depend largely on the skill of the public relationsdepartment (taste compla<strong>in</strong>ts) <strong>and</strong> cost.It should be stressed that the targets proposed <strong>in</strong> Table 3 are based on the generaloperational experience of the authors; validation of such targets will require <strong>in</strong>putfrom microbiological specialists <strong>and</strong> a consensus view on risk.OPTIMISING SECONDARY CHLORINATIONThe NeedAs discussed above, compliance with microbiological st<strong>and</strong>ards, other microbiologicalissues <strong>and</strong> the constra<strong>in</strong>ts of aesthetic <strong>and</strong> chemical st<strong>and</strong>ards have comb<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>the UK such that the boost<strong>in</strong>g of dis<strong>in</strong>fectant residuals <strong>in</strong> distribution is likely to bemore widely practiced. Of the dis<strong>in</strong>fectant options available, greater emphasis willcont<strong>in</strong>ue to be directed towards the use of free chlor<strong>in</strong>e.Facilitat<strong>in</strong>g this need can only be achieved <strong>in</strong> a consistent manner, therebynormalis<strong>in</strong>g the risks posed by <strong>in</strong>gress <strong>and</strong> regrowth, if an objective approach isadopted (as proposed above) throughout the UK. This implies considerable evolutionof the currently vague national guidel<strong>in</strong>es.InvestigationsDesign<strong>in</strong>g a cost-effective secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation strategy for a given distributionnetwork will require prelim<strong>in</strong>ary studies <strong>in</strong> order to ensure that the correct chlor<strong>in</strong>e


OPTIMISATION OF SECONDARY CHLORINATION IN UK 137doses are applied at the correct locations. Factors that need to be considered arethe times of travel of water <strong>in</strong> the network, the <strong>in</strong>ternal condition of pipes, both ofwhich affect the rate of attenuation of chlor<strong>in</strong>e. Such <strong>in</strong>vestigations are likely torequire a mobile chlor<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>jection system, options for which are discussed below.As temperature will <strong>in</strong>fluence attenuation, studies must encompass the range <strong>in</strong>seasonal conditions.The extent of <strong>in</strong>vestigation will depend on the size <strong>and</strong> complexity of the distributionnetwork <strong>and</strong> may be fairly onerous. To help m<strong>in</strong>imise such work, a chlor<strong>in</strong>eattenuation model could be developed which l<strong>in</strong>ked network characteristics <strong>and</strong>condition to chlor<strong>in</strong>e attenuation rates <strong>and</strong> thereby worked out required dos<strong>in</strong>gpo<strong>in</strong>ts; <strong>in</strong> many cases, preferred po<strong>in</strong>ts of dos<strong>in</strong>g will not co<strong>in</strong>cide with convenientstructures such as service reservoirs.EQUIPMENT FOR SECONDARY CHLORINATIONEven where dos<strong>in</strong>g is possible at a service reservoir, the accurate application <strong>and</strong>control of chlor<strong>in</strong>ation may be difficult. The addition of chlor<strong>in</strong>e to a large body ofwater, such as a service reservoir, to ensure good mix<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an exist<strong>in</strong>g structure,may be very difficult where the <strong>in</strong>flow <strong>and</strong> outflow vary from zero to maximum.Equally, the application of chlor<strong>in</strong>e to reservoir outlets (<strong>and</strong> there may be several)may be very difficult for physical reasons or, aga<strong>in</strong>, for reasons of large flowvariations.Dos<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts need to be chosen with care. The location of dos<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts shouldavoid the need to <strong>in</strong>stall equipment <strong>in</strong> areas accessible to the public, althoughsecure kiosk or cubicle arrangements have been successfully used.Some of the requirements for adequate primary dis<strong>in</strong>fection, <strong>in</strong> particular, contacttime, can be avoided <strong>in</strong> secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation. This enables the dos<strong>in</strong>g/mix<strong>in</strong>g/analysis/alarm data transfer to be more easily applied, be<strong>in</strong>g essential features ofa well designed secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation system.Clearly the type of equipment used will be dependent on size <strong>and</strong> location but <strong>in</strong> allcases it needs to be simple, reliable, easy to <strong>in</strong>stall <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> as self-conta<strong>in</strong>edas possible.Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>vestigations with mobile plant are likely to be unavoidable unlessblanket treatment can be applied successfully to all service reservoirs/networks.Typically, a mobile chlor<strong>in</strong>ation unit is supplied as a trailer, although portablecab<strong>in</strong>s have also been used. Such units need to be secure <strong>and</strong> stable <strong>and</strong> fourwheeled trailers fitted out with chlor<strong>in</strong>e storage system, gas or chemical dos<strong>in</strong>gunits, generator/booster pump set, fume detection systems etc., are <strong>in</strong> use.A variety of chlor<strong>in</strong>ators <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>jectors, with boosted water available at variouspressures <strong>and</strong> volumes will allow for a wide range of treatment conditions <strong>in</strong>topo<strong>in</strong>ts of application rang<strong>in</strong>g from zero back pressure to high pressure ma<strong>in</strong>s.Such application can p<strong>in</strong>-po<strong>in</strong>t the most desirable dos<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>t if it is carriedout <strong>in</strong> conjunction with the analysis of residuals <strong>in</strong> the network at differenttimes.Equipment for the chlor<strong>in</strong>e residual analysis can be housed <strong>in</strong> the mobile unit or <strong>in</strong>discreet sens<strong>in</strong>g stations at relevant po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> the network.


138 WATER TREATMENTMobile equipment of this complexity will not only be of value <strong>in</strong> secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ationassessment but, for example, if de-chlor<strong>in</strong>ation equipment is <strong>in</strong>cluded, could alsobe satisfactorily used for ma<strong>in</strong>s dis<strong>in</strong>fection. Similarly it could be made availablefor use <strong>in</strong> emergencies where rapid measures for dis<strong>in</strong>fection are required.Panel mounted, or skid, arrangements to provide both h<strong>and</strong>l<strong>in</strong>g, dilution <strong>and</strong>dos<strong>in</strong>g of hypoehlorite, as well as the analysis <strong>and</strong> control of residuals <strong>in</strong> thenetwork, are becom<strong>in</strong>g subject to more exhaustive specification by water companies<strong>in</strong> the UK. Often specified is the requirement for <strong>in</strong>stantaneous alarm should thechlor<strong>in</strong>e residuals stray from the optimum. In all such systems accuracy <strong>and</strong>reliability is paramount <strong>and</strong> UK specifications are now likely to fall <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e withthe <strong>Water</strong> Authorities Association Process Systems Committee requirements forprocess control <strong>and</strong> monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>struments. These strict requirements could befurther enhanced by triple validation of primary sens<strong>in</strong>g signals at sensitive orproblematical locations.Secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation generally calls for the use of simple controllers (for cost <strong>and</strong>reliability). The use of sophisticated computer controlled systems <strong>in</strong> remote locationshas its advocates but the relative importance of re-chlor<strong>in</strong>ation compared to primarydis<strong>in</strong>fection must be borne <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d.On site electrolytic chlor<strong>in</strong>ation (OSEC) is likely to reduce the need for visits tothese secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation sites. Self-conta<strong>in</strong>ed, easily <strong>in</strong>stalled systems are nowavailable at a wide range of capacities down to 2 kg per day. Modern technologyallows economic conversion of electrical energy <strong>and</strong> salt <strong>in</strong>to hypochlorite with fully<strong>in</strong>tegrated control <strong>and</strong> alarm systems for local <strong>and</strong> remote monitor<strong>in</strong>g. Storage ofsalt, <strong>in</strong>stead of hypochlorite, provides stability of chemical <strong>and</strong> long periods betweenreplenishment. Such equipment needs to comply to BS5345 Part 2 <strong>and</strong> meet Health<strong>and</strong> Safety Executive requirements.All of the above techniques <strong>and</strong> equipment are st<strong>and</strong>ard for water treatment worksapplication. The modification of such designs to suit secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation isnevertheless far from straighforward <strong>and</strong> require? a good deal of experimentation<strong>and</strong> modification before we reach the stage <strong>in</strong> the UK where optimum secondarychlor<strong>in</strong>ation can easily be applied.CONCLUSIONSReflect<strong>in</strong>g the recently more str<strong>in</strong>gent implementation of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water qualityst<strong>and</strong>ards, a trend can be anticipated <strong>in</strong> the UK of improved dis<strong>in</strong>fection control atsourceworks <strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>stallation of many more secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation stationswith<strong>in</strong> distribution.Presently, the design of dis<strong>in</strong>fection systems is related to the achievement ofmicrobiological quality objectives but this approach on its own can becompromised by the uncerta<strong>in</strong>ties aris<strong>in</strong>g from low sampl<strong>in</strong>g frequencies; further,various microbiological issues have tended to be over-looked or are <strong>in</strong> need ofdevelopment.A more objective basis is proposed, for manag<strong>in</strong>g the concentration of chlor<strong>in</strong>eresiduals with<strong>in</strong> distribution, which would lead to a more consistent approach toachiev<strong>in</strong>g microbiological st<strong>and</strong>ards.Optimisation of secondary chlor<strong>in</strong>ation will only be achieved given a more objectiveapproach <strong>and</strong> the pursuance of <strong>in</strong>vestigations to ensure that correct doses areapplied at correct locations.


OPTIMISATION OF SECONDARY CHLORINATION IN UK 139REFERENCESBurke V, Rob<strong>in</strong>son J, Gracey M, Peterson D <strong>and</strong> Partridge K (1984) Isolation ofAeromonas hydrophila from a metropolitan water supply: seasonal correlationwith cl<strong>in</strong>ical isolates. App. Environ. Microbiol. Vol 48, No 2, 361–366.DoE (1983). “The bacterial exam<strong>in</strong>ation of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water supplies 1982”, Departmentof the Environment/Department of Health <strong>and</strong> Social Security/Public HealthLaboratory Service, HMSO.DoE (1984). Letter WI7/1984DoE (1989). Group of Experts on Cryptosporidium <strong>in</strong> <strong>Water</strong> Supplies Interim Reportof 25th July 1989.DoE (1989b). Guidance on safeguard<strong>in</strong>g the quality of public water supplies,Department of the Environment, HMSO.EC (1980). Council Directive of 15 July 1980 relat<strong>in</strong>g to the quality of water <strong>in</strong>tendedfor human consumption, Official Journal L229.Galbraith N S, Barrett N, Stanwell-Smith R (1987). <strong>Water</strong> associated disease afterCroydon, Inst. Wat. Eng. Sci. Summer Conference.Schellart J A (1987). Chlor<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>and</strong> dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water quality: Amsterdam dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>gwater quality before <strong>and</strong> after stopp<strong>in</strong>g safety chlor<strong>in</strong>ation, Inst. Wat. Eng.Sci. Summer Conference.Schroders (1989). Prospectus for the <strong>Water</strong> Share Offer.WAA (1988). Operational guidel<strong>in</strong>es for the protection of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water supplies,<strong>Water</strong> Authorities Association, London.WHO (1984). Guidel<strong>in</strong>es for dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water quality, World Health Organization,Geneva.WRc (1986). Viral surveillance <strong>in</strong> the water <strong>in</strong>dustry: needs <strong>and</strong> feasibility, <strong>Water</strong>Research Centre Sem<strong>in</strong>ar, London.DISCLAIMERThe views expressed <strong>in</strong> this paper are those of the Authors <strong>and</strong> do not necessarilyrelate to the views of <strong>Water</strong> Quality <strong>Management</strong> Ltd.


Chapter 14MEASUREMENTS OF MASSTRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMNWITH DIFFERENT HYDRODYNAMICCONDITIONSC Lang <strong>and</strong> G Bachmeier (Institute of Hydromechanics, University ofKarlsruhe, Fed. Rep. Germany)ABSTRACTThe effect of hydrodynamic conditions <strong>in</strong> the liquid phase of a vertical, co-currentair water bubbly flow on the mass-transfer of oxygen has been <strong>in</strong>vestigatedexperimentally. It is discussed which fluiddynamic mechanisme have to be consideredto describe the behaviour of such an air-water flow. The parameters turbulence<strong>in</strong>tensity <strong>and</strong> mean flow velocity of the water flow <strong>and</strong> the air flow rate were varied<strong>and</strong> correlated with the overall volumetric mass-transfer coefficient k L • a.NOMENCLATUREA <strong>in</strong>terfacial area through which the oxygen transfer occurs [L 2 ]a <strong>in</strong>terfacial area A per unit volume of liquid V [L -1 ]bbar width of the turbulencegrid [L]C L O 2 -concentration <strong>in</strong> the bulk liquid [ML -3 ]Indices 0-at the time t=0t-at the time tC s equilibrium O 2 -concentration (correspond<strong>in</strong>g to Henry’s law) [ML- 3 ]Ddiameter of the bubble column [L]D L molecular diffusion coefficient [L 2 T -1 ]d Bdiameter of bubble [L]k, k L . a overall volumetric mass-transfer coefficient [T- 1 ]k L transfer coefficient of the liquid phase [MT -1]L yhorizontal macroscale of turbulence [L]Mmesh length of the turbulencegrid [L]n gas flux [MT -1 L -1 ]Q a air flow rate [L 3 T -1 ]Q water flow rate [L 3 T -1 ]R correlation coefficient [—]Re. (U SL .D)/v, Reynoldsnumber [—]© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 141–154141


142 WATER TREATMENTr rate of the renewed of the <strong>in</strong>terface [T -1 ]Ttemperature [°C]Tu turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensity [—]ttime variable [T]U SG Q a /(π. D 2 /4) spatial mean velocity of the gas phase [LT -1 ]U SL Q w /(π. D 2 /4) spatial mean velocity of the liquid phase [LT -1 ]u’ L ,v’ L ,W’ L r.m.s. value of the velocity fluctuations [LT -1 ]U L mean velocity of the liquid phase <strong>in</strong> the x direction [LT -1 ]V total volume of the liquid [L 3 ]xlongitud<strong>in</strong>al coord<strong>in</strong>ate [L]x’ distance downstream from grid [L]y, z transversal coord<strong>in</strong>ates [L] Q a /Q w, void fraction [—]δLthickness of the <strong>in</strong>terfacial boundery layer of the liquid [L]n (ξo-ξ EO )/ξ O , efficiency of oxygen transfer [—]v k<strong>in</strong>ematc viscosity of the liquid [L 2 T -1 ]ξ 0 volumetric O 2 -concentration <strong>in</strong> the air <strong>in</strong>put [—]ξ E volumetric O 2 -concentration <strong>in</strong> the air output [—]Indices 0-at the time t=0t-at the time t1. INTRODUCTIONGas-liquid mass-transfer plays a role <strong>in</strong> a variety of problems <strong>in</strong> chemical <strong>and</strong>biological eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g [16], [13]. In particular, aeration <strong>in</strong> water <strong>and</strong> waste watertreatment or desorption of volatile organic compound <strong>in</strong> ground water are some ofthe areas of research that are concerned with the problem of mass-transfer. Inboth cases, aeration-as well as stripp<strong>in</strong>g-processes, the purpose is the creation ofappropriate <strong>in</strong>terfacial areas required for the transfer of the water <strong>and</strong>/or aircontents. Thus, aeration of bubbles is often used to <strong>in</strong>crease gas-liquid mass transfer<strong>in</strong> such adsorption <strong>and</strong>/or desorption processes, see Fig.1.The efficiency of these exchance processes is substantially <strong>in</strong>fluenced by thehydrodynamics of the two-phase flow. In such a system of gas <strong>and</strong> water mixture,the phase boundaries are deformable <strong>and</strong> therefore by nature unsteady. A detailedanalytical description of this phenomena with often unknown <strong>in</strong>fluxes is notavailable. Plann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> dimension<strong>in</strong>g of aeration or stripp<strong>in</strong>g systems requirehowever not only knowledge of the <strong>in</strong>fluence of fluid flow mass-transfer, but alsoknowledge about the realization of the desired flow conditions by appropriate reactordesign <strong>and</strong> construction.To clarify the basic correlations between mass-transfer <strong>and</strong> fluid flow, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> orderto quantify the overall volumetric mass-transfer coefficient k, the detailed processes<strong>in</strong> the gas <strong>and</strong> fluid flows are be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>vestigated. The parameters, turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensity<strong>and</strong> structure, bubble size <strong>and</strong> the duration of contact, are of ma<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest.A bubble column was built with a special air <strong>in</strong>put system (see Fig. 3, 4) to produces<strong>in</strong>gle bubbles with diameters from 0.2 to 10 mm <strong>and</strong> bubble swarms. The <strong>in</strong>fluenceof the above mentioned parameters on the mass-transfer coefficient was determ<strong>in</strong>edby measurement of oxygen transfer.


MEASUREMENTS OF MASS TRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMN 1432. METHODS/EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE2.1 Basic TheoryFig. 1: Adsorption/Desorption DevicesThe transfer across a gas-liquid <strong>in</strong>terface of gases of low solubility (such as oxygen)is controlled by resistance of the liquid side [17]. Hence it is the <strong>in</strong>teraction ofprocesses of molecular diffusion <strong>and</strong> the liquid turbulence structure near the<strong>in</strong>terface that determ<strong>in</strong>es the gas flux, which may be characterized by the liquidtransfer coefficient k L . The gas flux n specify<strong>in</strong>g the rate at which the gas volume M(oxygen) transported across <strong>in</strong>terface area A from the bubble to the bulk liquid(water), see Fig. 2, may then be related to gas concentration asChemical reactions between gas <strong>and</strong> fluid are excluded. The change of the oxygenconcentration <strong>in</strong> water by unit time gives the follow<strong>in</strong>g equation [20]:(1)(2)Fig. 2: Mass-Transfer across the Interface


144 WATER TREATMENTThe overall volumetric transfer coefficient k, characterizes the atta<strong>in</strong>able mass—transfer <strong>in</strong> a gas-liquid system. In process applications it is <strong>in</strong>fluenced by– dimensions of the reactor (geometry of the reactor <strong>and</strong> the air diffusersystem etc.)– operation parameters (flux of water <strong>and</strong> air, pressure etc.)– chemical <strong>and</strong> physical properties of the two phases (surface tension,viscosity etc.)These free selected parameters fix not only bubble characteristics such as form,size <strong>and</strong> residence time but also the material properties <strong>and</strong> hydrodynamic conditionsof the two phases <strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>terface boundary layer. Now these dependent parametersare related to the f<strong>in</strong>al desired values: the efficiency <strong>and</strong> the energy dem<strong>and</strong> of themass-transfer processes.Integrat<strong>in</strong>g equation (2) yield:This equation corresponds to a k<strong>in</strong>etic reaction model of first order <strong>and</strong> leads to thedeterm<strong>in</strong>ation of k.(3)2.2 Overall volumetric mass-transfer coefficient kFor practical transfer processes, it is not possible to identify separately the twovalues k L <strong>and</strong> a. To dimension <strong>and</strong> regulate a mass transfer reactor, it is of greatimportance, know<strong>in</strong>g the parameters which <strong>in</strong>fluence these values, to take suitableeng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g actions for their variation. For this, it is necessary to clarify the physicalconditions <strong>in</strong> the neighbourhood of the <strong>in</strong>terfacial boundary layer.The replacement of the liquid <strong>in</strong> the region of the <strong>in</strong>terfacial boundary, is oftendescribed <strong>in</strong> terms of renewal models. A comparison of the various theories <strong>and</strong>def<strong>in</strong>ition equations for the transfer coefficient k L is listed <strong>in</strong> table 1.All formulate k L as a function of the terms:The follow<strong>in</strong>g assumptions are common to all models:– the oxygen diffusion through the <strong>in</strong>terfacial area is a molecularprocess,– the <strong>in</strong>terface boundary layer consists of fluid elements which arecontact<strong>in</strong>g with the molecules from the gaseous phase dur<strong>in</strong>g a certa<strong>in</strong>time unit t’,– after the contact<strong>in</strong>g time, new fluid elements from the water bulk(concentration C L ) push aside the elements with <strong>in</strong>creased oxygenconcentration.The residence time t’ of the fluid elements at the <strong>in</strong>terface is a function of the flowcharacteristics, i.e., the turbulence of the flow. The formulations of the models 6, 7<strong>and</strong> 8 (table 1) describe this <strong>in</strong>fluence of the turbulent flow on the transfer of the(4)


MEASUREMENTS OF MASS TRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMN 145gas from the <strong>in</strong>terface <strong>in</strong>to the bulk of liquid by characteristic turbulent scales. Theproblem consists <strong>in</strong> the measurement of these scales <strong>in</strong> the two phase flow [6], [10].For the quantitative <strong>and</strong> qualitative determ<strong>in</strong>ation of the volumetric <strong>in</strong>terfacial areaa as a function of flow <strong>and</strong> material characteristics two sorts of measurementmethods [6], [3], [19] are commonly used:– chemical methods lead<strong>in</strong>g to a direct determ<strong>in</strong>ation,– physical methods analys<strong>in</strong>g bubble characteristics such as local phasedistribution, spatial bubble diameter distribution (e.g. Sauter diameter)These methods necessitate a substantial disturbance of the system or are nowunder development.2.3 ApproachTable 1: Mass-Transfer ModelsFor these <strong>in</strong>vestigations a bubble column was chosen because of the simpleregulation of the flow rate, the flow characteristics <strong>and</strong> the air <strong>in</strong>put <strong>in</strong> this system.The relative importance of turbulence <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>fluenc<strong>in</strong>g oxygen transfer from bubblesto water is discussed. It is not <strong>in</strong>tended to specify design parameters <strong>in</strong> this paper,but rather to emphasize the importance of this parameter. Therefore the problem isreconsidered <strong>in</strong> a much simpler situation, namely of a uniform mean flow withapproximately isotropic turbulence characteristics [5]. However hypothetic suchflows might seem from a practical po<strong>in</strong>t of view, their study is believed to be anessential first step towards the more elaborate <strong>in</strong>vestigation of other more realistictwo-phase flows.


146 WATER TREATMENT2.4 Experimental FacilityThe measurements were conducted <strong>in</strong> a closed-circuit system with a volume V of 2m 3 of water (see Fig. 3). The flow is driven by two pumps with variable discharges Q wup to 0.070 m 3 /s, which is equivalent to a Reynolds number of 2.0.10 5 . The work<strong>in</strong>gcross-section, made of plexiglass, measured 2 m high with a diameter of 0.44 m. Auniform velocity distribution was obta<strong>in</strong>ed by an arrangement of screens <strong>in</strong> a diffuser.Freestream turbulence was found to be lower than 5% (= type T0). A variation <strong>in</strong>turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensity could be achieved by grids at the entrance of the cross-section.The size of the selected grid mesh is M=5 cm <strong>and</strong> the quadraticsl bars are b=1,5 cmper side (=grid type T1).Gas (Air) is <strong>in</strong>jected through 25 nozzles, positioned at each cross of the turbulencegrid (see Fig. 4). The gas flow rate <strong>in</strong> each nozzle can be controlled <strong>in</strong>dividually. Themass-transfer measurements have been carried out <strong>in</strong> co-current flow with anaverage volumetric void fraction,ß, <strong>in</strong> the range of 0 < ß < 10%.The cont<strong>in</strong>ous measurements of dissolved oxygen <strong>in</strong> the fluid were performed bymeans of membrane electrodes <strong>in</strong> accordance to the ASCE-St<strong>and</strong>ards [1].Determ<strong>in</strong>ation due to this dynamical method is permissible because of the relativeshort length of the column <strong>and</strong> the small f<strong>in</strong>eness ratio. The assumption of completemix<strong>in</strong>g is then justified. The air was analyzed before <strong>and</strong> after pass<strong>in</strong>g the bubblecolumn <strong>in</strong> an oxygen detector. Because of this method it is possible to carry out amass-balance of the system.Fig. 3: Cross-Section of the Bubble Column


MEASUREMENTS OF MASS TRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMN 147Fig. 4: Air-Input SystemThe velocity <strong>and</strong> turbulence measurement <strong>in</strong> the s<strong>in</strong>gle phase flow is obta<strong>in</strong>ed us<strong>in</strong>gLaser-Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). The LDV-system was a one-component system,based on a 15 mW laser, operated <strong>in</strong> forward scatter<strong>in</strong>g mode with bragg-cell shift<strong>in</strong>g.The probe volume is about 0.8 mm×1mm. The photomultiplier signal was filtered <strong>and</strong>processed by a computer. To elim<strong>in</strong>ate effects of the circular wall, a transparentrectangular box conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g water was mounted around the bubble column.The experimental procedure was the follow<strong>in</strong>g: first of all, the catalyst salt CoSO 4was dissolved <strong>in</strong> the circulat<strong>in</strong>g water. Then slowly the oxygen b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g salt Na 2 SO swas added until the oxygen which is dissolved <strong>in</strong> the water by nature is no longermeasureable. The reaeration is then started by open<strong>in</strong>g the air-valve. The air supplyis measured by a rotameter. All data were taken with an A/D converter at a rate of0.1 Hz on a personal computer. The total measur<strong>in</strong>g time per configuration variedfrom 70–90 m<strong>in</strong>.3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION3.1 Characterization of the water flowThe longitud<strong>in</strong>al <strong>and</strong> transversal coord<strong>in</strong>ates are denoted as x, y, z (see Fig. 3). Thema<strong>in</strong> characteristics of the flow field <strong>in</strong> the absence of bubbles, namely the meanvelocity U L <strong>and</strong> the turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensity Tu x were measured without <strong>and</strong> with theturbulence produc<strong>in</strong>g grid at various po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> the bubble column. The turbulence<strong>in</strong>tensity Tu x is def<strong>in</strong>ed here as the ratio of the r.m.s. value, u’ L , of the longitud<strong>in</strong>alvelocity fluctuations <strong>and</strong> the mean velocity.Typical results are shown <strong>in</strong> a 3-D representation for both grid conditions for a flowrate,. The measurement po<strong>in</strong>t is located <strong>in</strong> a distance of 3×M from thegrid Tl directly above the air <strong>in</strong>let nozzles ( ), see Fig. 5. When the columnis operated without the grid (type T0), the mean velocity is uniform with<strong>in</strong> 5 %,.In addition, the turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensity is similarly uniform <strong>in</strong> the sameregionOn the other h<strong>and</strong>, with the grid (type T1), the mean velocity


148 WATER TREATMENTFig. 5a: Spatial Distribution of Mean Velocity U L<strong>and</strong>Turbulence Intensity Tu xwithout Grid (= type T0)Fig. 5b: Spatial Distribution of Mean Velocity U L <strong>and</strong>Turbulence Intensity Tu xwith Grid (= type T1)<strong>and</strong> the turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensity aga<strong>in</strong> prove to be constant over the cross-section, butturbulence <strong>in</strong>tensities now <strong>in</strong>crease to a value of .Moreover, the measurements of the longitud<strong>in</strong>al <strong>and</strong> transversal velocity fluctuations( ) <strong>in</strong>dicate the degree of isotropy of the turbulence without <strong>and</strong> with thegrid (Fig. 6). This fact is described by Ba<strong>in</strong>es <strong>and</strong> Peterson (1958) for air flow <strong>and</strong>also by Lance <strong>and</strong> Bataille (1984) <strong>in</strong> water flow.F<strong>in</strong>ally the decay of turbulence is governed by the follow<strong>in</strong>g asymptotic law:In Fig. 7 is plotted the variation of turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensities along the axis for all testconditions. No noticeable <strong>in</strong>fluence of the Reynolds-number, Re, <strong>in</strong> the range studiedwas found.Ba<strong>in</strong>es <strong>and</strong> Peterson (1958) also gave a function for the lateral scale of turbulence:(5)(6)


MEASUREMENTS OF MASS TRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMN 149Fig. 6: Distributions of the Ratio of Fluctuations u’ L/v’ L,u’ L/w’ L<strong>in</strong> y-<strong>and</strong> z-DirectionFig. 7: Decay of Turbulence Intensity Tv x<strong>and</strong> Variation <strong>in</strong> Macroscale L yof TurbulenceThe lateral scale L v is one of these values which often is used to describe the conditionof a turbulent flow. The results for the grid types are also plotted <strong>in</strong> Fig. 7.In summary, the turbulence conditions of the water flow <strong>in</strong> the bubble column,characterised by the turbulence <strong>in</strong>tensities <strong>and</strong> the macroscale of turbulence canbe <strong>in</strong>fluenced dist<strong>in</strong>ctly by the choice of the grid type.


150 WATER TREATMENT3.2 Oxygen transfer <strong>in</strong> waterValues of the overall volumetric mass-transfer coefficient k were determ<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> 50experiments with different air-water-flow conditions. Typical results of oxygenmeasurements <strong>in</strong> water are plotted <strong>in</strong> Fig. 8 for both grid types <strong>and</strong> a water flowrateThe data were correlated asversus time t, <strong>in</strong> accordance withthe <strong>in</strong>tegrated form of equation (3). The value of R 2 , the square of the correlationcoefficient, generally exceeded 0.99. The l<strong>in</strong>earity of the data sets attests to the goodnessof fit of the mass-transfer model. All experimental data are summarized <strong>in</strong> table 3.Fig. 8: Typical Curves of the Oxygen Concentrations C L(t) <strong>in</strong> waterTable 2: Efficiency of Oxygen Transfer ?Table 3: Results of the Experiments: Overall Volumetric Mass-TransferCoefficient k L·a [l/m<strong>in</strong>]


MEASUREMENTS OF MASS TRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMN 151The results for all measurement conditions <strong>and</strong> both grid types TO <strong>and</strong> T1 areshown for the oxygen concentration <strong>in</strong> water <strong>in</strong> Fig. 9 <strong>and</strong> 10 as a function of thevoid fraction ß <strong>and</strong> also for oxygen efficiency <strong>in</strong> air <strong>in</strong> table 2. Figure 9 shows thatthe <strong>in</strong>fluence of the grid types TO <strong>and</strong> Tl occurs <strong>in</strong> all water flow rates Q w . At thelowest air flow rate Q a =0.1.10- 3 m 3 /s the results of the oxygen measurements areapproximately similar for both grid conditions (k~0.01 l/m<strong>in</strong>). With an <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gQ a the difference between the k-values without <strong>and</strong> with grid also <strong>in</strong>creases. ForQ a >0.55·10 -3 m 3 / s the curves taken from the experimental data with the grid show anearly asymptotic behaviour.Fig. 9a: Overall Volumetric Mass-Transfer Coefficient k L· a for Different<strong>Water</strong> Flow Rates without <strong>and</strong> with the GridFig. 9b: Overall Volumetric Mass-Transfer Coefficient k L· a as aFunction of Air Flow Rate without <strong>and</strong> with the Grid


152 WATER TREATMENTFig. 10: Specific Mass-Transfer Coefficient k L• a/U SLfor DifferentVoid Fractions ßThis result leads to the conclusion that the operation conditions with a turbulenceproduc<strong>in</strong>g grid have no significant <strong>in</strong>fluence with low air flow rates but reduces themass-transfer with <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g Q a .The relation between the mass-transfer coefficient <strong>and</strong> the air flow rates are plotted <strong>in</strong>Fig. 9b. The significant greater k-values for the lowest water flow rate Q w <strong>and</strong> higherair <strong>in</strong>put rates Q a (<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g ß) may be explicable with the accumulation of bubbles<strong>in</strong> the upper part of the bubble column with a longer residence time <strong>and</strong> therefor abetter efficiency of the oxygen. The calculation of k related to the spatial mean velocityof the gas phase USG results <strong>in</strong> decreas<strong>in</strong>g values with <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g air flow rates(comparison of the maximum <strong>and</strong> m<strong>in</strong>imum values:Q a -factor 10; k-factor 5).These results are supported by calculation of the maximum efficiency of oxygentransfer:where ξ 0 is the volumetric oxygen concentration of air <strong>in</strong>put <strong>in</strong> the bubble column<strong>and</strong> ξ E0 is that of the air output at the top of the column, see table 2.The better oxygen transfer from bubbles to water at the lowest air <strong>in</strong>put Q a (η ~ 6-8 %) is caused by the s<strong>in</strong>gle ris<strong>in</strong>g bubbles with diameters d B =3- 5 mm. Bubbles ofthis diameter range enhance oxygen transfer by bubble deformation <strong>and</strong> bubblesurface oszillations [15]. The movement of the bubble surface results <strong>in</strong> the cont<strong>in</strong>ousproduction of of great local concentration differences ∆C=(Cs-CL) <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>terfacialarea of the bubbles. This leads to an <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g mass-transfer correspond<strong>in</strong>g toequation (2).An <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g air flow rate Q a produces bubbles with larger diameters <strong>and</strong> bubbleagglomeration by coalescence. This effect leads to reduction of the <strong>in</strong>terfacial area<strong>and</strong> to a adequate loss <strong>in</strong> oxygen entry [15].(7)


MEASUREMENTS OF MASS TRANSFER IN A BUBBLE COLUMN 153A plott<strong>in</strong>g of the specific mass transfer coefficient k L • a/U S L considers the <strong>in</strong>fluenceof spatial mean velocity of the liquid phase U SL <strong>and</strong> also the residence time of thebubbles. Figure 10 shows that the largest values can be reached with a low waterflow rate Q w =0.01 m3/s. The <strong>in</strong>fluence of the turbulent s<strong>in</strong>gle water flow conditionsis also seen <strong>in</strong> this figure.4. CONCLUSIONSOverall volumetric mass-transfer coefficients k=k L • a <strong>and</strong> maximum efficiency ofoxygen transfer η for air bubbles ris<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> water with different hydrodynamicconditions have been measured <strong>in</strong> order to quantify oxygen mass-transfer. Theresults of the experimental measurements suggest the follow<strong>in</strong>g conclusions: Masstransferdepends on• the air flow rate Q a <strong>in</strong>fluenc<strong>in</strong>g bubble diameter as well as bubbledeformation <strong>and</strong> residence time,• the water flow rate Q w ma<strong>in</strong>ly affect<strong>in</strong>g the residence time of the bubbles• the turbulent conditions of the water flow.To clarify these effects <strong>and</strong> to assess the importance of each of them further work isnecessary. Currently, experiments are prepaired with a variety of turbulence grids,produc<strong>in</strong>g different turbulence conditions <strong>in</strong> the water flow. At present the <strong>in</strong>fluenceof the differnet hydrodynamic conditions on the bubble diameter distribution,produced by the air-<strong>in</strong>put system with variable nozzels is <strong>in</strong>vestigated. For thisphotographic <strong>and</strong> opto-electronical methods are used.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis work was supported by the Bundesm<strong>in</strong>isterium fur Forschung und Technologie(BMFT), Project number: 02-WA 8680/4BIBLIOGRAPHY[1] ASCE (1984): A St<strong>and</strong>ard for the Measurement of Oxygen Transfer <strong>in</strong> Clean<strong>Water</strong>. ASCE, Vol.6.[2] Ha<strong>in</strong>es, W.D.; Peterson, E.G. (1951): An Investigation of Flow ThroughScreens. ASME, Vol.7, 467–480.[3] Brauer, H. (1971): Mass Transfer. Sauerl<strong>and</strong>er, Frankfurt.[4] Danckwerts, P.V. (1970): Gas-Liquid-Reactions. McGraw Hill, New York.[5] Davies, J.T. (1972): Turbulence Phenomena, Academic Press, New York.[6] Deckwer, W.-D. (1985): Technical Reactions <strong>in</strong> Bubble Columns. Salle +Sauerl<strong>and</strong>er, Frankfurt.[7] Dobb<strong>in</strong>s, W.E. (1956): The Nature of the Oxygen Transfer Coefficient <strong>in</strong>Aeration Systems. <strong>Treatment</strong> of Sewage <strong>and</strong> Industrial Wastes, McCabe.[8] Dobb<strong>in</strong>s, W.E. (1962): Mechanism of Gas Absorption by Turbulent Liquids.<strong>Water</strong> Pollution Research, Pergamon Press, Vol. II.


154 WATER TREATMENT[9] Higbie, R. (1935): The Rate of Absorption of a Pure Gas <strong>in</strong>to a Still Liquiddur<strong>in</strong>g Periods of Exposure. Trans. Am. Inst. Chem. Eng., Vol.31, 365–389.[10] Lance, M.; Bataille, J. (1983): Turbulence <strong>in</strong> the Liquid Phase of a BubblyAir-<strong>Water</strong> Flow. NATO ASI Serie E-No. 63, Mart<strong>in</strong>us Nijhoff Publishers.[11] Lance, M.; Marie, J.L.; Bataille, J. (1985): Homogeneous Turbulence <strong>in</strong>Bubbly Flows. Fundamental Aspects of Gas Liquid Flows. ASME, New York.[12] Lewis, W.K.; Whitman, W.G. (1924): Pr<strong>in</strong>ciples of Gas Absorption. Industrial<strong>and</strong> Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g Chemistry, Vol.16.[13] Matter-Mûller, Ch.; Gujer, W.; Giger, W. (1981): Transfer of VolatileSubstances from <strong>Water</strong> to the Atmosphere. <strong>Water</strong> Research, Vol.15, 1271–1279.[14] Mersmann, A. (1986): Mass-Transfer. Spr<strong>in</strong>ger, Berl<strong>in</strong>.[15] Nestmann, F. (1984): Oxygen Entry by Bubbles <strong>and</strong> Development of aMechanical Aeration Device. Thesis, University of Karlsruhe.[16] Nestmann, F.; Lang, C. (1986): A Mechanical Device for Separate Mix<strong>in</strong>g<strong>and</strong> Aeration <strong>in</strong> Sewage Tanks. Wasserwirtschaft, Vol.2, 52–57.[17] Treybal, R. (1981): Mass-Transfer Operations, McGraw Hill, New York.[18] Sengpiel, W.; Meyder, R. (1987): An Experimental Investigation of LocalVoid Distribution <strong>and</strong> Turbulence Structure of Bubbly Two-Phase Flow <strong>in</strong>Vertical Channels. 4th Workshop on Two-Phase Flow Predictions, Erlangen.[19] Wallis, G.B. (1969): One Dimensional Two-Phase Flow. McGraw Hill, NewYork.[20] WPCF; ASCE (1988): Aeration. ASCE-WPCF Manual <strong>and</strong> Report onEng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g Practice, No.63.


PART V<strong>Treatment</strong>: <strong>in</strong>novation <strong>and</strong>application


Chapter 15WATER TREATMENTTECHNOLOGIES FOR THECHALLENGES OF THE NINETIESF Fless<strong>in</strong>ger (Zenon Environmental Inc., Burl<strong>in</strong>gton, Ontario,Canada)INTRODUCTIONIn early 1985,1 wrote with a group of researchers from Lyonnaise des Eaux ResearchCenter, a general paper (1) on where we felt the technologies of water treatmentwere head<strong>in</strong>g on to. This paper was first presented at a workshop on “EnvironmentalTechnology Assessment” held at the University of Cambridge <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong> on April24,1985. It was reproduced at the end of 1985 <strong>in</strong> the “<strong>Water</strong> Research Quarterly” ofthe AWWA Research Foundation <strong>and</strong> through this it got an unexpected butconsiderable publicity throughout the United States. The title of the paper but alsoits content had been greatly <strong>in</strong>fluenced by the famous book <strong>and</strong> # 1 bestseller,Megatrends of John Naisbitt (2). This book was identify<strong>in</strong>g trends <strong>and</strong> pressureswhich would likely force the world to change.Five years later the trends have not significantly changed <strong>and</strong> this “global” approachstill appears the most sensible for a keynote paper. Rather than attempt<strong>in</strong>g topredict the emergence of specific technologies, I would like, <strong>in</strong> this generalpresentation, po<strong>in</strong>t out probable changes which may occur <strong>and</strong> draw from thesethe potential emergence of new technologies. It does not pretend to be the review ofall foreseeable evolutions, but rather a presentation of a few trends <strong>in</strong> water treatmenttechnologies, which seem most likely to develop <strong>in</strong> the course of the com<strong>in</strong>g decade.THE CHALLENGES OF THE NINETIESAll around the world, the water sector is undergo<strong>in</strong>g accelerat<strong>in</strong>g changes. Thesechanges are due <strong>in</strong> part to the strategy of the organizations themselves. They arehowever, primarily created by external forces beyond their control. Ten of theseforces can be easily identified (4). Their importance varies considerably from onecountry <strong>and</strong> even one region to another, the list is not comprehensive <strong>and</strong> each ofthem may <strong>in</strong>teract with the others.i) The re<strong>in</strong>forcement of quality st<strong>and</strong>ards accompanied by an <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gdem<strong>and</strong> for high quality water <strong>and</strong> a cleaner environment from the generalpublic.ii) The emergence of stronger (“greener”) pressure groups.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>- Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 157–164157


158 WATER TREATMENTiii)iv)The progress <strong>in</strong> technology, such as electronics, biotechnology, polymerscience, membrane separation, etc…The sp<strong>in</strong>-offs from the development of treatment of water for specificapplications, such as ultra-pure water for laboratories, water for theelectronic <strong>in</strong>dustry, for enhanced oil recoveries, bottled water etc…v) The quantitive <strong>and</strong> qualitive reduction <strong>in</strong> water resources. This is sometimerelated to pressure for a better environment.vi)The need to recycle water (e.g. <strong>in</strong> the build<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Tokyo).vii) The economic pressure exerted to reduce energy, labour costs <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>creaseproductivity.viii) The development of privatization result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g competitionbetween water organizations. This forces public cervices to look for newmarkets <strong>and</strong> therefore develop a policy of diversification. The most commonone is water treatment. This <strong>in</strong> turn will result <strong>in</strong> the development of“large” water organizations.ix)The emergence of more <strong>and</strong> more <strong>in</strong>novative <strong>and</strong> broader flexible f<strong>in</strong>anc<strong>in</strong>g<strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g options for water facilities.x) The changes <strong>in</strong> the mentality of waterworks personnel: No more“hierarchy”, but more team work, etc…Today, more than ever it seems that <strong>in</strong> this list the strongest trends enhanc<strong>in</strong>gchanges <strong>in</strong> water treatment are the follow<strong>in</strong>g:• The need for quality <strong>and</strong> the new U.S. regulations.• The progress <strong>in</strong> technology <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> turn the dem<strong>and</strong> for “high-Tech”,• The development of privatization more particularly <strong>in</strong> Europe, where thecompletion of the s<strong>in</strong>gle market after 1992 might accelerate changes.The conjunction of several of these forces might literally create “w<strong>in</strong>dow ofopportunities” for specific technologies <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g few years <strong>and</strong> it is likely <strong>in</strong>fact that most of the changes will occur <strong>in</strong> the early part of the 1990’s.THE RESEARCH ORIENTATIONSThe second part of the previous decade has seen a rise (4) <strong>in</strong> R&D expenditures,<strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>volvement of the water utilities themselves <strong>in</strong> carry<strong>in</strong>g out thisresearch. In these expenditures, R&D <strong>in</strong> water treatment, usually represents morethan one third <strong>and</strong> frequently one half of the total. In the com<strong>in</strong>g decade it is thusexpected that water treatment will reap the fruits of these efforts.Another observation <strong>in</strong> the trends to change is the fact that after several years ofwork more focused on wastewater treatment, it appears that the dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water<strong>in</strong>vestigations are now becom<strong>in</strong>g more important. This is probably related to the<strong>in</strong>fluence of the new regulations such as the U.S. “Safe Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Act” (SDWA).Industrial wastewater treatment rema<strong>in</strong>s also of great importance <strong>and</strong> its highspecificity (see also vi above) triggers sophisticated technology sp<strong>in</strong>-offs.


WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE NINETIES 159The bulk of the R&D <strong>in</strong> the dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water area, however, seems to be ratherconservative: it focuses more on a better underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g of the <strong>in</strong>timate mechanism<strong>and</strong> a better control of exist<strong>in</strong>g processes than on the development of new ones. Alarge portion of the effort is also spent <strong>in</strong> pilot experiments, which are usually localdemonstrations, of a proven technology. As an example among the papers selected<strong>in</strong> the journal AWWA for their 1989 best paper award,30% were on activated carbonabsorption, 25% were on ozone oxidation, 10% were on filtration, 10% were onmembrane separation, 10% were on air stripp<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> 10% were on sludgedewater<strong>in</strong>g.These papers represent research projects which were probably started several yearsago <strong>and</strong> the current reality may be somewhat different. We can see, however that <strong>in</strong>the area of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water, carbon absorption <strong>and</strong> ozone oxidation still representmore than half of the research efforts. This is a rather general situation, but newtechnologies such as membrane separation are now appear<strong>in</strong>g heavily <strong>in</strong> theprograms <strong>and</strong> some research organizations are deliberately putt<strong>in</strong>g the majority oftheir strengths on these <strong>in</strong>novative areas.THE DRINKING WATER AREA: A FOCUS ON ORGANIC MATTERREMOVALIt is needless to say, that water treatment will, <strong>in</strong> the years to come, cont<strong>in</strong>ue tofocus on an improvement of the removal of the organic constituents. The push forre<strong>in</strong>forced st<strong>and</strong>ards follow<strong>in</strong>g the U.S. SDWA, the need to elim<strong>in</strong>ate all the newsynthetic organics appear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the environment, the attempt to avoid the formationof dis<strong>in</strong>fection by-products, the requirement to control the bacterial regrowth <strong>in</strong> thedistribution systems,…All these reasons will lead to technologies more <strong>and</strong> moreeffective <strong>in</strong> organics removal. This does not mean of course that local problemscaused by other substances may not arise. Compounds such as Radon, heavymetals, radioactive metals, barium <strong>and</strong> of course calcium, sodium, potassium, willalways generate treatment technology improvements. The ma<strong>in</strong> thrust will howeverrema<strong>in</strong> on the organics, for the years to come.Together with treatment technologies tremendous efforts <strong>and</strong> progress will be made<strong>in</strong> the areas of water analysis, identification of the mechanisms of formation of theby-products, health effects assessment <strong>and</strong> the next decade might see thedevelopment of toxicity bio-assays.ABSORPTION, OXIDATION AND DISINFECTIONThese treatment technologies which are traditionally be<strong>in</strong>g used for the reductionof organic matter will naturally cont<strong>in</strong>ue to grow <strong>in</strong> importance. A better usage ofthe granular activated carbon (G AC) through a better modell<strong>in</strong>g of the absorptionmechanisms seems to be the surest evolution of current practice. Alternatives toGAC such as activated alum<strong>in</strong>a, which raised some <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> the mid eighties isnow fad<strong>in</strong>g out. New carbons, with various shapes (fibers?) might appear, betterreactivation technologies will develop, but altogether this will result only <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>orchanges over the technologies which have been <strong>in</strong> use for the past fifteen years.Powdered activated carbon (PAC) will probably rega<strong>in</strong> importance over GAC,particularly <strong>in</strong> conjunction with floe blanket clarifiers <strong>and</strong> new membrane reactors.The development of ozone will cont<strong>in</strong>ue. It will be more <strong>and</strong> more systematicallyapplied together with GAC, but aga<strong>in</strong>, this is not a really new trend! The technology


160 WATER TREATMENTof its generation <strong>and</strong> of its contact<strong>in</strong>g with water will consistently be improved. Thenewest trend is probably <strong>in</strong> the development of the comb<strong>in</strong>ation of ozone with otheroxidants such as U.V. <strong>and</strong> H 2 0 2 . New reactors allow<strong>in</strong>g an efficient comb<strong>in</strong>ation ofthese oxidants will <strong>in</strong> parallel, be developed.Chlor<strong>in</strong>e will rema<strong>in</strong> as a safety dis<strong>in</strong>fectant, at very low dosages, after removal ofthe core of the organics <strong>and</strong> of all potential precussors of THMS. Chlor<strong>in</strong>e dioxidewill probably rema<strong>in</strong> of limited usage <strong>and</strong> will not undergo any significantdevelopment over the exist<strong>in</strong>g situation.BIOLOGICAL TREATMENTIt is still hoped that future water treatment technologies, even <strong>in</strong> the dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g waterarea, will make a greater use of biological processes. Nitrification <strong>and</strong> moreparticularly denitrification processes will be developed. The removal of trace organicsby the nitrify<strong>in</strong>g biofilm, the development of biofilters for metal precipitation, will allundergo <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g developments. The control of the biofilm <strong>in</strong> the distributionsystem, where dis<strong>in</strong>fectants will be at trace levels will be of major concern <strong>and</strong> willforce the use of some form of “biofilters” at the plant itself to get biostability. Nosignificant improvement, however, seems likely to occur <strong>and</strong> although the steadyrise <strong>in</strong> research efforts <strong>in</strong> this area will cont<strong>in</strong>ue, the traditional weaknesses ofbiological treatments i.e. lack of reliability <strong>and</strong> strong sensitivity to flow <strong>and</strong> load<strong>in</strong>gschanges will cripple the expansion of their application to dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water production.The development of the membrane-bioreactors, however may br<strong>in</strong>g about unexpectedbreakthroughs <strong>in</strong> this area as well.CLARIFICATIONA few years ago, I expected an important change <strong>in</strong> this area due <strong>in</strong> particular tothe aris<strong>in</strong>g of the polymeric coagulants. It did not occur <strong>and</strong> it is more <strong>and</strong> moreunlikely that it will! The quest for quality renders more <strong>and</strong> more difficult the use ofany chemical. The replacement of conventional <strong>in</strong>organic coagulants such as alum<strong>and</strong> ferric chloride by more efficient polymeric species, is progress<strong>in</strong>g very slowly.In parallel ris<strong>in</strong>g suspicions on the relation between alum<strong>in</strong>um residual <strong>and</strong> theAlzeimer’s disease may condemn the development of the use of this metalliccoagulant.Clarifiers <strong>and</strong> s<strong>and</strong> filters technology seems to have reached a plateau <strong>and</strong> no newdevelopment is likely to occur. A lot more research work will be done however <strong>in</strong>this area because of the new U.S. regulations on the filtration requirement <strong>and</strong> theguidel<strong>in</strong>e turbidity (0.5 JTU). This regulation will undoubtedly open a w<strong>in</strong>dow ofopportunity for membrane filtration.MEMBRANE SEPARATIONAmong all the water treatment technologies, membranes seem to be the mostpromis<strong>in</strong>g ones. Their best advantage is their ability to produce water with a constant<strong>and</strong> very well adjusted quality. At a time where the dem<strong>and</strong> for quality is a majordrive, membrane have thus a clear advantage on all other technologies. In additionmembranes offer a variety of other advantages. They remove a wide range ofsubstances, from particles to ions <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g bacteria <strong>and</strong> viruses. Theoretically


WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE NINETIES 161they could remove everyth<strong>in</strong>g. They can operate without chemical addition to water,are reliable, compact <strong>and</strong> easy to automate. Their major disadvantages are stilltheir rather high capital <strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g costs, the fact that they are prone to foul<strong>in</strong>gwhich requires often a high level of pretreatment <strong>and</strong> regular chemical clean<strong>in</strong>g.They may also have a rather important reject stream whose disposal may createproblems.Membranes can be made <strong>in</strong> a wide variety of shapes: fibers, tubes, flat sheets <strong>in</strong> theform of spiral wound modules or plate <strong>and</strong> frames. They can have an almost unlimitedrange of porosity—or molecular weight cut-offs—<strong>and</strong> the development of syntheticorganic chemistry gives hopes of great improvement <strong>in</strong> the membrane composition.This will certa<strong>in</strong>ly result <strong>in</strong> lower operat<strong>in</strong>g pressures, decreased foul<strong>in</strong>g, betterresistance to dis<strong>in</strong>fectants, biodegradation etc… <strong>and</strong> altogether a much longer last<strong>in</strong>gperiod. The new composite membranes with sophisticated coat<strong>in</strong>gs have now littleto do with the orig<strong>in</strong>al cellulose acetate membranes <strong>and</strong> the progress will likelyaccelerate <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g few years.Several outside forces are pull<strong>in</strong>g the membrane technology toward dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g waterapplications. The first <strong>and</strong> primary force is the development of the market.Desal<strong>in</strong>ation plants us<strong>in</strong>g reverse osmosis membranes are be<strong>in</strong>g built around theworld. In addition an important market is be<strong>in</strong>g developed <strong>in</strong> Florida where plantsfor a total capacity of roughly 200 MOD are already <strong>in</strong> operation <strong>and</strong> where atleast an additional 100 MOD will be built every year. Membranes <strong>in</strong> Florida arenot only used for desal<strong>in</strong>ation but more <strong>and</strong> more for organics removal (THMFP’s)together with soften<strong>in</strong>g. Looser membranes as opposed to conventional R.O.—<strong>in</strong>the range of nanofiltration <strong>and</strong> ultrafiltration—are thus be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stalled <strong>and</strong> makethe treatment more <strong>and</strong> more cost effective as compared to conventional coagulationflocculation <strong>and</strong> lime precipitation. Total costs for a plant of 0,5 MOD withmembranes are <strong>in</strong> the range of 1.5 $71000 gallons as compared to more than 2.$/1000 gallons for lime soften<strong>in</strong>g. This difference decreases, however, when thesize of the plant <strong>in</strong>creases. Membranes are now mov<strong>in</strong>g northward <strong>and</strong> westwardthroughout the United States, but Florida will rema<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>deed the nest for membraneproliferation <strong>in</strong> the dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water sector. Altogether it is predicted that the totalmarket for membranes <strong>in</strong> water treatment will be <strong>in</strong> the range of $500 million <strong>in</strong>year 1996.Another reason for the progresses of membrane technology is the development ofconsiderable <strong>in</strong>ternational research programs such as the Aquarenaissance program<strong>in</strong> Japan <strong>and</strong> the Eureka program <strong>in</strong> Europe <strong>and</strong> several projects funded by theAWWA research foundation <strong>in</strong> the U.S. The “Eureka” program <strong>in</strong> particular, fuelsthe development of ultrafiltration <strong>and</strong> microfiltration membranes at Lyonnaise desEaux, which are capable of meet<strong>in</strong>g the costs of conventional filtration technologieswith a whole load of technical advantages. Plants are already <strong>in</strong> operation <strong>and</strong> ifthese membranes can take advantage of the w<strong>in</strong>dow of opportunity opened by theSurface <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> Rule of the SDWA <strong>in</strong> the USA. They would br<strong>in</strong>g then oneof the most important revolution <strong>in</strong> water treatment practices.An <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g feature of membranes is <strong>in</strong> their ability to constitute a reaction bycomb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the separation with a reaction <strong>in</strong> the recirculation loop. A whole world ofmembrane reactors can thus be envisioned: absorption reactors with powderedactivated carbon <strong>in</strong> MF membranes, oxidation reactor, carbonate precipitation <strong>and</strong>iron precipitation reactors. The best hope be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the membrane/bioreactors whichwould significantly open the door to <strong>in</strong>dustrial applications of biotechnology towater treatment.


162 WATER TREATMENTA last po<strong>in</strong>t of potential development is the system where membranes are <strong>in</strong>cluded.Membranes are too often studied <strong>in</strong>dependently. They are essential, but only smallcomponent of an overall system which leaves considerable room for improvement.The “system” approach will likely result <strong>in</strong> great progress.AUTOMATIONArtificial <strong>in</strong>telligence but also other forms of computer architecture such as <strong>in</strong>particular neural networks, will br<strong>in</strong>g tremendous changes to all forms of watertreatment technologies. They will constitute powerful tools capable of h<strong>and</strong>l<strong>in</strong>g at afantastic speed fuzzy data <strong>and</strong> more than anyth<strong>in</strong>g capable of automatic learn<strong>in</strong>g.They may br<strong>in</strong>g back to life obsolete technologies <strong>and</strong> will drastically boost thedevelopment of the most sophisticated ones. It seems that all water plants will beequipped <strong>in</strong> the course of the next decade with some form of these knowledgebased systems. In parallel the development of new sensors us<strong>in</strong>g m<strong>in</strong>iatureelectronics technology will be accelerated.THE WASTEWATER AREAThe wastewater area <strong>in</strong>cludes primarily the development of new biological processes.It is <strong>in</strong>deed an arbitrary simplification, s<strong>in</strong>ce a lot of the <strong>in</strong>dustrial wastewatertreatments are primarily physical-chemical <strong>in</strong> nature <strong>and</strong> their evolution will besimilar to that identified above. The ma<strong>in</strong> trends <strong>in</strong> the biological treatments, however,can be summarized as follows:• A gradual change from activated sludge to biofilters.• A pressure to develop anaerobic treatment <strong>in</strong> areas where energy cost ishigh (Europe, Japan,…).• The re<strong>in</strong>forcement of phosphorus <strong>and</strong> nitrogen removal.• The development of comb<strong>in</strong>ed physical-chemical <strong>and</strong> biological treatments.In this latter case we can see the potential <strong>and</strong> the probable emergence of thecomb<strong>in</strong>ation of biological treatments with membrane separation where they will beused to develop fully <strong>in</strong>tegrated membrane bioreactors. Progressively membraneswill be applied <strong>in</strong> the place of secondary clarifiers. This is already tak<strong>in</strong>g place <strong>in</strong>the “build<strong>in</strong>g-plants” <strong>in</strong> Japan (recycl<strong>in</strong>g of municipal waste water, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> specific<strong>in</strong>dustrial waster water applications, requir<strong>in</strong>g a high degree of reliability). Ultimatelymembranes (loose microfiltration) will move also to replace the primary clarifiers<strong>and</strong> will end up <strong>in</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g possible the development of bioreactors conf<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong>highly specific. This may seem a little futuristic but aga<strong>in</strong> under the pressure of thetechnology development <strong>and</strong> the large <strong>in</strong>ternational research programs, thesereactors may be commonly used well before the turn of the century. They will br<strong>in</strong>gabout: compactness higher yields, reliability, eas<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong> operation, low sludgeproduction <strong>and</strong> altogether a much better quality water.CONCLUSIONAfter many years of conservation, the change <strong>in</strong> water technology has now started<strong>and</strong> will probably develop exponentially. The world itself is chang<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> newchallenges will emerge <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g decade which will <strong>in</strong> turn require even newertechnologies. In this universe of mov<strong>in</strong>g targets there are some certa<strong>in</strong>ties: thequest for a better quality water is undoubtedly one <strong>and</strong> membranes, because oftheir reliability <strong>in</strong> this aspect <strong>and</strong> also because of their evolutionary nature, representour best hope to deal with this future.


WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE NINETIES 163REFERENCES1) F. Fiess<strong>in</strong>ger, J. Mallevialle, A. Lepr<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>and</strong> M. Wiesner2) Warner books-19843) John Naisbitt <strong>and</strong> the Naisbitt Group, The Years Ahead 1986, Warner books19854) François Fiess<strong>in</strong>ger, Applied Research <strong>in</strong> <strong>Water</strong> Supply, IWSA Rio de Janeiro,September, 1988


Chapter 16COLLECTION EFFICIENCY OFLIQUID/LIQUID HYDROCYCLONESJ Woillez (Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches de Grenoble,France)SUMMARYWhen reduction of weight <strong>and</strong> size of oily water treatement <strong>in</strong>stallations is needed, liquid/liquid hydrocyclones can be used <strong>in</strong>stead of settlers. An analytical model is proposed for theprediction of the collection efficiency of hydrocyclones adapted to the treatment of lightdispersions. This model is derived from flow velocity measurements <strong>in</strong> a cyl<strong>in</strong>dricalhydrocyclone us<strong>in</strong>g LDA <strong>and</strong> from modell<strong>in</strong>g of the effects of turbulence. Agreement withexperimental data obta<strong>in</strong>ed with oil <strong>in</strong> water dispersions is good.NOMENCLATUREa : Acceleration (m/s2)b : Correction factorc : Light dispersion concentration (kg/m3)d : Oil droplet diameter (m): Mean <strong>in</strong>let droplet diameter (m)D : Cyclone ma<strong>in</strong> diameter (m)E : Cyclone efficiencyf : Friction factorK : Swirl decay parameter (m-1)L : Cyclone length (m)n : Exponent of vortex lawni : Number of droplet of diameter diQ : Ma<strong>in</strong> flow rate (m3/s)q : Extraction flow rate (m3/s)r : Radial distance from cyclone axis (m)R0 : Cyclone ma<strong>in</strong> radius (m)Re : Droplet Reynolds numbert0 : Unitary shear stress at the wall (N/m2)U : Axial flow velocity (m/s)V : Tangential velocity (m/s)V0 : Tangential velocity at the wall (m/s)Ve : Inlet velocity (m/s)Vs : Tangential velocity at the end of the separation chamber (m/s)W : Droplet migration velocity (m/s)x : Axial distance along cyclone axis (m)µ : <strong>Water</strong> viscosity (Kg/m.s))δ : <strong>Water</strong> density (Kg/m3)∆δ : Density difference between light <strong>and</strong> heavy liquid (kg/m3)© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>- Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 165–172165


166 WATER TREATMENT1 INTRODUCTIONOn waste water treatement <strong>in</strong>stallations, found for example <strong>in</strong> ref<strong>in</strong>eries, offshore platforms,deep well <strong>in</strong>jections or spilled crude oil recovery processes, de-oil<strong>in</strong>g operations are needed<strong>and</strong> are usually made by conventional settlers. But if reduction <strong>in</strong> size <strong>and</strong> weight of<strong>in</strong>stallations is required, this operation can be performed by hydrocyclones. It is known <strong>in</strong>deedthat hydrocyclones (Ref.1) or vortex separators (Ref.2) can ensure primary <strong>and</strong> sometimessecondary separation with<strong>in</strong> very short residence times of the mixtures <strong>in</strong> the system, typicallya few seconds <strong>in</strong>stead of a few m<strong>in</strong>utes for settlers. Moreover, cut size diameters (i.e diameterof drops beyond which all drops are separated) can be smaller with cyclones than with settlers.Nevertheless, due to the complex hydraulic phenomena, the design or scal<strong>in</strong>g up of thesecyclones rema<strong>in</strong>s essentially empirical. The purpose of this paper is to propose <strong>and</strong> validatean analytical method for the design of light dispersion hydrocyclones.2 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP2–1 Cyclone geometryThe cyclone designed <strong>and</strong> tested by the C.E.R.G is shown on Fig.1. The flow enters the cyclonethrough two tangential <strong>in</strong>lets fed by an <strong>in</strong>let chamber. The <strong>in</strong>let velocity Ve is set to avoid dropbreakup by shear stress. A converg<strong>in</strong>g section accelerates the flow so that the tangential wallvelocity VO at the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of the cyl<strong>in</strong>drical separation chamber reaches a higher valueVO=1.8Ve. This converg<strong>in</strong>g section is equipped with an <strong>in</strong>ternal cone which can be shown tostabilize the vortex created <strong>in</strong> the separation chamber <strong>and</strong> to generate effective high values ofVO. The cyl<strong>in</strong>drical separation chamber is ended by two concentric outlet orifices. The ma<strong>in</strong>orifice diameter D/3, collects the clean water. The secondary axial orifice, diameter D/10,collects the oil gathered on the axis of the separation chamber. The length L of the separationchamber is 0.6m.FIG 1: Cyclone


COLLECTION EFFICIENCY OF LIQUID/LIQUID HYDROCYCLONES 1672–2 LDA measurementA 4 W argon laser was used with the back scatter<strong>in</strong>g technique to measure the tangentialvelocities <strong>in</strong>side the separation chamber. For this purpose, the cyl<strong>in</strong>drical separation chamberwas shaped <strong>in</strong> a plexiglas block with parallel faces hav<strong>in</strong>g the same refractive <strong>in</strong>dex as water.The optical correction to be brought to the position of the measured po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>and</strong> to the value ofthe <strong>in</strong>terfr<strong>in</strong>ge distance was thus of low importance. The water was seeded with alum<strong>in</strong>iumpowder <strong>and</strong> it was assumed that the measured mean tangential velocity of these particleswould be similar to that of water.2–3 Oil <strong>in</strong> water test loopThe loop used for the oil <strong>in</strong> water separation tests is shown on Fig.2.Fig. 2: Test LoopA dispersion is generated upstream of the cyclone by mix<strong>in</strong>g oil <strong>in</strong> water com<strong>in</strong>g from separatetanks. The mix<strong>in</strong>g is operated through a specially designed valve allow<strong>in</strong>g the control of themean droplet diameter of the dispersion. The clear water outlet <strong>and</strong> oil outlet flows of thecyclone are sent to a settl<strong>in</strong>g tank which is filled while the tests are run <strong>and</strong> emptied beforeeach serie of experiments.The drop size spectra are measured by a Malvern 2600D analyser, the opticall cell of which isrefilled by a cont<strong>in</strong>uous sampl<strong>in</strong>g of the ma<strong>in</strong> flow. A typical drop size spectra is given onFig.3. The <strong>in</strong>let <strong>and</strong> clean outlet oil concentration, respectively Ci <strong>and</strong> Co, are measured fromsamples analysed by the tetrachloride extraction <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>frared absorption method.Fig. 3: Drop Size Spectra d = 20 microns


168 WATER TREATMENT3 LDA RESULTS AND ANALYSISTangential velocity profiles have been measured <strong>in</strong>side the separation chamber at threelocations along the x axis <strong>and</strong> for two <strong>in</strong>let velocities. The results are shown on Fig. 4 <strong>and</strong> 5.The ma<strong>in</strong> conclusions which can be drawn from this results are follow<strong>in</strong>g:– Swirl decay is an important phenomena which affects the flow field both near the wall <strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong> the core of the vortex. Near the wall, it can be seen that the velocity decreases from aneffectively high value V0 at the begenn<strong>in</strong>g of the chamber to a lower value Vs at the end of it.In the core region, the maximum tangential velocity is found to be constant all along theFIG 4: Tangential velocity profiles at Q=7.2 m 3 /h-Ve=5 m/sFIG 5: Tangential velocity profiles at Q=10 m 3 /h-Ve=7 m/s


COLLECTION EFFICIENCY OF LIQUID/LIQUID HYDROCYCLONES 169chamber, that is, for each cross section, It is <strong>in</strong>dependant of the velocity at the wall. Thus,this maximum value follows a classical vortex law only at the end of the chamber where it canbe written:(1)– The separation chamber can be separated <strong>in</strong> two regions: Region I is def<strong>in</strong>ed by 0 < r < RO/2. In this region, the velocity follows a vortex law <strong>and</strong> is thus characterized by a high accelerationfield.The other region, Region II, is def<strong>in</strong>ed by RO/2 < r < RO. In this region the velocity variesslowly between VO at the wall <strong>and</strong> V(r=RO/2), that is, accord<strong>in</strong>g to (1), V=1.6Vs. Region IIrepresents 75% of the cross section of the separation chamber <strong>and</strong> can be considered as thedom<strong>in</strong>ant region for the separation process <strong>in</strong> the cyclone.4 COLLECTION EFFICIENCY4–1 Basic pr<strong>in</strong>cipleThe basic pr<strong>in</strong>ciple of the modell<strong>in</strong>g which is proposed here has been given by DIETZ (Ref.3)as used for the evaluation of collection efficiency of dust cyclones. Where due to turbulence,the radial concentration C of the dispersion is uniform at any cross section while along theseparation chamber the axial concentration decreases due to the migration of droplets towardthe axis.Here, the separation chamber is divided <strong>in</strong> two regions, I <strong>and</strong> II, def<strong>in</strong>ed above. In anarbitrary cross section, droplets are uniformly spread <strong>in</strong> region II <strong>and</strong>, <strong>in</strong> a given time, someof them reach region I. In this region, the acceleration field is so high that these droplets areconsidered to be separated from the ma<strong>in</strong> flow <strong>and</strong> collected along the axis of the cyclone. Atime <strong>in</strong>crement later, the cross section is located farther <strong>in</strong> the separation chamber <strong>and</strong> therema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g droplets are uniformly redistributed by the effects of turbulence. The abovemechanism is repeated until the cross section has reached the end of the separation chamber.4–2 Swirl decayThe modell<strong>in</strong>g of the separation process described above needs a def<strong>in</strong>ition of the swirl decay.For this, we can write the conservation of angular momentum between two arbitrary crosssections of the separation chamber separated by a distance dx, which gives:(2)where to is the unitary stress at the wall. We can write tC as(3)where f is the friction factor. Putt<strong>in</strong>g (3) <strong>in</strong>to (2) gives the differential equationIntegration for x=0 to a given section gives(4)Fig.6 shows that for a classical value of the friction factor for smooth walls f =.0055, the aboveexpression Eq.(4) gives satisfactory agreement with measured values.


170 WATER TREATMENT4–3 Analytical expression for collection efficiencyWe consider that all the flow rate Q flows through Region II. The variation dC of theconcentration of the light dispersion between two cross sections separated by dx can bewritten:(5)Fig. 6 Swirl decay—— Formula (4), K=2.2Exp, po<strong>in</strong>ts: o Q=10,8m3/h;Ue:7m/s. Q=7,7m3/h;Ue:5m/sW is the migration velocity of the droplet at the boundary between region II <strong>and</strong> region I(r=RO/2) <strong>and</strong> can be written accord<strong>in</strong>g to Stokes law: 2(6)∆δ be<strong>in</strong>g the density difference between the water <strong>and</strong> the suspension, u the viscosity ofwater, d the diameter of the droplets <strong>and</strong> b a correction factor depend<strong>in</strong>g of the size of thedroplet. We can take, accord<strong>in</strong>g to Ref.4:Re be<strong>in</strong>g the Reynolds number of the droplet.Accord<strong>in</strong>g to section 3, we can calculate the acceleration “a” <strong>in</strong> a given cross section from themean value of the velocity between the wall <strong>and</strong> the boundary r=RO/2,that is:(7)We know from section 3 that V(r=RO/2) is constant all along the separation chamber <strong>and</strong> canbe written V=1.6 Vs, which leads, accord<strong>in</strong>g to Eq (4),to:(8)whereas(9) vo(x) = vo /(1+K.X)Comb<strong>in</strong>ation of Eq. (5) to (9) gives the equation govern<strong>in</strong>g the variation of the light dispersionconcentration along the separation chamber, which is:


COLLECTION EFFICIENCY OF LIQUID/LIQUID HYDROCYCLONES 171This equation can be <strong>in</strong>tegrated for x=0 to x=L to give the total variation of the concentrationof droplets of diameter d between the <strong>in</strong>let of the separation chamber (Ci) <strong>and</strong> the outlet (Co):with:The collection efficiency of the cyclone for droplets of diameter d is by def<strong>in</strong>ition E=1-Co/CiFig.7 gives an example of the efficiency curves calculated with the above expression for thecyclone for the three different flow rates correspond<strong>in</strong>g to the experiments.5 SEPARATION TESTS RESULTSThe theoretical curves of Fig.7 were used to predict the overall collection efficiency of thehydrocyclone from the experimental drop size spectra. These predictions could be comparedwith measurements on oil <strong>in</strong> water dispersions. Experimental efficiency curves could not beFig. 7 Calculated collection efficiency curvesOil density=840Kg/m3; R0=.03m L=0,6mI: Q=7.7n3/h;Ve=5m/s, 2: Q=6.6m3/h;Ve=4.3m/s; 3; Q:3.3m3/h;Ve:2.1m/sobta<strong>in</strong>ed s<strong>in</strong>ce drop breakup occur<strong>in</strong>g at the outlet orifice modified the spectra obta<strong>in</strong>ed atthe end of the separation chamber. The operat<strong>in</strong>g conditions, experimental <strong>and</strong> predictedefficiencies are given on Table I for which the mean <strong>in</strong>let drop diameter is def<strong>in</strong>ed by: , nibe<strong>in</strong>g the number of droplet of diameter by:, ni be<strong>in</strong>g the number of droplet of diameter di.It can be seen that the agreement is good, which seems to validate the simple modell<strong>in</strong>gproposed.


172 WATER TREATMENTTABLE 1: Separation Tests ResultsFresh <strong>Water</strong>, Temp. 25°C, Oil density 840 Kg/m36 CONCLUSIONThe proposed modell<strong>in</strong>g gives a way to predict approximately the collection efficiency ofhydrocyclones treat<strong>in</strong>g light dispersions.This model can be used either for the design or for the scal<strong>in</strong>g up of liquid/liquid separators.The validity of the model was demonstrated with a cyl<strong>in</strong>drical hydrocyclone, but if the flowfield is known, the method could be extended to conical hydrocyclones.ACKNOWLEGEMENTSThanks are due to TOTAL <strong>and</strong> ALSTHOM NEVRTEC for hav<strong>in</strong>g partially supported this work.REFERENCES1 COLEMAN.D.A—THEW.M.T Correlation of separation results from light dispersionhydrocyclones. Chem. Eng. Res. Des. V.ol.61 19832 WOILLEZ.J—LECOFFRE.Y—SCHUMMER.P A high efficiency 1iquid/1iquid separator.4th Int. Conf. on Multiphase Flows. Nice BHRA 19393 DIETZ.P.W Collection efficiency of cyclone separator. MChe J Vo”27 No 6 19814 CLIFT—GRACE—WEBER Bubbles. Droos <strong>and</strong> Particles A.P 1978


Chapter 17UNDERSTANDING THE FOULINGPHENOMENON IN CROSS-FLOWMICROFILTRATION PROCESSESP Schmitz, C Gouveneur <strong>and</strong> D Houi (Institut de Mécanique desFluides de Toulouse, France)ABSTRACTUs<strong>in</strong>g hollow fiber modules for the production of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water needs to <strong>in</strong>vestigate lam<strong>in</strong>arflow of a suspension <strong>in</strong>side a porous tube with wall suction.At first, numerical <strong>and</strong> experimental models, valid for similar Reynolds number, are developedto determ<strong>in</strong>e velocity <strong>and</strong> pressure fields at a macroscopic fiber scale for a Newtonian fluidwithout particles. In order to have a realistic prediction for optimisation of the work<strong>in</strong>gconditions of the <strong>in</strong>dustrial process we must <strong>in</strong>corporate time dependant wall permeationcharacteristics due to surface deposit formation <strong>and</strong> clogg<strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g the filtration period.A local 2D flow approach at a microscopic pore scale reveals conditions for particle depositionon the filter surface.In the second part we propose a statistical model, able to predict the aggregation of micronicparticles. Mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> stick<strong>in</strong>g rules are developed tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account not only thehydrodynamical conditions but also phenomena such as physicochemical, double layer,brownian, concentration, density <strong>and</strong> particle shape effects. The <strong>in</strong>fluence of capturemechanisms on the structure of surface deposits is analysed <strong>and</strong> characterized by 2Dmacroscopic mean porosity <strong>and</strong> thickness quantities.NOMENCLATUREα : <strong>in</strong>cidence angleθ i : <strong>in</strong>cident stick<strong>in</strong>g angleθ v : vertical stick<strong>in</strong>g anglev : fluid k<strong>in</strong>ematic viscosityD i : porous tube <strong>in</strong>side diametere : thickness of porous mediak : permeability of porous mediaL : porous tube lengthN r : number of reentra<strong>in</strong>mentN p : number of aggregated particlesP : filter porosityR d : filter pore diameter over particle diameter ratioRe : axial Reynolds number based on U °Re w : radial Reynolds number based on Vw 0Rms : root mean squareYC i : distance from the center of particle i to the wall1. INTRODUCTIONRecently, membrane separation processes such as cross-flow ultrafiltration <strong>and</strong> microfiltrationare f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g applications <strong>in</strong> a variety of new laboratory <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrial processes. However,they all suffer from “foul<strong>in</strong>g”, a limit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> potentially serious phenomenon lead<strong>in</strong>g to fluxdecl<strong>in</strong>e dur<strong>in</strong>g the filtration operation.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 173–180173


174 WATER TREATMENTUs<strong>in</strong>g hollow fiber modules for dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water production is of high <strong>in</strong>terest because of twoma<strong>in</strong> advantages which are: absence or reduction of chemical treatments <strong>and</strong> compactnessof production plants. But the technological process <strong>and</strong> especially the flow conditions need tobe severely optimized because of the low market price of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water.In the 70s, a great number of models have been developed to describe the lam<strong>in</strong>ar flow properties<strong>in</strong> porous tubes. The similarity or fully developed flow analyses, first <strong>in</strong>vestigated by Berman(1953) <strong>in</strong> channels <strong>and</strong> Yuan et al (1956) <strong>in</strong> tubes, has been recently used by Chatterjee et al(1986) to model the hydrodynamical field <strong>in</strong> a spiral wound membrane module assum<strong>in</strong>g uniformwall permeation. More general solutions called the entrance region or develop<strong>in</strong>g flow regionwere proposed (see for <strong>in</strong>stance Gupta et al, 1976) <strong>and</strong> the existence of regions where thesimilarity assumption is not valid has been proved, also confirmed mathematically by Brady(1984). Gill et al (1973) optimise the design of hollow fibers for reverse osmosis consider<strong>in</strong>g thesuction velocity as a function of radial pressure drop across the wall. Gallow<strong>in</strong> et al (19774) usethe permeability as a fitt<strong>in</strong>g parameter to f<strong>in</strong>d good agreements with experimental measurements<strong>in</strong> a dead-end porous tube performed by Quaile <strong>and</strong> Levy (1973). still be<strong>in</strong>g the only data fortheoretical model validation. Inlet flow <strong>and</strong> wall filtration conditions <strong>in</strong> hollow fibers need toconsider the develop<strong>in</strong>g flow assumption <strong>and</strong> a nonuniform suction velocity along the tube tocalculate the hydrodynamical field. Indeed, the boundary condition at the wall is modifieddur<strong>in</strong>g water filtration because of negative effect due to particle deposition.Local studies at microscopic scale of Spielman et al (1970), Overbeek (1984), De Gennes(1981) describe the hydrodynamical <strong>and</strong> physicochemical phenomena rul<strong>in</strong>g the behaviourof suspended particles <strong>in</strong> the wall region. Belfort et al (1985) apply Cox <strong>and</strong> Brenner method(1968) to study the <strong>in</strong>fluence of <strong>in</strong>ertial <strong>and</strong> suction effects on particle trajectory. Those<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g works which consider only one or a few particles cannot be extended to a multitudeof particles <strong>in</strong> order to modelize <strong>and</strong> to underst<strong>and</strong> the formation of surface deposits at theporous wall of a fiber.The purpose of this paper is to underst<strong>and</strong> the foul<strong>in</strong>g phenomenon <strong>in</strong> crossflow microfiltrationprocesses by modell<strong>in</strong>g the behaviour of a suspension flow<strong>in</strong>g parallel to a filter surface, likea membrane.At first we develop a f<strong>in</strong>ite element model to compute the velocity <strong>and</strong> pressure fields <strong>in</strong>sidehollow fibers valid for microfiltration of a Newtonian fluid without particles. Those results arecompared with experimental measurements of pressure variations <strong>in</strong> a porous tube. In order tohave a realistic predictive model for the <strong>in</strong>dustrial process, we need to underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> predeterm<strong>in</strong>ethe time dependant wall filtration characteristics due to surface deposit formation <strong>and</strong> clogg<strong>in</strong>g.Subsequently, the <strong>in</strong>fluence of phenomena occur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the proximity of the wall such ashydrodynamical, physicochemical, double layer, brownian, concentration, density <strong>and</strong> particlesshape effects are taken <strong>in</strong>to account <strong>in</strong> a statistical model which is able to predict theaggregation of micronic particles on a porous wall. Mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> stick<strong>in</strong>g rules are employed tocharacterize the respective importance of those different effects on the behaviour of particleslaunched <strong>in</strong>dividually from a r<strong>and</strong>om <strong>in</strong>itial location. Such theoretical deposits are qualitatively<strong>in</strong> good agreement with deposits experimantally observed.The f<strong>in</strong>al objective will be to predeterm<strong>in</strong>e the structure <strong>and</strong> the physical parameters, porosity<strong>and</strong> thickness, of a deposit for a given suspension, allow<strong>in</strong>g for fiber scale flow computationwith more realistic wall boundary conditions.2. FLOW IN A POROUS TUBE AT MACROSCOPIC SCALE2.1 ModelsNumerical <strong>and</strong> experimental models are developed simultaneously <strong>in</strong> order to predict thehydrodynamical field <strong>and</strong> pressure drop for <strong>in</strong>compressible lam<strong>in</strong>ar Newtonian flow <strong>in</strong> a poroustube with vary<strong>in</strong>g wall suction.A f<strong>in</strong>ite element technique apply<strong>in</strong>g a penalty method is employed to solve numerically theaxisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations for a wide range of axial Re <strong>and</strong> radial Re w Reynolds numbers<strong>and</strong> wall permeabilities. This study is limited to a parabolic <strong>in</strong>let profile. The dimensionlessform of the govern<strong>in</strong>g equations reveals similarity parameters: a longitud<strong>in</strong>al Reynolds numberRe=U 0 . D i /v, a radial Reynolds number Re w =Vw 0. Df/v, <strong>and</strong> a shape factor K*=K/e.D i.An experimental set-up has been developed (Fig. 1) us<strong>in</strong>g a porous tube <strong>in</strong>stead of a microfiber.Work<strong>in</strong>g conditions are similar as the dimensionless numbers are kept equal. The lam<strong>in</strong>arflow of silicon oil is <strong>in</strong>vestigated at the entrance <strong>and</strong> at the end of the porous tube. Pressuredrop are measured along <strong>and</strong> across porous tube.Velocity profiles obta<strong>in</strong>ed by Laser DopplerVelocimetry characterize the flow <strong>in</strong> the cross section of the duct. The axial evolution of these


FOULING PHENOMENON IN CROSS-FLOW MICROFILTRATION PROCESSES 175hydrodynamical parameters are obta<strong>in</strong>ed by repeat<strong>in</strong>g measurements for the sameexperimental conditions when <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g porous tube length.Fig. 1: Experimental setup. Silicon oil flow (v=50 cSt) <strong>in</strong> a ceramicporous tube (L=.5m,D i =3.10 -2 m, e=10 -2 m, K=10 -12 m 2 ) with wall suction2.2 ResultsThe bulk numerical model is applied <strong>in</strong> order to predict the evolution of the hydrodynamicalfield for fixed crossflow filtration conditions.Computed pressure variations for a porous tube are compared to experimental data obta<strong>in</strong>edfor <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g filtration flux (Fig. 2). The figure shows good agreement between computed <strong>and</strong>measured values. Numerical results have been corrected <strong>in</strong> order to take <strong>in</strong>to account theover pressure drop due to porous wall of the tube when Re w =0.Fig. 2: Evolution of the dimensionless pressure as a function of Re wThe numerical work has been developed for the special case of flow <strong>in</strong> a dead ended poroustube with wall suction (SCHMITZ 1989). Computed pressure variations are compared toexperimental data of Quaile <strong>and</strong> Levy to validate the model. Our model was performed topredict axial pressure variations for backwash<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> membrane separation processes us<strong>in</strong>ghollow fibers with an external membrane sk<strong>in</strong>.2.3 DiscussionIn the real case of water crossflow filtration we have to take <strong>in</strong>to account a dilute suspension ofparticles <strong>in</strong>stead of a s<strong>in</strong>gle fluid phase. The experience proves foul<strong>in</strong>g of membranes dur<strong>in</strong>gthe filtration process lead<strong>in</strong>g to a decrease yeld. A study of the flow at microscopic scale performedby particle trajectories analysis shows conditions under which particles deposit on the porouswall <strong>and</strong> lead to the formation of a foul<strong>in</strong>g cake (SCHMITZ, GOUVERNEUR, HOUI 1989).In order to take <strong>in</strong>to account the chang<strong>in</strong>g boundary conditions at the <strong>in</strong>terface between fluid<strong>and</strong> porous media due to the formation of a cake, it seems very important to characterize thestructure of the deposit.Parameters such as the permeability <strong>and</strong> the thickness of the cakeare obta<strong>in</strong>ed by modell<strong>in</strong>g the formation of a cake consist<strong>in</strong>g of spherical particles.3. SIMULATION OF DEPOSIT FORMATIONIn membrane separation process concern<strong>in</strong>g water purification, surface deposits we can<strong>in</strong>dentify consist generally of solid micronic particles, colloidal objects <strong>and</strong> macromolecules.


176 WATER TREATMENTIn this prelim<strong>in</strong>ary approach, we are especially <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> the aggregation of a large numberof solid particles from a suspension on a filter surface, encountered <strong>in</strong> cross-flow ultrafiltrationconditions. Assum<strong>in</strong>g a low concentration of particles <strong>in</strong> the fluid, we consider that thoseparticles, driven by the flow, appear one by one near the wall. We will suppose the particles tobe spherical <strong>and</strong> monodispersed.Trajectories of such s<strong>in</strong>gle particles flow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the wall region have been precedently determ<strong>in</strong>edby Schmitz et al(1989). tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account hydrodynamical <strong>and</strong> physico-chemical forces. Ithas been shown that, <strong>in</strong> a first order approximation, such trajectories can be consideredl<strong>in</strong>ear, hav<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>cidence angle with the horizontal porous plane surface.Hydrodynamical conditions, physico-chemical <strong>and</strong> double layer forces, brownian motion,concentration, density <strong>and</strong> particles shape effects are globally considered <strong>in</strong> a statisticalsimulation program which is able to perform <strong>and</strong> furthermore to visualize the deposition ofmicronic particles on a flat porous plate.3.1 Statistical ModelIn a rectangular 2D doma<strong>in</strong>, we <strong>in</strong>ject solid circular particles, one by one, follow<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>eartrajectories from a r<strong>and</strong>om <strong>in</strong>itial location far from the wall. They move towards the filter surfacerepresented by a flat plate with rectangular holes. Special mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> stick<strong>in</strong>g rules are proposedto def<strong>in</strong>e the behaviour of particles <strong>in</strong> the flow <strong>and</strong> when they make contact with the filter orwith another particle already stick<strong>in</strong>g to the wall. Those empirical rules are given to characterizethe respective importance of the different phenomena which occur <strong>in</strong> the filtration zone.Fig. 3: Particle-particle adhesion rulesAdhesion rulesA particle of center A is immediately stopped when it makes contact with the filter wall. Whenit touches a previously aggregated particle of center B, it is also captured provided that thecenterl<strong>in</strong>e (AB) is <strong>in</strong>side the circular sector def<strong>in</strong>ed by the stick<strong>in</strong>g angle 6 as shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 3.We then obta<strong>in</strong> two parameters θ i <strong>and</strong> θ v which determ<strong>in</strong>e respectively adhesion <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>cident<strong>and</strong> vertical directions.Displacement rulesA l<strong>in</strong>ear <strong>in</strong>cident way is given to each particle A launched from its <strong>in</strong>itial po<strong>in</strong>t, characterizedby the <strong>in</strong>cidence angle a, another parameter of the model. After mak<strong>in</strong>g contact with a particleof center B, it turns left or right around this particle until reach<strong>in</strong>g a vertical or a new <strong>in</strong>cidenttrajectory <strong>and</strong> so on. The type of this new direction followed depends on the number ofreentra<strong>in</strong>ment permitted. The number of reentra<strong>in</strong>ments is a parameter which can be choosenfreely <strong>and</strong> accounts for the maximum number of possible “contacts” before a particle is f<strong>in</strong>allycaptured. The different cases which occurs are detailed <strong>in</strong> Fig. 4.Filter surfaceThe geometrical characteristics of the filter are taken <strong>in</strong>to account by the porosity parameter P<strong>and</strong> by the diameter ratio R d def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the pore size over the particle size. Of course, particles arenot always captured as they can pass the filter if their diameter is smaller than the pore diameter.A realistic deposit on a porous surface is obta<strong>in</strong>ed when a multitude of particles move one byone from their <strong>in</strong>itial location to the dynamical collector composed of the filter <strong>and</strong> the previouslycaptured particles. In this dynamical simulation, the trajectory <strong>in</strong>cidence represents suction<strong>in</strong>tensity over parallel flow. The magnitudes of the two stick<strong>in</strong>g angles θ i <strong>and</strong> θ v characterizethe respective importance of perpendicular attractive forces compared to parallelhydrodynamical <strong>and</strong> perpendicular repulsive forces. The number of reentra<strong>in</strong>ments enhances


FOULING PHENOMENON IN CROSS-FLOW MICROFILTRATION PROCESSES 177Fig. 4: Particle displacement rulesthe <strong>in</strong>fluence of the tangential flow on the behaviour of suspended particles close to the edge<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>side the deposit.3.2 ResultsParticle displacement <strong>and</strong> adhesion rules, such as those previously def<strong>in</strong>ed, can be usedmore generally to simulate the formation of aggregates which have very different structuresallow<strong>in</strong>g the simulation of many different applications. Our concern is the underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g offoul<strong>in</strong>g phenomena occur<strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water ultrafiltration. Numerical simulations ofdeposits are carried out for a great number of particles enter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dividually the specifiedfiltration region, it means physically that such aggregates can be compared to real depositswe can observe after a long water cross-flow microfiltration period. The effect of tangentialshear flow on the structure of a solid particle deposit on the porous wall is taken account for<strong>in</strong> form of a compacity factor which prevents dendrits from be<strong>in</strong>g developed by <strong>in</strong>terfaceerosion <strong>and</strong> also reduces vertical <strong>in</strong>crease of aggregates before complete space fill<strong>in</strong>g. Thisphenomenon has been experimentally visualized by HOUI (1989) <strong>in</strong> a cross-flow microfiltrationmicromodel with video record<strong>in</strong>g of an optical microscop image. Now we specially focus onanalys<strong>in</strong>g capture mechanisms by precis<strong>in</strong>g their <strong>in</strong>fluence on three morphological depositsproperties: porosity, density <strong>and</strong> mean thickness. The f<strong>in</strong>al objective of these <strong>in</strong>vestigations isto determ<strong>in</strong>e the two fundamental macroscopic parameters, permeability <strong>and</strong> thickness,necessar for the description of the work<strong>in</strong>g conditions of a hollow fiber module.All simulations are developed for a filter surface considered as a nuclepore membrane of 20% porosity <strong>and</strong> a pore diameter of 1µm. The size of solid particles is equal to 0.2 µw, thoseFig. 5: Simulation with α=20°, θ i =1°, θ v =1°, N r =4Fig. 6: Simulation with α=20°, θ.=1°, θv=1º, Nr


178 WATER TREATMENTsmall suspended objects be<strong>in</strong>g able to pass the filter pore. Fig. 5 <strong>and</strong> Fig. 6 show two differenttypes of statistical deposits of 2000 solid particles performed us<strong>in</strong>g our orig<strong>in</strong>al simulationprogram. In each case, the suspension is assumed to flow from the left to the right.The first case models a filter foul<strong>in</strong>g due to a suspension flow where particle-particle <strong>and</strong> particlewalladhesion forces are much greater than hydrodynamical forces carry<strong>in</strong>g the particles away.Here a suspended particle mak<strong>in</strong>g contact with the filter surface or with a particle of the aggregateis immediately stopped <strong>and</strong> captured. Thus N r equals 0 <strong>and</strong> the given value for θ i is about 60°.The deposit structure is dendritic <strong>and</strong> the porosity has a mean value about 51 %.The second simulation presents a very compact aggregation we could observe experimentallyif, on one h<strong>and</strong>, the effect of parallel shear flow was efficient even <strong>in</strong>side the deposit <strong>in</strong> orderto reorganize particle arrangement <strong>and</strong>, on the other h<strong>and</strong>, the wall was very attractive <strong>in</strong>order to prevent aggregated particles from be<strong>in</strong>g carried <strong>in</strong>to the flow aga<strong>in</strong>. To take <strong>in</strong>toaccount the importance of tangential flow, N r is chosen equal to 3. <strong>and</strong> θ i <strong>and</strong> θ v have a verysmall value. The 2D mean porosity is then equal to 29 % <strong>and</strong> the mean thickness is obviouslylower than the one obta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the first case (see Fig. 6).It now appears to be necessary to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the whole range of possible deposits by vary<strong>in</strong>gthe most important model parameters.Influence of <strong>in</strong>cidence angle αThis parameter is used to specify the relative magnitude of the parallel shear flow over theradial suction flow. Radial variations of concentration are plotted <strong>in</strong> Fig. 7 for a large range ofα. It is seen that aggregates become more <strong>and</strong> more compact from 10° to 30°, after this po<strong>in</strong>tthey keep approxikatly the same structure. This is also demonstrated by the cont<strong>in</strong>uouslydecreas<strong>in</strong>g porosity shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 8.Fig. 7: Vertical concentration variationswith θ i =1°θ v =1º, N r =1Fig. 8: 2D mean porosityvariationsInfluence of <strong>in</strong>cident stick<strong>in</strong>g angle θ iThe importance of hydrodynamical entra<strong>in</strong>ment force over adhesion force is determ<strong>in</strong>ed bythe numerical value given to this parameter. The vertical concentration diagram shown <strong>in</strong>Fig.9 provides an adequat classification of the solid particle deposits obta<strong>in</strong>ed when vary<strong>in</strong>gθ i from 5° to 60°. Of course the small values lead to a very compact structure <strong>and</strong> the meanporosity <strong>in</strong>creases quickly if the stick<strong>in</strong>g angle <strong>in</strong>creases (see Fig. 8).Fig. 9: Vertical concentration variations with a=20°, θ v =1°, Nr=0


FOULING PHENOMENON IN CROSS-FLOW MICROFILTRATION PROCESSES 179Influence of the number of reentrairaient N rThis parameter fixes the sensitivity of a suspended particle concern<strong>in</strong>g entra<strong>in</strong>ment by theflow when it makes contact with a previously aggregated object. The simulations drawn <strong>in</strong>Fig.10 present deposit morphology variations for different values of the number ofreentra<strong>in</strong>ment, from branch<strong>in</strong>g out (N r small) to compact structures (N r high).Secondary parameters such as θ v, P <strong>and</strong> R d do not have a significant <strong>in</strong>fluence on themorphology of theoretical deposits.Fig. 10: Simulation for N r =0 (up) <strong>and</strong> 3 (down) with α=20°, θ i =1°, θ v =1°3.3 DiscussionThe ma<strong>in</strong> question is: do such statistical aggregates really represent what happens when afilter surface is clogged by solid particle deposition dur<strong>in</strong>g a cross-flow microfiltration processθ Of course it is very difficult to give an answer because of the difficulty to experimentallyobserve phenomena appear<strong>in</strong>g at a microscopic scale (the pore diameter is about 1µm <strong>and</strong>the particle diameter is supposed to be smaller). Experiments already performed by HOUI(1989) <strong>in</strong> a 2D micromodel for the filtration of dilute well-muds have shown surface depositswhose structures are qualitatively <strong>in</strong> good agreement with some of our statistical simulations.We hope that further <strong>in</strong>vestigations us<strong>in</strong>g the orig<strong>in</strong>al technique of nuclear magnetic resonancewill provide us with useful <strong>in</strong>formation on the time dependant of the thickness all along ahollow fiber.Fig. 11: Horizontal density variations with a=20°, θ i =1°, θ v =1°, N r =4The horizontal density variations, plotted <strong>in</strong> Fig. 11 for the aggregation depicted <strong>in</strong> Fig. 6,show that the statistical simulator ensures a uniform distribution of particles all over thestudied filter surface except at the downstream <strong>and</strong> upstream boundaries. Furthermore itcan be concluded that deposits formed dur<strong>in</strong>g a cross flow microfiltration process have auniform thickness over a filtration length cover<strong>in</strong>g a few pores.It is important to notice that statistical deposits are homogeneous. Bensimon (1983) <strong>and</strong>Meak<strong>in</strong>s (1985) have demonstrated that this can be proved by the follow<strong>in</strong>g relation, sett<strong>in</strong>gε equal to 1:


180 WATER TREATMENTIt has been well verified for each simulated aggregate. Capture mechanisms do not <strong>in</strong>duceheterogeneity.Furthermore, the macroscopic quantity Rms can be used to def<strong>in</strong>e a mean thickness whichtakes <strong>in</strong>to account all the roughnesses of the deposit seen at the microscopic scale.Unfortunatly, it is impossible to calculate the permeability because of the 2D approach, exceptif we admit the validity of the analogy between 2D <strong>and</strong> 3D deposits concern<strong>in</strong>g porosity. Thenthe Br<strong>in</strong>kman method can be used to calculate the permeability of an aggregate of sphericalsolid particles.Further 3D simulations us<strong>in</strong>g the same mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> stick<strong>in</strong>g rules will provide more realisticclusters <strong>in</strong> order to determ<strong>in</strong>e the necessary parameters for flow computation <strong>in</strong> hollow fibersat macroscopic scale.CONCLUSIONAt macroscopic scale, the hydrodynamic field <strong>in</strong> a hollow fiber was obta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> applied toprocess optimisation as for backwash<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> external sk<strong>in</strong> membranes.The statistical model describ<strong>in</strong>g the formation of a cake consist<strong>in</strong>g of spherical particles enablesus to characterize the porosity <strong>and</strong> the thickness of the cake dur<strong>in</strong>g its formation. To obta<strong>in</strong>the value of the overall permeability, we need to develop a 3D model.These characteristics of the deposit structure give more realistic boundary conditions at the<strong>in</strong>terface between fluid <strong>and</strong> membrane to compute flow <strong>in</strong>side hollow fibers.REFERENCESBELFORT G <strong>and</strong> NAGATA N, 1985, Fluid mechanics <strong>and</strong> crossflow filtration: some thoughts,Desal<strong>in</strong>ation, 53, 57–79BERMAN A.S, 1953, Lam<strong>in</strong>ar flow <strong>in</strong> channels with porous walls, J. Appl. Phys., 24, 1232–1235BRADY J.F, 1984, Flow development <strong>in</strong> a porous channel <strong>and</strong> tube, Phys. Fluids, 27, 1061–1067CHATTERJEE S.G <strong>and</strong> BELFORT G, 1986, Fluid flow <strong>in</strong> an idealized spiral wound membranemodule, J. Membrane Sci., 28, 191–208COX R.G <strong>and</strong> BRENNER H, 1968, The lateral migration of solid particles <strong>in</strong> Poiseuille flow—I. Theory, Chem. Eng. Sc;, 23, 147–173DE GENNES P.G, 1981, Dynamics of concentrated dispersions: a list of problems, Phys.Chem. Hydro., 2, 1, 31–44GALLOWIN L.S et al, 1974, Investigation of lam<strong>in</strong>ar flow <strong>in</strong> a porous pipe with variable wallsuction, AIAA J., 12, 1585–1589GILL W.N <strong>and</strong> BANSAL B, 1973, Hollow fiber reverse osmosis systems-Analysis <strong>and</strong> design,AIChe J., 19, 823–831GUPTA B.K <strong>and</strong> LEVY E.K, 1976, Symmetrical lam<strong>in</strong>ar channel flow with wall suction, J.Fluids Eng., September, 469–474HOUI D <strong>and</strong> RITTER A, 1989, Filtration of muds by a porous medium, 5th I.F.P. ResearchConf. on Expl./Prod., to be editedOVERBEEK J.T.G, 1984, Interparticle forces <strong>in</strong> colloid science, Powder Tech., 37, 195–208QUAILE J.P <strong>and</strong> LEVY E.K, 1973, Pressure variations <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>compressible lam<strong>in</strong>ar tube flowwith uniform suction, AIAA Paper N72–257SCHMITZ P, 1989, Lam<strong>in</strong>ar flow <strong>in</strong> a dead ended porous tube with wall suction: applicationto hollow fibers crossflow filtration, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, submittedSCHMITZ P et al, 1989, Fundamental mechanisms of particle deposition on a porous wall:hydrodynamical aspects, 1st Europ. Conf. on the Math, of Oil Recovery, July, to be editedSPIELMAN L.A <strong>and</strong> GOREN S.L, 1970, Capture of small particles by London forces from lowspeed liquid flows, Env. Sci. Tech., 4, 2, 135–140YUAN S.W <strong>and</strong> FINKELSTEIN A.B, 1956, Lam<strong>in</strong>ar flow with <strong>in</strong>jection <strong>and</strong> suction through aporous wall, Trans ASME, 78, 719–724BENSIMON D, DOMANY E, AHARONY A, 1983, Crossover of fractal dimension <strong>in</strong> diffusion—limited aggregates, Phys. Rev. Letters, 51, 15, 1394MEAKIN P, 1985, Accretion processes with l<strong>in</strong>ear particle trajectories, J. of Colloid <strong>and</strong> InterfaceSci., 105, 1. 240


Chapter 18ADSORPTION OFTRIHALOMETHANES ON TOZEOLITESS R Chorley, D B Crittenden <strong>and</strong> S T Kolaczkowski (School ofChemical Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g, University of Bath, UK)SUMMARYFundamental equilibrium <strong>and</strong> k<strong>in</strong>etic adsorption data have been generated forthe removal of trihalomethanes (THMs) from water us<strong>in</strong>g the hydrophobia pentasilzeoliteknown as silicalite. The prelim<strong>in</strong>ary data <strong>in</strong>dicates adsorptive capacitieswhich are comparable with those of granular activated carbon (GAC). The chiefadvantage of hydrophobic zeolites is their high thermal stability <strong>in</strong> air, up totemperatures of around 1100°C, which should make the process of on-siteregeneration relatively straightforward. Hydrophobic pentasil-zeolites are alsohighly selective towards low molecular weight hydrocarbons such as the THMs,as they have a uniform crystall<strong>in</strong>e structure <strong>and</strong> a pore size which excludes largermolecules.For s<strong>in</strong>gle component adsorption, of chloroform, for example, the equilibria aredescribed by the Freundlich isotherm equation over the range of concentrations<strong>in</strong>vestigated, ie from 50µg l- 1 to 1000mg l- 1 . Work on other THMs, although lesssoluble, also <strong>in</strong>dicate a Freundlich isotherm type.Further work cont<strong>in</strong>ues on multicomponent equilibrium data, <strong>and</strong> on the acquisitionof batch <strong>and</strong> column k<strong>in</strong>etic data. In the absence of external mass transferlimitations, the <strong>in</strong>itial k<strong>in</strong>etic data, aga<strong>in</strong> for chloroform, <strong>in</strong>dicates similar rates ofadsorption for GAC <strong>and</strong> the zeolite.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 181–190181


182 WATER TREATMENTNomenclatureC e = concentration of THM <strong>in</strong> bulk solution at equilibrium (µg l-1 )KF = Freundlich isotherm constant (dimensioned by eqn 1)n = Freundlich constant (dimensionless)q e = mass of THM adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent at equilibrium(g g -1 )INTRODUCTIONDur<strong>in</strong>g the last 10–15 years, there has been a grow<strong>in</strong>g awareness of the potentialhealth risks associated with the long term consumption of dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g watercontam<strong>in</strong>ated with trace quantities of organic compounds. Greatly improvedanalytical techniques have permitted the isolation <strong>and</strong> accurate quantification ofthese contam<strong>in</strong>ants, present <strong>in</strong> nanogram to microgram concentrations per litre,so that close to 1000 organic contam<strong>in</strong>ants have now been identified <strong>in</strong> dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>gwater for all areas <strong>in</strong>vestigated (Ram et al, 1986). These compounds enter the watersources from a variety of orig<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g domestic, agricultural <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrialwastes, spillages, seepages, run-offs, <strong>and</strong> leach<strong>in</strong>g of l<strong>and</strong> deposited wastes, <strong>and</strong>are not elim<strong>in</strong>ated totally by the st<strong>and</strong>ard dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water treatment methods. Itwas discovered by Rook (1974) that the chlor<strong>in</strong>ation of water for dis<strong>in</strong>fection formeda variety of chlor<strong>in</strong>ated organics from the precursors already present <strong>in</strong> the sourcewater.Recent attention has focussed on the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) <strong>in</strong> thismanner; the four compounds most commonly found are:(1) chloroform, CHCl 3(2) dichlorobromomethane, CHCl 2Br(3) dibromochloromethane, CHClBr 2(4) bromoform, CHBr 3Concern over the long term toxicological <strong>and</strong> carc<strong>in</strong>ogenic effects of these compoundshas prompted studies of ways to control their formation. This may be achieved <strong>in</strong> avariety of ways:(1) precursor removal prior to chlor<strong>in</strong>ation;(2) use of dis<strong>in</strong>fectants other than chlor<strong>in</strong>e;(3) controll<strong>in</strong>g chlor<strong>in</strong>ation reaction conditions, eg pH, temperature, concentrationor reaction time, to m<strong>in</strong>imise production of THMs;(4) removal of THMs from the treated water.


ADSORPTION OF TRIHALOMETHANES ON TO ZEOLITES 183THM precursors are ill-def<strong>in</strong>ed macromolecular structures <strong>and</strong> their selective removalby adsorption can prove slow <strong>and</strong> difficult (Ram et al, 1986, p239). Dis<strong>in</strong>fectantsother than chlor<strong>in</strong>e may prove less effective <strong>and</strong>/or more expensive to use, eg ozone.Equally, precise control of the chlor<strong>in</strong>ation reaction is necessarily complex to copewith wide variations of feed conditions, without over or under dos<strong>in</strong>g (Ram et al,1986, p46).The use of adsorption as a method of remov<strong>in</strong>g THMs from dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water has anumber of advantages over the previous options. It can be applied as a discreteunit operation at the end of the treatment process, allow<strong>in</strong>g all other operations torema<strong>in</strong> unchanged. The process is generally superior to other removal techniquessuch as air stripp<strong>in</strong>g, distillation or biological treatment, <strong>in</strong> that it usually haslower capital <strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g costs, <strong>and</strong> is more effective (O’Brien et al, 1983, pp337–362). Adsorption us<strong>in</strong>g powdered activated carbon (PAC) or granular activatedcarbon (GAC) is already <strong>in</strong> widespread use for this application, especially <strong>in</strong> theUSA. The ma<strong>in</strong> problem is the cost of regenerat<strong>in</strong>g the carbon once it is saturated(O’Brien et al, 1983, pp337–362). This can either be done <strong>in</strong> situ, requir<strong>in</strong>gmoderately expensive <strong>and</strong> complex plant, or the carbon is sent away forregeneration, <strong>and</strong> simply replaced with fresh stock.The purpose of this research project is to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the feasibility of us<strong>in</strong>g novelsynthetic crystall<strong>in</strong>e pentasil-zeolites such as silicalite (Flanigen <strong>and</strong> Grose,1977) <strong>and</strong> similar materials to adsorb THMs from dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water. Zeolites areporous crystall<strong>in</strong>e alum<strong>in</strong>osilicates consist<strong>in</strong>g of an assemblage of Si0 4 <strong>and</strong> Al0 4tetrahedra jo<strong>in</strong>ed by oxygen atoms to form a crystal lattice with pores ofmolecular dimensions. The pore size is precise <strong>and</strong> uniform, giv<strong>in</strong>g them theirhighly selective nature. The Si <strong>and</strong> A4 atoms are bound together with oxygenatoms, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the case of the pentasil-zeolites, hav<strong>in</strong>g a structure based on adouble five r<strong>in</strong>g unit (Figure 1) which, stacked <strong>in</strong> a variety of ways, form different,but related, structures. The ZSM-5 structure is characterised by a r<strong>in</strong>g of tentetrahedra <strong>and</strong> may be prepared <strong>in</strong> a virtually alum<strong>in</strong>ium-free form known assilicalite.By vary<strong>in</strong>g the ratio of Si to Al from one up to about 100, the nature of thesynthesised material is greatly affected. At low Si/Al ratios the zeolites have a highaff<strong>in</strong>ity for polar molecules such as water, but at a Si/Al ratio of between eight <strong>and</strong>ten a transition normally occurs, <strong>and</strong> a hydrophobic nature is <strong>in</strong>troduced wherebythe material preferentially adsorbs organics rather than water. The uniform poresize of silicalite, at around 6 Angstrom units, limits this adsorption to lowmolecular weight organics only, mak<strong>in</strong>g the material potentially attractive for theselective removal of THMs from water (Shultz-Sibbel et al, 1982). The secondadvantage of zeolitic adsorbents is their high thermal stability <strong>in</strong> air up totemperatures of about 1100°C, permitt<strong>in</strong>g regeneration by simply heat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> air, ascompared to the <strong>in</strong>ert atmosphere <strong>and</strong> closely controlled conditions necessary foractivated carbon regeneration.


184 WATER TREATMENTFigure 1 Pentasil-zeoliteThe programme of research will ultimately generate both equilibrium <strong>and</strong> k<strong>in</strong>eticdata for a variety of hydrcrphobic adsorbents <strong>in</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gle <strong>and</strong> multisorbate systems.This will enable valuable design data to be developed <strong>and</strong> comparisons with moreestablished adsorbents to be made.EXPERIMENTAL METHODThe fundamental description of an adsorption system is its equilibrium isotherm.Construction of an isotherm is readily achieved from batch equilibriumexperiments. A known quantity of dried <strong>and</strong> activated adsorbent is contacted witha solution of known concentration <strong>and</strong> allowed to reach adsorption equilibrium <strong>in</strong>a closed agitated vessel ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed at a constant temperature. The solutionconcentration at equilibrium is then measured <strong>and</strong> the process repeated for arange of concentrations.K<strong>in</strong>etic data may also be obta<strong>in</strong>ed by batch experiments. In this case, a knownweight of adsorbent is contacted with a known concentration <strong>and</strong> volume of solution<strong>in</strong> a closed agitated vessel, <strong>and</strong> the solution concentration measured at periodic<strong>in</strong>tervals until equilibrium is reached.In practice, the follow<strong>in</strong>g requirements must be fulfilled <strong>in</strong> order to obta<strong>in</strong> accurate<strong>and</strong> repeatable fundamental data:(1) The adsorbent must be thoroughly desorbed immediately prior to use, tomeasure true capacity.(2) The water must be absolutely free of organic chemicals prior to preparationof st<strong>and</strong>ard solutions of known concentration of each THM or mixture ofTHMs.(3) Ow<strong>in</strong>g to the volatility of THMs, adequate precautions must be taken tom<strong>in</strong>imise or elim<strong>in</strong>ate losses by evaporation at all stages, <strong>and</strong> to use controlsto detect <strong>and</strong> account for any such losses.


ADSORPTION OF TRIHALOMETHANES ON TO ZEOLITES 185(4) Ow<strong>in</strong>g to the low concentrations of THM, accurate <strong>and</strong> repeatable analyticaltechniques are essential for measurement of solution concentrations.PROCEDUREOrganic-free water is prepared by distillation <strong>and</strong> then passed through anactivated carbon filter. Purity is verified by gas chromatographic analysis.St<strong>and</strong>ard solutions are then prepared by addition of accurate volumes of THM bymicropipette, with subsequent dilution for lower concentrations <strong>in</strong> the µg l- 1 range.The adsorbent is prepared by heat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a closed porcela<strong>in</strong> crucible for 4 hours at400°C immediately prior to each experimental run. A measured weight ofadsorbent is then contacted with a known volume of THM solution of knownconcentration <strong>in</strong> a screw-topped glass bottle. The bottle is then agitated <strong>in</strong> aconstant temperature shaker bath for 18 hours, to atta<strong>in</strong> equilibrium. Similarbottles with different concentrations of THM are also shaken, along with controlbottles with no adsorbent. After equilibrium is reached, the concentration of theTHM is measured us<strong>in</strong>g a Perk<strong>in</strong> Elmer 8410 gas chromatograph fitted with a30m×0.25mm J & W fused silica capillary column (DB-5 stationary phase), anelectron capture detector <strong>and</strong> an HS-6 headspace analyser. The chromatograph iscalibrated with st<strong>and</strong>ard solutions of the relevant THM.From a simple mass balance, the quantity of THM taken up by the adsorbent fromthe solution can be calculated for each equilibrium concentration.For the k<strong>in</strong>etic work, a number of identical bottles conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g an equal volume <strong>and</strong>concentration of THM solution <strong>in</strong> contact with a known weight of adsorbent areshaken for 24 hours. Samples are taken from different bottles at progressive timesover the 24 hour period <strong>and</strong> the concentration of THM measured as before. Controlbottles with no adsorbent are also shaken <strong>and</strong> analysed. All equilibrium <strong>and</strong>k<strong>in</strong>etic experiments are carried out at a water bath temperature of 20°C.RESULTSA typical isotherm for a silicalite/chloroform/water system is shown <strong>in</strong> Figure 2,for the 0–1000 mg/l equilibrium concentration range. The data obta<strong>in</strong>ed is fittedwell by the st<strong>and</strong>ard Freundlich isotherm equation:(1)


186 WATER TREATMENTwhere q e = mass of THM adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent at equilibrium(g g-1 )C e = concentration of THM <strong>in</strong> the bulk solution at equilibrium (µg -1)Kp = Freundlich constant= Freundlich constant (dimensionless)Tak<strong>in</strong>g logs of equation (1) yields:(2)Therefore a plot of log q e versus log C e over a range of concentrations should yield astraight l<strong>in</strong>e whose <strong>in</strong>tercept <strong>and</strong> slope give values for K F <strong>and</strong> respectively. Such aFig 2 IsothermCHCL3/Silicalite SystemFig 3 Freundlich PlotCHCL3/Silicalite System


ADSORPTION OF TRIHALOMETHANES ON TO ZEOLITES 187plot is given <strong>in</strong> Figure 3 for the silicalite/chloroform/water system over a broadequilibrium concentration range cover<strong>in</strong>g µg -1 to mg -1 THM concentrations.Values for the Freundlich constants K F <strong>and</strong> , calculated fromthese results, arealso given <strong>in</strong> Table 2.A similar plot is given <strong>in</strong> Figure 4 for a carbon/chloroform/water system over thesame range, for comparison. The granular activated carbon used was Filtrasorb400, supplied by Chemviron Carbon, <strong>and</strong> was used as supplied.Figure 5 shows a comparison of THM concentration versus time curves for a silicalite/chloroform/water system <strong>and</strong> a carbon/chloroform/ water system. The same weightof adsorbent was used <strong>in</strong> each case, ie 5mg.Fig 4 Freundlich PlotCHCL3/GAC F-400 SystemFig 5 Uptake Curve.Silicalite <strong>and</strong> Activated Carbon


188 WATER TREATMENTDISCUSSIONThe results clearly demonstrate that silicalite is capable of adsorb<strong>in</strong>g chloroformfrom aqueous solution over a broad concentration range <strong>and</strong> research currently <strong>in</strong>progress <strong>in</strong>dicates that all THMs can be adsorbed <strong>in</strong> this way. Initial experimentswith dibromochloromethane, CHCBr 2 , <strong>in</strong>dicate that the brom<strong>in</strong>ated THMs are morestrongly adsorbed than chloroform. For example, for a liquid phase concentrationTable 1 THM solubilities <strong>in</strong> water at 25°CaLange (ed), 1985, pp214, 650bExperimental dataof 60 mg - 1 the adsorbed phase concentrations are 0.072 <strong>and</strong> 0.10 g g- 1 forchloroform <strong>and</strong> dibromochloromethane, respectively. This result is consistentwith other studies us<strong>in</strong>g carbon (Faust et al, 1987, p214), <strong>and</strong> the generalpr<strong>in</strong>ciple that the lower the solubility of a compound (see Table 1) the greater itsextent of adsorption. This is because the bond<strong>in</strong>g between a compound <strong>and</strong> thewater <strong>in</strong> which it is dissolved must be broken before adsorption can occur.Hence the lower the solubility, the weaker the bond, <strong>and</strong> the greater the extentof adsorption.An important factor <strong>in</strong> the potential use of silicalite rather than carbon <strong>in</strong> waterpurification is its ease of regeneration. However, it is important that this benefit isnot outweighed by a significantly lower capacity, or other detrimental effects,compared to carbon.Table 2 gives a comparison of Freundlich isotherm constants for the adsorptionof chloroform from water onto silicalite <strong>and</strong> GAG. Whilst it is difficult to attributeprecise physical significance to the parameters, K F gives an <strong>in</strong>dication of adsorptioncapacity, whilst is a measure of rate of change of adsorption with concentration.As shown, the constants are very similar <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g little difference <strong>in</strong> the adsorptive


ADSORPTION OF TRIHALOMETHANES ON TO ZEOLITES 189Table 2 Freundlich isotherm constants forsilicalite/chloroform/water <strong>and</strong>GAC/ chloroform/watera Faust et al, 1987, p214b this paper, Figure 4performance of silicalite <strong>and</strong> GAC. The k<strong>in</strong>etic data <strong>in</strong> Figure 5 <strong>in</strong>dicates a somewhatmore rapid uptake of THM by carbon than by silicalite. Whilst the same weight ofadsorbent <strong>and</strong> the same degree of turbulence were used <strong>in</strong> each case, differences<strong>in</strong> particle density resulted <strong>in</strong> fewer particles of silicalite than carbon be<strong>in</strong>g used.Other experiments carried out us<strong>in</strong>g silicalite alone show the pronoun-ced <strong>in</strong>fluenceof particle size on rate of uptake. These experiments exam<strong>in</strong>ed the rate-controll<strong>in</strong>gsteps <strong>in</strong> the adsorption process, to determ<strong>in</strong>e the extent of control by <strong>in</strong>ternal orexternal mass transfer. Vary<strong>in</strong>g the degree of liquid turbulence dur<strong>in</strong>g shak<strong>in</strong>gproduced only a marg<strong>in</strong>al difference <strong>in</strong> rate of uptake, whereas crush<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>siev<strong>in</strong>g the silicalite to a smaller particle size greatly <strong>in</strong>creased the rate of uptake.Much further work is to be carried out on multicomponent equilibrium studies,<strong>and</strong> batch <strong>and</strong> column experiments to determ<strong>in</strong>e k<strong>in</strong>etic data. These <strong>in</strong>itial results,however, <strong>in</strong>dicate an adsorption performance for silicalite broadly comparable toGAC.The economics of <strong>in</strong>dustrial applications cannot currently be evaluated as bulkmanufactur<strong>in</strong>g costs for silicalite are not available. However, the manufactur<strong>in</strong>gprocess for silicalite <strong>and</strong> similar silica-based polymorphs is relatively simple (Flanigen<strong>and</strong> Grose, 1977), <strong>and</strong> production costs should be comparable with many otherzeolitic adsorbents which f<strong>in</strong>d widespread application <strong>in</strong> the process <strong>in</strong>dustries.Ease of regeneration for silicalite should also yield reduced operat<strong>in</strong>g costs <strong>in</strong> an<strong>in</strong>dustrial situation.CONCLUSIONSFundamental data so far obta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>dicates that silicalite, a crystall<strong>in</strong>e zeoliticadsorbent, should be capable of effectively remov<strong>in</strong>g trace chloro-organic compounds,


190 WATER TREATMENT<strong>in</strong> particular trihalomethanes, from water. The equilibrium isotherm for theadsorption of CHCl 3 onto silicalite is comparable with adsorption onto GAC, withthe considerable advantage for silicalite of simple regeneration by heat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> air.Equilibrium data can be described over a broad range of THM concentrations bythe Freundlich isotherm. The constants <strong>in</strong> the isotherm are comparable with thosefor GAC.Rates of adsorption of chloroform from water by silicalite are comparable with thoseof GAC.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis project is sponsored by the UK Science <strong>and</strong> Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g Research Councilunder its Separation Processes Initiative <strong>and</strong> has the support<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terest of the<strong>Water</strong> Research Centre, Stevenage. Also, the supply of Filtrasorb-400 activatedcarbon by Chemviron Carbon is gratefully acknowledged. The authors are alsoparticularly grateful to the staff of Wessex <strong>Water</strong> for their helpful advice <strong>in</strong>establish<strong>in</strong>g the analytical procedure used <strong>in</strong> this research programme.REFERENCESFaust, S D <strong>and</strong> Aly, O M (1987), Adsorption Processes for <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>,Butterworths, BostonFlanigen, E M <strong>and</strong> Grose, R W (1977), US Patent 4,061, 724, December 6 1977Lange, N A (ed) (1985), Lange’s H<strong>and</strong>book of Chemistry, 13th Edn, McGraw-Hill,New YorkO’Brien, R P, Rizzo, J L, Schuliger, W G (1983), Removal of Organic Compoundsfrom Industrial Wastewaters Us<strong>in</strong>g Granular Carbon Column Processes, <strong>in</strong> B BBerger (ed) Control of Organic Substances <strong>in</strong> <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wastewater, EPA-600/8–83–011, pp337–362Ram, N M, Calabrese, E J, Christman, R F (1986), Organic Carc<strong>in</strong>ogens <strong>in</strong> Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g<strong>Water</strong>, Wiley, New York, p4Rook, J J (1974), <strong>Water</strong> Treat Exam, 23, 234Schultz-Sibbel, G M W, Gjerde, D T, Chriswell, C D <strong>and</strong> Fritz, J S (1982), Talanta,29, 447–452


Chapter 19DEVELOPMENTS IN IONEXCHANGE DENITRIFICATION: THE‘WASH-OUT’ PROCESSG S Solt (Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK), I J Fletcher(Hydrotechnica Ltd, Shewsbury, UK)SUMMARYIon exchange is at present the only denitrification process be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stalled <strong>in</strong> Brita<strong>in</strong>. There is much room forfurther improvement of the process, which suffers from several disadvantages. As development of ion exchangeby direct experimentation is extremely tedious, a computer simulation has been developed specifically forthis problem. It has led the way to an improved process for denitrify<strong>in</strong>g high-sulphate waters us<strong>in</strong>g conventionalType II anion res<strong>in</strong>, which appears to compete favourably with the use of nitrate-selective res<strong>in</strong>. The processdepends on the rapid change <strong>in</strong> the res<strong>in</strong>’s aff<strong>in</strong>ity for polyvalent ions with chang<strong>in</strong>g concentration <strong>in</strong> theliquid. Further development cont<strong>in</strong>ues.1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDIn recent decades nitrate levels <strong>in</strong> groundwater sources have been ris<strong>in</strong>g steadily <strong>in</strong> many areas, largely asthe result of modern agricultural methods, though there has been fierce dispute just how this comes about.In Brita<strong>in</strong> these disputes have for long obscured the essential issue alternative methods of lower<strong>in</strong>g nitratelevels <strong>in</strong> order to meet the EEC Directive on potable water hav<strong>in</strong>g been exhausted, many groundwatersources now require denitrification. Whatever changes are made <strong>in</strong> agriculture, the number of such sourcesis likely to go on <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g over the next few years at least.In Brita<strong>in</strong>, all denitrification plants currently be<strong>in</strong>g built or designed are based on anion exchange. Ionexchange has the advantage of be<strong>in</strong>g a well-tried <strong>in</strong>dustrial process rais<strong>in</strong>g no novelty <strong>in</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g orcontrol. Biological or membrane processes may be used <strong>in</strong> future, but at present fall short on comb<strong>in</strong>edconsiderations of cost, treated water quality, reliability <strong>and</strong> ease of operation.In the ion exchange process water passes through a column of anion exchange res<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> the chloride (orchloride/bicarbonate) form. The res<strong>in</strong> has a higher aff<strong>in</strong>ity for nitrate ions <strong>and</strong> takes them up <strong>in</strong> exchangefor chloride (<strong>and</strong> bicarbonate). When its capacity is exhausted, the unit is taken out of service <strong>and</strong> regeneratedwith br<strong>in</strong>e (or br<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> bicarbonate).2. PROBLEMS OF ANION EXCHANGE DENITRIFICATIONWhile its eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g is conventional, the process presents some chemical problems when put to this purpose:a) Conventional anion exchange res<strong>in</strong> has an aff<strong>in</strong>ity for sulphate which is even higher than for nitrate,so that sulphate is also removed, wast<strong>in</strong>g res<strong>in</strong> capacity <strong>and</strong> regenerat<strong>in</strong>g chemicals.b) Replacement by chloride, of sulphate, nitrate <strong>and</strong> some of the bicarbonate <strong>in</strong> the raw water <strong>in</strong>creasesthe chloride: bicarbonate ratio <strong>in</strong> the product, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> many cases results <strong>in</strong> a corrosive water.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 191–198191


192 WATER TREATMENTProduct quality may be restored with a bicarbonate condition<strong>in</strong>g follow<strong>in</strong>g br<strong>in</strong>e regeneration butthis adds greatly to the cost <strong>and</strong> complication of the process.c) Due to chromatographic b<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the res<strong>in</strong> column, the production run at first yields a very highchlorideproduct, followed by a bicarbonate breakthrough. Such quality variation is undesirable <strong>in</strong> ama<strong>in</strong>s supply <strong>and</strong> can only be overcome by several parallel units runn<strong>in</strong>g out of phase with oneanother, or very large mix<strong>in</strong>g storage.d) When the conventional res<strong>in</strong>’s nitrate capacity is exhausted, the column cont<strong>in</strong>ues to take up sulphatewhich displaces a high concentration of nitrate <strong>in</strong>to the product. It is therefore dangerous to cont<strong>in</strong>uethe run beyond the nitrate breakthrough po<strong>in</strong>t.e) The spent regenerant conta<strong>in</strong>s the nitrate <strong>and</strong> other ions removed from the water, plus excessregenerant. Disposal of this solution presents environmental problems whose gravity depends on thelocation.AH these problems are aggravated by high sulphate <strong>in</strong> the raw water. Nitrate selective res<strong>in</strong>s have recentlybecome available, with a higher cost <strong>and</strong> a lower work<strong>in</strong>g capacity <strong>and</strong> regeneration efficiency, but whoseselectivity means that little of this capacity is “waste” <strong>in</strong> remov<strong>in</strong>g sulphate, so that the capacity <strong>and</strong>efficiency with respect to nitrate are effectively higher when denitrify<strong>in</strong>g high sulphate waters.The normal practice is to treat only a part of the water, remov<strong>in</strong>g nitrate to a very low level, <strong>and</strong> to blendback with untreated water for a product whose nitrate content is with<strong>in</strong> the EEC directive. This reducescosts <strong>and</strong> eases the problems <strong>in</strong> b) <strong>and</strong> c) above. Counterflow regeneration is normally necessary to achievethe low nitrate level required to make this practical.3. INVESTIGATIONS INTO ION EXCHANGEExperimentation on ion exchange columns is slow with a column normally tak<strong>in</strong>g three cycles of run <strong>and</strong>regeneration to reach an operat<strong>in</strong>g equilibrium. Typically a laboratory test column will produce little morethan one experimental result per week’s experimentation, whose results are <strong>in</strong> the form of breakthroughcurves. These reveal noth<strong>in</strong>g directly about events with<strong>in</strong> the column.In the past ion exchange users have been content with the results obta<strong>in</strong>ed from this form of directexperimentation, because <strong>in</strong> the common <strong>in</strong>dustrial soften<strong>in</strong>g or deionisation applications, which aim atnear-total removal of a class of ions, chromatographic b<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> the column appears relativelyunimportant. Denitrification, by contrast, is a complex chromatographic process, <strong>and</strong> needs a fresh approach.4. COMPUTER MODELLINGCranfield Institute of technology started work on anion exchange denitrification <strong>in</strong> 1984, supported at firstby the Science & Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g Research Council, <strong>and</strong> currently by the South Staffordshire <strong>Water</strong>works Co.It was identified early on that for reasonable progress a computer model was needed to simulate the process.The Cranfield model is based on the concept of the column as a series of Theoretical Plates (TPs) <strong>in</strong> whichthe liquid comes to equilibrium with the res<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> each plate before pass<strong>in</strong>g on to the next plate.The equilibrium state <strong>in</strong> each TP is assumed to have been reached when the four ions under considerationare all <strong>in</strong> b<strong>in</strong>ary equilibrium—i.e. the equilibrium constants for the exchange reactions Cl-NO 3 , C1-SO 4 , <strong>and</strong>C1-HCO 3 are all satisfied. Curiously, no res<strong>in</strong> manufacturer <strong>in</strong>vestigates these fundamental properties oftheir products, <strong>and</strong> we therefore had to determ<strong>in</strong>e them ourselves—a laborious task, made difficult byanalytical problems of determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g small concentrations of one ion <strong>in</strong> the presence of large <strong>in</strong>terfer<strong>in</strong>gconcentrations of another.Once the model was work<strong>in</strong>g, we estimated the height of column equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) bytrial <strong>and</strong> error, match<strong>in</strong>g computer runs with actual experimental data, to give us the number of plates(NTP).After cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g improvement, the simulation can be operated with regeneration <strong>in</strong> co-or counterflow, withadditional regeneration stages if required. The NTP can be changed for different stages of the cycle, tosimulate differences <strong>in</strong> k<strong>in</strong>etic conditions e.g. between regeneration <strong>and</strong> run. A leakage factor, by which a


DEVELOPMENTS IN ION EXCHANGE DENITRIFICATION 193preset fraction of the flow “by-passes” each successive plate has improved its accuracy. Any number ofsuccessive cycles can be run without <strong>in</strong>terruption, with term<strong>in</strong>ation of the production run controlled eitherby nitrate breakthrough, or to a fixed volume of water treated.The model is far quicker than direct experimentation. Its speed gives us the freedom to explore even unlikelyalternatives, with occasional column tests to check the accuracy of prediction. With conventional res<strong>in</strong>s themodel’s predictions appear to be quite reliable, <strong>and</strong> we have had occasions when the computer showed uperrors <strong>in</strong> the experimental work.Results for the selective res<strong>in</strong>s are not quite so accurate, due probably to their non-ideal behaviour. Thepredictions nevertheless give a useful qualitative guide, even if they need to be checked rather more thoroughly.Work cont<strong>in</strong>ues to improve the model’s performance <strong>in</strong> this respect.The simulation’s pr<strong>in</strong>tout shows the condition of the res<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> each plate with<strong>in</strong> the column at all po<strong>in</strong>ts ofthe cycle, which has proved particularly useful, as it gives an <strong>in</strong>sight <strong>in</strong>to the work<strong>in</strong>gs of all stages of theprocess.Now that the facility to simulate the process quickly <strong>and</strong> cheaply has been more widely appreciated, other<strong>in</strong>vestigators <strong>in</strong> Brita<strong>in</strong> have taken up the technique.5. THE ‘WASHOUT’ PROCESSIn any real applications, only a part—usually 30 to 50%—of an ion exchanger’s total capacity is utilised:this is called its “work<strong>in</strong>g capacity”. Increas<strong>in</strong>g levels of br<strong>in</strong>e regeneration <strong>in</strong>crease the res<strong>in</strong>s’ work<strong>in</strong>gcapacity, but with dim<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g returns at higher regeneration levels.Exam<strong>in</strong>ation of the movement of ions with<strong>in</strong> the column, provided by the computer simulation, showedus early <strong>in</strong> our <strong>in</strong>vestigations that <strong>in</strong> the regeneration step sulphate comes off the column very readily,while a zone of high nitrate merely tends to move backwards with<strong>in</strong> the column without much of itactually be<strong>in</strong>g removed. Most of the work<strong>in</strong>g capacity was provided by capacity which has been occupiedby sulphate.Ion exchange res<strong>in</strong>s’ aff<strong>in</strong>ity for polyvalent ions is well known to fall sharply with ris<strong>in</strong>g concentration, butthe degree to which this affects the ions’ relative regeneration efficiency was unexpected.We set about us<strong>in</strong>g the model to explore means of putt<strong>in</strong>g this phenomenon to practical use, which eventuallyled us to the “Washout” process for denitrify<strong>in</strong>g high-sulphate waters, whose cycle runs as follows:a) The production run cont<strong>in</strong>ues normally until nitrate breakthrough, or until a predeterm<strong>in</strong>ed volumeof water has been treated.b) In the “washout” step a sulphate-rich solution displaces nitrate <strong>and</strong> other ions on the res<strong>in</strong> to waste,<strong>and</strong> converts the res<strong>in</strong> largely to the sulphate form.c) In the regeneration which follows, the sulphate-laden res<strong>in</strong> is regenerated so easily that most or allthe result<strong>in</strong>g eluate consists of sodium sulphate, which is saved.d) This eluate is diluted with raw water to provide the high-sulphate washout solution (see b) above) <strong>in</strong>the next cycle.The ease with which a sulphate-laden res<strong>in</strong> can be regenerated results <strong>in</strong> a better regeneration, which <strong>in</strong>practice means a higher work<strong>in</strong>g capacity, or lower regenerant usage, or both. Res<strong>in</strong> is delivered by themanufacturers <strong>in</strong> the all-chloride form. Over the first few cycles <strong>in</strong> use the process progressively accumulatesa recycled stock of sulphate. With low-sulphate waters this stock rema<strong>in</strong>s low <strong>and</strong> the improvement is notlarge. The greatest improvement <strong>in</strong> performance which is obta<strong>in</strong>ed from the use of the “Washout” process(which has been patented) on moderately high-sulphate waters, us<strong>in</strong>g conventional rather than selectiveres<strong>in</strong>. For very high-sulphate waters the selective res<strong>in</strong>s would still be more economical.Figure 1 summarises a number of field trials of conventional denitrification of a raw water whose compositionis shown <strong>in</strong> Table 1. Two different nitrate-selective ion exchange res<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> one conventional Type II gelanion res<strong>in</strong> were regenerated with NaCl.


194 WATER TREATMENTFIGURE 1 NITRATE CAPACITYThe graph shows the res<strong>in</strong>’s work<strong>in</strong>g capacity with respect to nitrate only. The conventional res<strong>in</strong> normallyhas a low nitrate capacity because it uses up much of its work<strong>in</strong>g capacity <strong>in</strong> remov<strong>in</strong>g the sulphate <strong>in</strong> thewater as well. The conventional res<strong>in</strong> performs relatively badly at the low regeneration level, which is themost economical <strong>in</strong> terms of regenerant usage.This water calls for br<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> bicarbonate regeneration to give the f<strong>in</strong>al blended product the desiredchloridetbicarbonate ratio. Two po<strong>in</strong>ts have been superimposed which show the reduced regeneration efficiencydue to lower effectiveness of bicarbonate as a regenerant as compared with chloride. On these po<strong>in</strong>ts thebicarbonate wash represented 10% <strong>and</strong> 25% respectively of the total regeneration levelThe graph also shows two “Washout” results for br<strong>in</strong>e/bicarbonate regeneration <strong>in</strong> which the bicarbonateaccounted for 40% of the total regeneration level. Washout was performed with 10 bed volumes of 8 eq/1sulphate solution. Their results suggest that on this raw water analysis the process br<strong>in</strong>gs the conventionalres<strong>in</strong>’s performance with bicarbonate regeneration to the same level as that of the selective res<strong>in</strong>s, at leastat the low regeneration levels which have so far been explored.This set of process details was determ<strong>in</strong>ed by an exhaustive computer simulation. Its predictions weretested first on a made-up water <strong>in</strong> the laboratory <strong>and</strong> then on the actual water <strong>in</strong> the field. The resultssuggested that the Washout process with co-flow regeneration of conventional res<strong>in</strong> has a lower operat<strong>in</strong>gcost (<strong>in</strong> terms of regenerant usage) than conventional operation of the nitrate-selective res<strong>in</strong>.In this case the eluates from the actual regeneration by chloride <strong>and</strong> bicarbonate are both completelyreta<strong>in</strong>ed for use as washout <strong>in</strong> the next cycle. Apart from relatively clean streams such as backwash <strong>and</strong>r<strong>in</strong>se, only the washout step eluate has to be disposed of, <strong>and</strong> this conta<strong>in</strong>s mostly nitrate <strong>and</strong> sulphate.The results shown <strong>in</strong> Figure 1 are field results. The field trials varied considerably from run to run (as ionexchange processes tend to do) but when averaged, the results confirm the computer’s predictions shown <strong>in</strong>Table 2. Table 2 also compares the use of a conventional res<strong>in</strong> with Washout, with that of a selective res<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong> the normal manner. The criteria for these tests where that the nitrate level of the blended product shouldnot exceed 0.8 mg equiv 1 -1 , <strong>and</strong> that its chloride:bicarbonate ratio should not rise above 0.5.Figure 2 shows the analyses of blended product water produced by these two processes. The last two l<strong>in</strong>es<strong>in</strong> each half of Table 2 give the waste volume <strong>and</strong> the total ions discharged by the respective processes.While the Washout process produces a far greater volume, its total salt content, <strong>and</strong> especially its chloridecontent, is much smaller.


DEVELOPMENTS IN ION EXCHANGE DENITRIFICATION 195FIG 2ANION EXCHANGE DENITRIFICATION—COMPUTER SIMULATION6. BENEFITS OF THE “WASHOUT” PROCESSThe advantages from the process are more far-reach<strong>in</strong>g than is immediately apparent:a) There is a sav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> regenerant chemicals when compared with conventional res<strong>in</strong>s. Because bicarbonateis both a costlier <strong>and</strong> a less efficient regenerant then chloride, it becomes particularly important <strong>in</strong>those cases where bicarbonate wash has to be used <strong>in</strong> order to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> the treated water quality. Inthose cases the washout process can even show a sav<strong>in</strong>g compared with selective res<strong>in</strong>s.b) The waste produced conta<strong>in</strong>s the nitrate <strong>and</strong> other ions taken out of the water as <strong>in</strong> the conventionalprocess, but mixed with less surplus regenerant-i.e. less chloride, which is often the limit<strong>in</strong>g factor<strong>in</strong> effluent disposal.


196 WATER TREATMENTc) The improved efficiency of regeneration after washout gives the res<strong>in</strong> a higher level of regenerationwhich <strong>in</strong> turn results <strong>in</strong> lower nitrate leakage <strong>in</strong> the product. As a result, the washout process cangive good product quality with co-flow regeneration, avoid<strong>in</strong>g the cost <strong>and</strong> complexity of counterflowplant, its <strong>in</strong>ability to deal with modest levels of suspended solids, <strong>and</strong> reduc<strong>in</strong>g the sharp variation<strong>in</strong> product quality due to chromatography <strong>in</strong> the column.d) Conventional denitrification plants <strong>in</strong> the field have been damaged by CaCO 3precipitation, <strong>and</strong> someprevention is needed. Co-flow plant is unlikely to suffer <strong>in</strong> this way: sharp chromatographic b<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gdoes not occur, the res<strong>in</strong> receives a complete backwash <strong>in</strong> every cycle, <strong>and</strong> the until design is simpler,with less potential for mechanical damage.The ma<strong>in</strong> disadvantage of the process is that the effluent produced by the washout is more dilute <strong>and</strong>therefore bulkier than that from conventional processes. A promis<strong>in</strong>g start has been made to operate theprocess with smaller volumes of washout, approach<strong>in</strong>g those produced by the conventional process.It seems likely that dump<strong>in</strong>g nitrate solutions will be severely restricted or completely prohibited <strong>in</strong> thefuture. Destroy<strong>in</strong>g the nitrate by biological or electrochemical processes is be<strong>in</strong>g considered, but is po<strong>in</strong>tless<strong>and</strong> costly. The low proportion of chloride <strong>in</strong> the waste solution from the Washout process raises hopes ofavoid<strong>in</strong>g disposal problems by re-use on the l<strong>and</strong>.SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE WATERWORKS COMPANYLITTLE HAY PUMPING STATIONTable 1Summary of Anionic ConcentrationsTable 2Anion Exchange Denitrification-Computer SimulationSummary of optimised conditions, compar<strong>in</strong>g conventional res<strong>in</strong> withwashout <strong>in</strong> co-flow operation, <strong>and</strong>nitrate-specific res<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> comnterflow regeneration. (cf also Figure 2). All ionic concentrations <strong>in</strong> mgequiv/litre.


DEVELOPMENTS IN ION EXCHANGE DENITRIFICATION 197B. NITRATE SPECIFIC RESIN IN COUNTERFLOW REGENERATION:NB the reduction <strong>in</strong> total ions to waste, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> particular the reduction <strong>in</strong> waste chloride.7. CONCLUSIONA novel procedure for ion exchange denitrification employ<strong>in</strong>g a sulphate “Washout” step has been <strong>in</strong>vestigated,us<strong>in</strong>g computer simulation <strong>and</strong> tested on a pilot scale plant.The process is particularly advantageous for higher sulphate waters <strong>and</strong> offers potential advantages ofmore economical use of regenerants, improved effluent quality <strong>and</strong> the use of simpler <strong>and</strong> cheaper co-flowoperation.


Chapter 20GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BYVOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS:SOURCE IDENTIFICATION ANDWATER TREATMENTM Burley, B D Misstear <strong>and</strong> R P Ashley (Mott MacDonald Ltd,Cambridge, UK), J Ferry <strong>and</strong> P Banfield (Anglian <strong>Water</strong> Services Ltd,Cambridge, UK)SUMMARYGroundwater pollution by <strong>in</strong>dustrial solvents such as trichloroethene <strong>and</strong> tetrachloroetheneis of <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g concern <strong>in</strong>ternationally. These chemicals may break limits set <strong>in</strong> regulationsfor dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water to protect consumer’s health. It is necessary <strong>in</strong> such cases to treat thewater to ensure that it is safe to dr<strong>in</strong>k. In this paper the authors describe some of their recentexperiences <strong>in</strong> the UK of identify<strong>in</strong>g the sources of contam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>and</strong> of design<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>gsuitable water treatment plants.One case study has highlighted the necessity of detailed usage surveys of potentialcontam<strong>in</strong>ants <strong>in</strong> sit<strong>in</strong>g exploration holes for the identification of pollution sources. A secondcase study has demonstrated the importance of comprehensive monitor<strong>in</strong>g programmes, s<strong>in</strong>cethe chlor<strong>in</strong>ated solvents were only discovered as a result of another contam<strong>in</strong>ation.Two plants have been designed <strong>and</strong> constructed us<strong>in</strong>g air stripp<strong>in</strong>g for the removal of carbontetrachloride, trichloroethene <strong>and</strong> tetrachloroethene. The bases for design <strong>and</strong> operat<strong>in</strong>g resultsare discussed.NOMENCLATURE AND ABBREVIATIONSPCE = Perchloroethylene=tetrachloroetheneTCE = TrichloroetheneCTC = Carbon tetrachloride=tetrachloromethaneTCA = 1,1,1—trichloroethaneVOC = Volatile organic compoundPWS = Public water supplyµg/1 = micrograms per litreGC/MS = Gas chromatography/mass spectrometryx = Mole fraction of the organic <strong>in</strong> waterZ = height of pack<strong>in</strong>g (eg ft-m)© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 199–216199


200 WATER TREATMENTL m = molar liquid flow rate per unit cross sectional area of the tower (eg Ib mole/h/ft 2 kgmole/h/m 2 )x 2 = mole fraction of solute <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>let waterx 1 = mole fraction of solute <strong>in</strong> treated water m = molal density of liquid (eg lbmole/ft 3 —kgmole/m 3 )K L = liquid phase transfer coefficient (eg lbmole/h/ft 2 (lbmole/ft 3 )—kgmole/h/m 2 (kgmole/ms 3) )a = specific surface area of pack<strong>in</strong>g eg ft 2 /ft 3 -m 2 /m 3D = diffusivity of the VOC <strong>in</strong> water (ft 2 /h-m 2 /h)L = liquid rate (1b/h/ft 2 -kg/h/m 2 )µ = liquid viscosity (1b/ft/h—kg/m/h) = liquid density (lb/ft 3- kg/m3)1. INTRODUCTIONVolatile chlor<strong>in</strong>ated solvents have been used as non-flammable clean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> degreas<strong>in</strong>g agents<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry s<strong>in</strong>ce the development of adequate storage <strong>and</strong> h<strong>and</strong>l<strong>in</strong>g equipment just over 60years ago. Trichloroethene (TCE) was the most widely used solvent of this group until the<strong>in</strong>troduction of tetrachloroethene (PCE) as a lower volatility solvent after the Second WorldWar. The 1970’s <strong>and</strong> 1980’s have seen a decl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> use of TCE <strong>and</strong> PCE <strong>in</strong> favour of less toxicsolvents such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) <strong>and</strong> 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane (Freon 113),<strong>and</strong> alternative clean<strong>in</strong>g methods.The toxicity of the traditional solvents TCE <strong>and</strong> PCE <strong>in</strong> their liquid <strong>and</strong> concentrated vapourform has been recognised almost s<strong>in</strong>ce their <strong>in</strong>troduction. Hazards associated with theirpresence as trace contam<strong>in</strong>ants <strong>in</strong> dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water supplies, pr<strong>in</strong>cipally relat<strong>in</strong>g to their potentialcarc<strong>in</strong>ogenic action, were perceived only dur<strong>in</strong>g the 1970’s, <strong>and</strong> began to have an impact onwater supply undertakers <strong>and</strong> regulat<strong>in</strong>g authorities from the middle of that decade (eg, USEnvironmental Protection Agency, 1975 <strong>and</strong> European Economic Community, 1976 <strong>and</strong> 1980).There was thus a considerable period when <strong>in</strong>dustrial clean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> degreas<strong>in</strong>g processestook little or no account of the potential risks stemm<strong>in</strong>g from releases of small quantities ofsolvents <strong>in</strong>to the aqueous environment. The legacies of the period, <strong>in</strong> the form of contam<strong>in</strong>atedpublic water supply (PWS) boreholes, may be revealed only after a long <strong>in</strong>terval <strong>and</strong> at adistance from the sources of contam<strong>in</strong>ation. The discovery of contam<strong>in</strong>ation thus presentswater supply undertakers <strong>and</strong> regulators with urgent <strong>and</strong> unexpected problems, on the oneh<strong>and</strong> relat<strong>in</strong>g to identification of sources of contam<strong>in</strong>ation, <strong>and</strong> on the other h<strong>and</strong> with treat<strong>in</strong>gthe water so as to br<strong>in</strong>g the source back <strong>in</strong>to supply at the earliest opportunity.This paper exam<strong>in</strong>es two cases <strong>in</strong> which these problems were addressed, <strong>and</strong> discusses thesolutions that were implemented. Those matters of general applicability where particulardifficulties were overcome are described.2 SOURCE IDENTIFICATION2.1 Case Study AA PWS groundwater source <strong>in</strong> eastern Engl<strong>and</strong> was found to be contam<strong>in</strong>ated by volatileorganic solvents <strong>in</strong> 1987. The ma<strong>in</strong> contam<strong>in</strong>ants detected were TCE (generally atconcentrations between 40 <strong>and</strong> 80 µg/1) <strong>and</strong> PCE (generally between 5 <strong>and</strong> 10 µg/1). TheWorld Health Organisation tentative guidel<strong>in</strong>e values for these substances <strong>in</strong> dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g waterare 30 µg/1 <strong>and</strong> 10 µg/I respectively (WHO, 1984) <strong>and</strong> these values have been adopted <strong>in</strong>recent water supply regulations <strong>in</strong> the UK (Department of the Environment, 1989).


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 201The PWS source is located on the outskirts of a city near the confluence of two rivers, with anearby <strong>in</strong>dustrial area upstream (Fig 1.) The source comprises two boreholes which abstractfrom the fissured Upper Chalk aquifer. The chalk <strong>in</strong> this area is overla<strong>in</strong> by drift deposits,which typically consist of 5 to 10 m of s<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> gravels <strong>and</strong> glacial Boulder Clay. The upperchalk layers are degraded to a characteristic structureless “putty” texture of lowpermeability,roughly 10 m thick. The PWS source was taken out of supply immediately afterdetection of the contam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>and</strong> a water treatment system was <strong>in</strong>stalled, as discussed <strong>in</strong>Section 3. Measures were also taken to trace the causes of the contam<strong>in</strong>ation. Follow<strong>in</strong>g asurvey of solvent usage, which confirmed that TCE <strong>and</strong> PCE were widely used with<strong>in</strong> the<strong>in</strong>dustrial area, an <strong>in</strong>vestigation was carried out to identify the source or sources of pollution.The <strong>in</strong>vestigation was performed <strong>in</strong> two dist<strong>in</strong>ct phases:– Phase I studies were directed towards determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the nature <strong>and</strong> extent of pollution <strong>in</strong>the aquifer;– Phase II studies were designed to identify the sources of pollution more precisely.MethodologyThe Phase I <strong>in</strong>vestigations <strong>in</strong>cluded the drill<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> test pump<strong>in</strong>g of six exploratory holes,which were subsequently completed as multi-screened piezometers to permit long termmonitor<strong>in</strong>g; their locations are shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 1. Specific hygiene precautions were taken dur<strong>in</strong>gdrill<strong>in</strong>g to prevent accidental contam<strong>in</strong>ation of samples, loss of volatile compounds dur<strong>in</strong>gstorage, or cross contam<strong>in</strong>ation between boreholes. For example, all drill tools <strong>and</strong> cas<strong>in</strong>gwere flame-cleaned before be<strong>in</strong>g used to construct each bore, <strong>in</strong> order to remove all volatileorganic compounds such as degreas<strong>in</strong>g agents, grease <strong>and</strong> oil.Fig 1 Site Illustration-Case Study ‘A’ (Schematic)Dur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>vestigation, a large number of samples were collected, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g:– chalk core samples, analysed for solvents absorbed <strong>in</strong>to the pore structure or dissolved<strong>in</strong> porewater. Analysis was carried out by disaggregation followed by steam distillation,


202 WATER TREATMENTliquid-liquid extraction <strong>and</strong> gas chromatography, <strong>and</strong> the results are reported asconcentrations <strong>in</strong> pore water;– depth samples of water collected dur<strong>in</strong>g drill<strong>in</strong>g to determ<strong>in</strong>e the vertical chemical profile<strong>in</strong> groundwater flow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> fissures;– bulk samples of water collected dur<strong>in</strong>g f<strong>in</strong>al pump<strong>in</strong>g tests to determ<strong>in</strong>e the chemistry ofthe ma<strong>in</strong> groundwater flow zones.Almost 100 samples were analysed for volatile organic <strong>and</strong> other compounds, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g checkanalyses on selected duplicate samples.Phase II commenced with a more detailed survey of past <strong>and</strong> present solvent usage with<strong>in</strong> theareas of pollution identified dur<strong>in</strong>g Phase I. The results of this survey were used to targetprecise locations for further drill<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>vestigations.Thirteen shallow boreholes were drilled at five locations of known solvent usage, whereverpossible with<strong>in</strong> 10 m of a putative source. The aim of the boreholes was to identify thepresence of contam<strong>in</strong>ants <strong>in</strong> the unsaturated zone above the water table, thereby <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>gsources of pollution. The drill<strong>in</strong>g, sampl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> analytical techniques adopted were similarto those used <strong>in</strong> Phase I. About 60 drift <strong>and</strong> putty chalk core samples <strong>and</strong> water sampleswere collected <strong>and</strong> analysed for TCE, PCE, CTC <strong>and</strong> TCA; about 30 duplicate samples werealso analysed.A groundwater model of the drift <strong>and</strong> chalk aquifers was set up to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the direction<strong>and</strong> rates of groundwater flow <strong>in</strong> the contam<strong>in</strong>ated area <strong>and</strong> its surround<strong>in</strong>gs. The modell<strong>in</strong>gtechnique used was based on the <strong>in</strong>tegrated f<strong>in</strong>ite difference method (Narasimhan <strong>and</strong>Witherspoon, 1976). The aquifer system was represented as three layers: the drift; the puttychalk (form<strong>in</strong>g a low permeability layer, <strong>and</strong> behav<strong>in</strong>g as a leaky aquitard); <strong>and</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong>chalk aquifer zone.Fig 2 Extent of Contam<strong>in</strong>ation—Case Study ‘A’


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 203ResultsThe results of the Phase I <strong>in</strong>vestigation showed the chalk aquifer to be widely contam<strong>in</strong>atedwith TCE, PCE <strong>and</strong> TCA. Although the concentrations with<strong>in</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong> chalk aquifer weregenerally moderate (10 to 100 µg/1), very high levels of TCE were measured <strong>in</strong> the upper, lowpermeability weathered putty chalk at one site (Borehole 6–19,850 µg/1) <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the permeabledrift above this putty chalk at a second site (Borehole 1–25,300 µg/1). Localised pollution byCTC was also detected at two other boreholes. The extent of the ma<strong>in</strong> areas of contam<strong>in</strong>ationis shown <strong>in</strong> Fig. 2. The distribution of the pollutants suggested that there have been multipleslugs of organic solvents enter<strong>in</strong>g the groundwater system at a number of sources over severalyears.Fig 3 Example of Contam<strong>in</strong>ant Profiles with DepthCase Study ‘A’


204 WATER TREATMENTThe <strong>in</strong>vestigations confirmed the conceptual model whereby chlor<strong>in</strong>ated solvents, spilled atthe ground surface, accumulate at the top of the drift, <strong>in</strong> small depressions on the irregularsurface of the low permeability putty chalk. The solvents then seep slowly through this layer<strong>in</strong>to the fissured chalk aquifer below, where flow rates are rapid. This is shown schematically<strong>in</strong> Fig. 4.The Phase II shallow drill<strong>in</strong>g programme identified severe contam<strong>in</strong>ation by organic solventsat 4 of the 5 locations <strong>in</strong>vestigated. The profiles of contam<strong>in</strong>ation with depth at one of thesites are shown <strong>in</strong> Fig 3. All four boreholes at this site were with<strong>in</strong> 100 m of Phase I Borehole6 that had detected high concentrations of TCE <strong>and</strong>, to a lesser extent, PCE <strong>and</strong> TCA at thewater table <strong>in</strong> the chalk aquifer. One of the boreholes (2/3), sited adjacent to a build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>which solvents had been used, detected very similar concentrations of TCE (18100 µg/1),PCE (1720 µg/1) <strong>and</strong> TCA (1740 µg/1), at least 2m above the water table; CTC was alsopresent at higher concentrations than those found at any site dur<strong>in</strong>g Phase 1. The threerema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g boreholes failed to detect high concentrations of contam<strong>in</strong>ants.Similarly varied profiles of solvent contam<strong>in</strong>ation were obta<strong>in</strong>ed from closely-spaced boreholesat the other sites.Fig 4 Sectional View through Chalk Aquifer—Case Study ‘A’Fig 5 Site Illustration—Case Study ‘B’ (Schematic)


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 205The groundwater modell<strong>in</strong>g studies were successful <strong>in</strong> demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g the flow pattern with<strong>in</strong>the chalk aquifer <strong>and</strong> thus the likely flow paths from the sites of known contam<strong>in</strong>ation to thePWS source. The modell<strong>in</strong>g studies were unsuccessful, however, <strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the age ofpollution. Although the travel time with<strong>in</strong> the chalk aquifer, from the <strong>in</strong>dustrial area to thePWS source, was shown to be less than 2 years, a wide range of travel times was estimated <strong>in</strong>the putty chalk (4 to 30 years), due to uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty about the value of effective porosity of thislilhology.DiscussionThis study has highlighted the necessity of carry<strong>in</strong>g out detailed surveys of contam<strong>in</strong>antusage prior to select<strong>in</strong>g sites for exploratory boreholes. Without such studies, it is unlikelythat the sources of contam<strong>in</strong>ation would have been successfully identified, because the levelsof contam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> the unsaturated zone were found to be extremely localised.This case history has also highlighted the difficulty <strong>in</strong> estimat<strong>in</strong>g the travel times forcontam<strong>in</strong>ant migration, <strong>and</strong> hence the age of pollution, due to the controll<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>fluence of lowpermeability layers.2.2 Case Study BIn the summer of 1978 there was a spillage of a quantity of JP4 aviation fuel at an airfield <strong>in</strong>eastern Engl<strong>and</strong>. A PWS borehole source <strong>in</strong> the chalk aquifer 1.2km distant was threatened.There are dra<strong>in</strong>age ditches <strong>in</strong> the area but no other significant surface water features. Surfacewater was dra<strong>in</strong>ed to shallow soakaways directly <strong>in</strong>to the chalk aquifer. The aquifer isunconf<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> has an extremely high transmissivity. The permeability is concentrated <strong>in</strong>the upper 10 m of the saturated zone, <strong>and</strong> the groundwater levels respond rapidly to ra<strong>in</strong>fallevents. An <strong>in</strong>dustrial estate is located upgradient of the PWS source beyond the airfield.Investigations at this site were first reported on by Tester <strong>and</strong> Barker (1981).MethodologyInitially, 25 observation boreholes <strong>and</strong> one oil recovery borehole were drilled on the airfield.Aviation fuel was found on the shallow water table, with a movement of 2SO m <strong>in</strong> the directionof the PWS borehole. A limited amount was recovered but further recovery was impracticaldue to heavy growth of sulphur bacteria on the borehole.Fig 6 Sectional View through Chalk Aquifer—Case Study ‘B’ (Schematic)


206 WATER TREATMENTAn additional 14 auger holes were drilled to a depth of up to 10 m, with the objective ofprovid<strong>in</strong>g an early warn<strong>in</strong>g of aviation fuel contam<strong>in</strong>ant migration towards the PWS borehole.The shallow depth m<strong>in</strong>imised creation of fast flow paths to the high yield<strong>in</strong>g horizons. One ofthe auger boreholes was drilled on the side of PWS borehole away from the known contam<strong>in</strong>atedareas, to provide a background control for water quality. Fig. 5 <strong>and</strong> Fig.6 show the distributionof the auger boreholes <strong>and</strong> a cross section of the site respectively.In order to determ<strong>in</strong>e the nature, degree <strong>and</strong> extent of the contam<strong>in</strong>ation, a major pump testexercise was carried out on the PWS borehole us<strong>in</strong>g the auger holes <strong>and</strong> boreholes asobservation wells, <strong>and</strong> monitor<strong>in</strong>g the flow <strong>in</strong> the dra<strong>in</strong>age ditches over a low weir. Geophysicallogg<strong>in</strong>g was carried out on all available boreholes to identify the major flow horizons <strong>in</strong> theaquifer. Groundwater quality monitor<strong>in</strong>g was conducted <strong>in</strong> conjunction with test pump<strong>in</strong>g ofthe PWS borehole. Samples were collected primarily by depth sampl<strong>in</strong>g at the major flowhorizons <strong>in</strong> the aquifer, <strong>and</strong> analysed by GC/MS for organic constituents.ResultsThe JP4 aviation fuel was not found to contam<strong>in</strong>ate the PWS borehole at any stage, despitethe quantities <strong>in</strong> the aquifer nearby.However, sampl<strong>in</strong>g of the auger holes <strong>and</strong> PWS borehole <strong>in</strong>dicated the presence <strong>in</strong> thegroundwater of PCE <strong>and</strong> TCE at maximum concentrations of 85 <strong>and</strong> 20 µg/1 respectively.The PWS borehole was removed from supply immediately after discovery of the pollution.As well as VOCs, other hydrocarbons were also detected <strong>in</strong> the auger holes. The hydrocarbonswere traced to a source at a nearby petrol fill<strong>in</strong>g station. The auger holes del<strong>in</strong>eated a “pancake”of petrol of limited areal extent float<strong>in</strong>g on the water table <strong>and</strong> lead<strong>in</strong>g from the petrol station.The source of the TCE <strong>and</strong> PCE was never identified but the data suggested that the <strong>in</strong>put ofTCE <strong>and</strong> PCE to the aquifer had occured from one of the dra<strong>in</strong>s, <strong>in</strong> the form of a slug. A sumpwhich dra<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>to the ditch conta<strong>in</strong>ed TCE <strong>and</strong> PCE. This was emptied to a recognised wastedisposal facility. Depth samples <strong>in</strong>dicated that both total volatile organic compounds <strong>and</strong>TCE/PCE <strong>in</strong>creased with depth, even though geophysical logg<strong>in</strong>g demonstrated clear horizontallayer<strong>in</strong>g of flow <strong>in</strong> the aquifer. In 1985, rout<strong>in</strong>e monitor<strong>in</strong>g of the auger boreholes <strong>in</strong>dicatedan <strong>in</strong>crease of TCE/PCE.DiscussionAlthough the PCE <strong>and</strong> TCE were major contam<strong>in</strong>ants of the PWS borehole, they were onlyidentified as a result of another contam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong>cident. Today, the substances are rout<strong>in</strong>elylooked for <strong>in</strong> all PWS sources. Therefore, where a source has a history of, or is vulnerable to,<strong>in</strong>dustrial pollution, a wide range of potential contam<strong>in</strong>ants should be analysed for <strong>in</strong> anymonitor<strong>in</strong>g programme.The variable levels of PCE <strong>and</strong> TCE <strong>in</strong> the groundwater, due either to cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g pollution, orto remnant concentrations of PCE/TCE <strong>in</strong> the aquifer, must be appreciated when predict<strong>in</strong>gworst case scenarios for treatment specification.3. TREATMENT FOR THE REMOVAL OF VOLATILE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS3.1 IntroductionVOC pollutants can be removed by activated carbon but a much cheaper process, particularlyas a first stage treatment is removal by air stripp<strong>in</strong>g. The design characteristics for removalare described <strong>in</strong> Section 3.2. This is followed by a discussion of the operat<strong>in</strong>g results for the


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 207two water treatment plants <strong>in</strong>stalled at the polluted groundwater sources referred to as CaseA <strong>and</strong> Case B. The plant <strong>in</strong> Case A was designed by Anglian <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> the performancepredictions were checked by the <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre. The plant <strong>in</strong> Case B was designed bySir M MacDonald & Partners (now Molt MacDonald) for Anglian <strong>Water</strong>, follow<strong>in</strong>g pilot tests byChemviron Carbons.3.2 Design Characteristics for Stripp<strong>in</strong>gAbsorption <strong>and</strong> stripp<strong>in</strong>g are well established as separation processes <strong>in</strong> the chemical <strong>in</strong>dustry<strong>and</strong> the design pr<strong>in</strong>ciples are well known.If the solvent (water) is contacted with air a proportion of the volatile component will leave thewater <strong>and</strong> enter the air. In order to do this efficiently a large air-water <strong>in</strong>terface is required<strong>and</strong> for this reason stripp<strong>in</strong>g is carried out <strong>in</strong> towers packed with materials which are chemically<strong>in</strong>ert <strong>and</strong> with a large surface area. Many types of pack<strong>in</strong>g have been used: Raschig r<strong>in</strong>gs, Pallr<strong>in</strong>gs, Intalox saddles packed at r<strong>and</strong>om <strong>and</strong> modular pack<strong>in</strong>gs are widely used (Green <strong>and</strong>Moloney, 1984).The stripp<strong>in</strong>g of gases of low solubility is controlled by the rate of diffusion of the solute <strong>in</strong> theliquid phase <strong>and</strong> this applies to the VOCs <strong>in</strong> water.In the design of a packed tower the follow<strong>in</strong>g are usually known:– the flow rate of liquid to be treated– the concentration of pollutant <strong>in</strong> the raw water– the concentration to be achieved after treatment– the water temperatureThe ma<strong>in</strong> parameters to be established are:– the height of the pack<strong>in</strong>g– the diameter of the tower– the air flow rate required– the pressure drop of air through the towerThe operation of a packed stripp<strong>in</strong>g tower is best understood by reference to Fig 7a <strong>and</strong> Fig 7b.Fig. 7a Mass Balance <strong>in</strong> Tower


208 WATER TREATMENTFig. 7b Concentration of VOC <strong>in</strong> Gas <strong>and</strong> LiquidIn Fig 7 a the tower is illustrated with liquid enter<strong>in</strong>g at the top <strong>and</strong> leav<strong>in</strong>g at the bottom. Theflow is counter-current with air enter<strong>in</strong>g at the bottom <strong>and</strong> leav<strong>in</strong>g at the top. Subscripts 1<strong>and</strong> 2 refer to bottom <strong>and</strong> top conditions.The Operat<strong>in</strong>g L<strong>in</strong>eThis represents a material balance <strong>in</strong> the tower(1)The Equilibrium L<strong>in</strong>eThe equilibrium l<strong>in</strong>e is a representation of Henry’s law which at atmospheric pressure is:Where x . is the concentration (mole fraction) of the VOC <strong>in</strong> the liquid phase which would be<strong>in</strong> equilibrium when the concentration of the VOC <strong>in</strong> the vapour is y 1(mole fraction) <strong>and</strong> theoperat<strong>in</strong>g pressure is 1 atmosphere.Values of H for VOCs are quoted below:(2)TCEPCECTC307 ats/mole fraction626 ats/mole fraction761 ats/mole fractionThe relationship used to def<strong>in</strong>e the tower dimensions can be presented as follows, where R isthe removal efficiency:(3)Equation (3) shows that the removal efficiency of a packed tower is <strong>in</strong>dependent of the <strong>in</strong>letconcentration x 2 <strong>and</strong> therefore removal efficiency is the most appropriate means of monitor<strong>in</strong>gthe tower performance.It also shows that the removal efficiency is dependent upon the chemical properties, m <strong>and</strong> H<strong>and</strong> the design variables Z, L m <strong>and</strong> G m <strong>and</strong> the mass transfer characteristics K L a.


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 209Specification of Plant PerformanceAs stated <strong>in</strong> Section 2 the presence of VOCs <strong>in</strong> groundwater can be due to contam<strong>in</strong>ationwhich occurred <strong>in</strong> the past <strong>and</strong> concentrations are therefore often variable. Consequently, itis usual that the concentrations of contam<strong>in</strong>ants <strong>in</strong> the raw water at the time of plantcommission<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> test<strong>in</strong>g are less than the maximum concentrations to be satisfactorilyh<strong>and</strong>led by the plant. Therefore if a performance specification is to be used it is essential torequest a specific removal efficiency to guarantee quality of product from a range of raw waterconcentrations.In Case B described below both outlet concentrations <strong>and</strong> removal efficiencies were specifiedto tenderers as follows:Outlet Concentration Removal Efficiencyµg/1 %TCE 12 88PCE 5 90CTC 1 80A further aspect of importance is the potential for the formation of calcium carbonate scale onthe tower pack<strong>in</strong>g follow<strong>in</strong>g carbon dioxide removal. If uncontrolled the pack<strong>in</strong>g can becomecompletely clogged <strong>and</strong> cease to function. In order to avoid this problem a scale <strong>in</strong>hibitorsuch as Calgon must be dosed to the raw water. The dose rate found satisfactory for suchchemicals is 0.3 mg/1 as P or 1 mg/1 as Calgon chips.Lagg<strong>in</strong>g of pipework has been found necessary for external <strong>in</strong>stallations <strong>in</strong> eastern Engl<strong>and</strong> ifproblems of freez<strong>in</strong>g are to be avoided.3.3 Operat<strong>in</strong>g Results from Case StudiesCase studies for two works are presented. In Case A the stripp<strong>in</strong>g system has operated verymuch as expected but <strong>in</strong> Case B the performance has been somewhat erratic. The causes ofthis erratic performance have not yet been fully identified. Possible explanations arediscussed.Design ParametersThe design parameters for the two cases are presented <strong>in</strong> Table 1.The Performance of TowersThe performance of the towers is presented <strong>in</strong> graphical form for TCE. Similar trends wereobserved for PCE. For CTC concentrations <strong>in</strong> the raw water were so low that concentrations<strong>in</strong> the aerated water were below detection limits.The graphical results are presented <strong>in</strong> two forms:– concentrations <strong>in</strong> the raw <strong>and</strong> aerated water aga<strong>in</strong>st time– removal efficiency aga<strong>in</strong>st time


210 WATER TREATMENTTABLE 1Design parameters for Stripp<strong>in</strong>g Volumes3.4 Case Study AThe performance of the Case A columns is shown <strong>in</strong> Fig 8. It can be seen that the concentration<strong>in</strong> the raw water has been quite variable, rang<strong>in</strong>g from 20 to 110 µg/l with an average of 93µg/1. The concentration of TCE <strong>in</strong> the aerated water was below the WHO Guidel<strong>in</strong>e level of 30µg/1 on all occasions. The peak, at day 165, is likely to be an erroneous result: it is extremelydifficult to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> an adequate level of sample cleanl<strong>in</strong>ess when deal<strong>in</strong>g with such lowconcentrations. The percentage removal graph. Fig 8 shows three such low po<strong>in</strong>ts where thevalidity of the results must be questioned.Aside from these three po<strong>in</strong>ts, the removal efficiency ranges from 87–98%. The average removalefficiency is 92.9%, or 93.8% omitt<strong>in</strong>g the three low po<strong>in</strong>ts.If these removal rates are used <strong>in</strong> Equation (3) K L a can be shown to be 57.7.When mass transfer is liquid rate controlled K L a can be calculated from the follow<strong>in</strong>g equation(Norman W S, 1961).The diffusivity of. K L a is therefore calculated to be 72.8. It can be seentherefore that the actual mass transfer rates achieved are 80% of theoretical values. This istypical <strong>in</strong> that about 0.5 m of tower pack<strong>in</strong>g is usually considered as <strong>in</strong>effective s<strong>in</strong>ce it isfunction<strong>in</strong>g primarily as a water distribution section (at the top) <strong>and</strong> an air distributor at thebottom.The removal efficiency for PCE averaged 93.6% when three apparently anomalous resultswere ignored.3.5 Case Study BIn Case B two packed towers were constructed to treat 500 m 3 /h of groundwater contam<strong>in</strong>atedwith TCE, PCE <strong>and</strong> low levels of CTC. The pack<strong>in</strong>g supplied by the Contractor was 94 ram(4)


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 211Fig 8 Removal of trichloroethene by Air Stripp<strong>in</strong>g (Case A)Snowflake Type II <strong>and</strong> this was the first occasion that this has been used for such applications<strong>in</strong> the UK although experience exists <strong>in</strong> the USA. This pack<strong>in</strong>g has the benefit of a low pressuredrop thereby allow<strong>in</strong>g the full flow to pass through a s<strong>in</strong>gle tower <strong>in</strong> the event of a fan failure.As stated <strong>in</strong> Section 2 the well has a history of organic contam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>and</strong> therefore activatedcarbon was <strong>in</strong>stalled after the stripp<strong>in</strong>g columns as a “polish<strong>in</strong>g” stage.Removal efficiencies specified were 88% for TCE 90%, PCE <strong>and</strong> 80% for CTC.Commission<strong>in</strong>gPoor removal efficiencies were observed dur<strong>in</strong>g the commission<strong>in</strong>g of the works. As can beseen from the results <strong>in</strong> Table 2, the TCE removal was only 72% as compared with a designvalue of 88%.Clearly the performance fell considerably short of the target with K L a from Eq 3 equal to 26.2.The theoretical value of K L a expected for the towers as designed (calculated from Eq 4) was 99.5


212 WATER TREATMENTTABLE 2Performance of Case B Stripp<strong>in</strong>g Towers Dur<strong>in</strong>g Commission<strong>in</strong>gwhich when compared with the actual value of 26.2 shows only a 26% mass transfer efficiencycompared with the value of 80% achieved <strong>in</strong> Case A.A number of measures were adopted <strong>in</strong> an attempt to improve the performance:i) Duplicate analyses confirmed that the problem was genu<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> not created due toanalyticalii) In order to test whether poor distribution was the cause of the poor performance additionaldistributors were tried for air <strong>and</strong> water but no significant improvement <strong>in</strong> performancewas achieved—the removal of TCE <strong>in</strong>creased by only 1% to 73.9%.OperationExam<strong>in</strong>ation of the subsequent operat<strong>in</strong>g results <strong>in</strong> Fig 9 shows that the removal efficiencyafter commission<strong>in</strong>g rose to 90.64% when six low po<strong>in</strong>ts were discarded.From this data the operat<strong>in</strong>g K L a can be calculated to be 50.5, giv<strong>in</strong>g a mass transfer efficiencyof 51% which shows a considerable improvement over the 26% achieved dur<strong>in</strong>g commission<strong>in</strong>g.It was thought that this performance improvement might have been due to the method ofoperation follow<strong>in</strong>g commission<strong>in</strong>g. In order to follow dem<strong>and</strong>, one well pump operatescont<strong>in</strong>uously whilst the second pump cuts <strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> out on dem<strong>and</strong> but at all times the twotowers are <strong>in</strong> service. The effect is that both pumps operate typically for only 10 hours perday. The time of sampl<strong>in</strong>g was not selected to co<strong>in</strong>cide with periods when two pumps wereoperat<strong>in</strong>g.The results have therefore been exam<strong>in</strong>ed for three cases:i) Assum<strong>in</strong>g 1 pump operat<strong>in</strong>g L m= 2682 kg mole/m 2 /h


GROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 213ii)iii)Assum<strong>in</strong>g 2 pumps operat<strong>in</strong>gFlow equivalent 2 pumps 10 hours+1 pump 14 hoursActual Theoretical Transfer EfficiencyK L a K L a %Case 1 23.5 59.1 40Case 2 50.5 99.5 51Case3 34.3 77.2 44All of these transfer efficiencies are considerably higher than that achieved dur<strong>in</strong>gcommission<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> it is therefore clear that a significant change <strong>in</strong> performance occurredbetween commission<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> operation.It has long been known that etch<strong>in</strong>g of pack<strong>in</strong>g has the effect of <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the specific surfacearea <strong>and</strong> therefore <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g mass transfer rates. Improvements <strong>in</strong> mass transfer performanceof up to 50% have been observed from such effects (Norman <strong>and</strong> Soloman, 1959). Precipitationof calcium carbonate scale upon pack<strong>in</strong>g surfaces might cause such improvements but theFig 9 Removal of trichtoroethene by Air Stripp<strong>in</strong>g (Case B)


214 WATER TREATMENTdos<strong>in</strong>g of Calgon should prevent such deposition <strong>and</strong> therefore the formation of such roughenedsurfaces is unlikely.No specific cause for the performance improvement was identified.It can be seen from Fig 9 that the performance deteriorated significantly after day 270, fall<strong>in</strong>gto about 50% removal on a number of occasions (a s<strong>in</strong>gle analysis show<strong>in</strong>g 22% removal isnot considered to be representative). Despite this deterioration <strong>in</strong> performance the treatedwater still met the target quality but nevertheless the deterioration <strong>in</strong> performance required<strong>in</strong>vestigation.A number of factors have been studied <strong>in</strong> an attempt to expla<strong>in</strong> the variation <strong>in</strong> performance,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g:i) Duplicate samples were collected <strong>and</strong> analysed at the end of the period shown <strong>in</strong> Fig 9 <strong>in</strong>order to ensure that the problem was not due to analytical errors.Results for TCE were as follows (<strong>in</strong> µg/l):Raw water 8.53 : 7.587.76 : 7.58Aerated water 0.56 : 0.811.48 : 2.15In view of the very low concentrations <strong>in</strong>volved the results showed remarkably goodconsistency <strong>and</strong>,, v ided no <strong>in</strong>dications as to why the performance had deterioratedearlier.ii)iii)Inspection of the plant revealed a split <strong>in</strong> the connector between the fan <strong>and</strong> the tower. Itwas not possible to measure the loss <strong>in</strong> air rate to the tower; however it can be shown byuse of Eq 3 that a reduction of the gas rate by 50% would only reduce the removalefficiency from 90.6% to 87%. It seems unlikely therefore that this was the sole reasonfor the deterioration <strong>in</strong> performance after day 270.Two sets of samples were collected to specifically determ<strong>in</strong>e the change <strong>in</strong> performancewhen the plant was operated a) at full water flow rate <strong>and</strong> b) at half of the design waterflow rate. These are shown below for TCE.Measured Removal Actual K La K La forEfficiency for (Eq 3) R<strong>in</strong>g PackTCE–% (Eq 4)One Feed Pump 92 25.1 59.5Two Feed Pump 76.3 29.8 99.5These results are most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g. K L a for most pack<strong>in</strong>gs is found to be proportional toL M to the power of 0.75–0.8. The results here show that with a doubl<strong>in</strong>g of flow rate from2682 to 5363 kg mole/h/m 2 the value of K L a <strong>in</strong>creases by a factor of only 1.19 ratherthan the expected 1.6 to 1.7. It appears therefore that the pack<strong>in</strong>g may be hydraulicallyoverloaded at a liquid rate of 5363 kg mole/h/m 2 . Unfortunately records have not beenkept for the number of well pumps <strong>in</strong> operation at each time of sampl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> thereforethis explanation for the variation of performance throughout the operat<strong>in</strong>g period cannotbe checked aga<strong>in</strong>st the historic data.


4. CONCLUSIONSGROUNDWATER POLLUTION BY VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS 215The case studies described <strong>in</strong> this paper have shown the need for thorough studies of thegroundwater pollution problem <strong>in</strong> connection with the design <strong>and</strong> operation of treatmentfacilities <strong>and</strong> the need for a conservative approach to the treatment works design s<strong>in</strong>ce thereare still factors which are not fully understood.Specific conclusions on the source identification aspect <strong>in</strong>clude:– the importance of undertak<strong>in</strong>g detailed solvent use surveys prior to sit<strong>in</strong>g exploratoryboreholes;– the difficulty <strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the age of pollution due to the presence of low permeabilitylayers;– the need for regular monitor<strong>in</strong>g of a wide range of possible contam<strong>in</strong>ants <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrialareas.A number of conclusions have been drawn also from the experience <strong>in</strong> the use of air stripp<strong>in</strong>gfor VOC removal at the two sites <strong>and</strong> possible reasons for the variability <strong>in</strong> performance arepresented:– air stripp<strong>in</strong>g has been effective at both sites <strong>in</strong> reduc<strong>in</strong>g the concentrations of TCE <strong>and</strong>PCE to target levels (12 µg/l <strong>and</strong> 5 (µg/1 respectively).– at the Case A site where polypropylene pall r<strong>in</strong>gs were used as the tower pack<strong>in</strong>g material,performance was much as expected with 93% removal achieved for both TCE <strong>and</strong> PCE.– at Case B site the performance has been more variable, for example with the removalefficiency for TCE vary<strong>in</strong>g between 50 <strong>and</strong> 92%.– whilst this variability is not yet fully expla<strong>in</strong>ed, the evaluation of operat<strong>in</strong>g data po<strong>in</strong>ts toaspects which warrant further <strong>in</strong>vestigation, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g, for example, the susceptibility ofthe Snowflake pack<strong>in</strong>g to hydraulic overload<strong>in</strong>g with adverse effects on mass transferperformance.– whilst the performance of activated carbon at the Case B site has not been covered <strong>in</strong>this paper, the <strong>in</strong>stallation of this second stage treatment follow<strong>in</strong>g a history of traceorganics <strong>in</strong> the raw water, has provided an additional safeguard aga<strong>in</strong>st the breakthroughof VOCs.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe authors wish to thank the Director of Quality of Anglian <strong>Water</strong> Services Limited forpermission to publish this paper. However the views expressed are those of the authors <strong>and</strong>are not necessarily those of Anglian <strong>Water</strong> Services Limited.REFERENCESDepartment of the Environment 1989 “The <strong>Water</strong> Supply (<strong>Water</strong> Quality) Regulations 1989”.Statutory Instruments 1989 Nr 1147.European Economic Community. 1976 “Directive Relat<strong>in</strong>g to Dangerous Substances <strong>in</strong> <strong>Water</strong>76/464/EEC”, Official Journal of the European Communities L129.European Economic Community. 1980 “Directive Relat<strong>in</strong>g to the Quality of <strong>Water</strong> Intendedfor Human Consumption 80/778/EEC”. Official Journal of the European CommunitiesL229.Narasimhan, T N & Witherspoon, PA, 1976. “An Integrated F<strong>in</strong>ite Difference Method forAnalys<strong>in</strong>g Fluid Flow <strong>in</strong> Porous Media”. <strong>Water</strong> Resources Research, 12(1), 57–64.


216 WATER TREATMENTGreen D W & Moloney J 0,1984. Perry’s Chemical Eng<strong>in</strong>eers H<strong>and</strong>book, 6th Edition, McGrawHill. Norman W S. 1961, Absorption, Distillation <strong>and</strong> Cool<strong>in</strong>g Towers. Longmans.Norman W S & Soloman B K. 1959. “The Effect of Ammonia Absorption on the Wetted Area ofa Packed Tower”, Trans Inst Chem Engrs 37, 237Tester D J & Harker, R J 1981. “Groundwater Pollution Investigations <strong>in</strong> the Great OuseRegion”. <strong>Water</strong> Pollution Control, 614–631.US Environmental Protection Agency, 1975. “Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary Assessment of SuspectedCarc<strong>in</strong>ogens <strong>in</strong> Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong>”, Report to Congress.World Health Organisation, 1984. “Guidel<strong>in</strong>es for Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Quality”. WHO, Geneva.


PART VIRivers <strong>and</strong> rivermanagement


Chapter 21GREEN ENGINEERING: THE CASEOF LAND DRAINAGEJ Pursglove (Mott MacDonald Ltd, Cambridge, UK)SUMMARYEng<strong>in</strong>eers work<strong>in</strong>g on roads, rivers, dams, tunnels, bridges, l<strong>and</strong>fill sites, quarries<strong>and</strong> build<strong>in</strong>gs all have a profound effect on the environment. Some <strong>in</strong>dustriall<strong>and</strong>scapes, largely created by eng<strong>in</strong>eers <strong>in</strong> the canal age, for example, are nowvalued as excit<strong>in</strong>g places to visit <strong>and</strong> enjoy. In our time, however, eng<strong>in</strong>eers havebeen rather more associated with the destruction of the environment. Roads havebeen <strong>and</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>ue to be the subject of fierce environmental controversy. Rivershave been straightened out <strong>and</strong> their banks have been stripped of trees <strong>and</strong>concreted, as part of l<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age schemes. Waste management eng<strong>in</strong>eers haveoften assumed that l<strong>and</strong>scapes which do not make a profit for their owners, suchas woodl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> wetl<strong>and</strong>s area automatically ‘derelict’ <strong>and</strong> therefore good placesfor dump<strong>in</strong>g rubbish <strong>in</strong>.These problems often arise because of the narrow brief which eng<strong>in</strong>eers are given.With a wide brief which <strong>in</strong>cludes the environment, they can even improve theenvironment. L<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age schemes present an opportunity to plant trees <strong>and</strong>create ponds which were previously the victims of dra<strong>in</strong>age. Roads, once care istaken to chose the best possible route for them, can create the opportunity to reestablishhedgerows <strong>and</strong> woodl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>in</strong> the adjacent countryside through whichthey pass. The budget for this will be a t<strong>in</strong>y fraction of the eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g cost of theroad build<strong>in</strong>g. L<strong>and</strong>fill sites may also create sufficient profit for a proportion to beploughed back for the creation of adjacent habitat.This ‘green brief for eng<strong>in</strong>eers is worthwhile because it contributes to the quality oflife—someth<strong>in</strong>g we all need as well as water for the reservoirs or an effective transportsystem result<strong>in</strong>g from road build<strong>in</strong>g. However, there are also plenty of hard-headedreasons for green eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g. M<strong>in</strong>imis<strong>in</strong>g on topsoil on road embankments savesmoney <strong>and</strong> creates ideal conditions for wild flowers. Trees planted on river banksas part of l<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age schemes both shade out aquatic weeds which wouldotherwise block the channel <strong>and</strong> help to re<strong>in</strong>force erod<strong>in</strong>g banks. Structuraleng<strong>in</strong>eers <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> the construction of <strong>in</strong>dustrial estates are quick to grasp thata well l<strong>and</strong>scaped ‘science park’ can comm<strong>and</strong> higher rates than a run-downcollection of t<strong>in</strong> sheds. In addition there is always the real benefit of good publicrelations for a genu<strong>in</strong>ely ‘green’ eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g scheme.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 219–222219


220 WATER TREATMENTOf course there are occasions when the greenest eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g is really no eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>gat all. This was the case <strong>in</strong> the proposals for dam build<strong>in</strong>g on the River Loire atSerre de la Fare, where the proposed reservoir would have destroyed a uniquevalley <strong>and</strong> no ‘green design’ could have ameliorated the environmental disaster.However, I do believe that there are other areas on the Loire where the environmentwould be compatible with a carefully designed reservoir which is also sorely neededto reduce the real dangers of flood<strong>in</strong>g.The might of eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>ery <strong>and</strong> the scale of eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g schemes is soconsiderable, that, if thoughtfully used, it can be one of the greatest powers forgood <strong>in</strong> the protection <strong>and</strong> enhancement of the environment.Eng<strong>in</strong>eers will be familiar with the arguments over the straighten<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> cement<strong>in</strong>gof rivers to reduce flood<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> the dra<strong>in</strong>age of wetl<strong>and</strong>s for agricultural production.In 1983, <strong>in</strong>ternal dra<strong>in</strong>age boards were liken<strong>in</strong>g conservationists to ‘Argent<strong>in</strong>ians’while the boards were described equally unflatter<strong>in</strong>gly as ‘<strong>in</strong>famous’. Controversiesover wetl<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age have sent m<strong>in</strong>isters of state scurry<strong>in</strong>g to some of our remotest<strong>and</strong> most <strong>in</strong>hospitable marshes. It is only just over five years s<strong>in</strong>ce Mrs Thatcherherself became <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> the controversy over the Halvergate Marshes, whilethe dra<strong>in</strong>age lobby were burn<strong>in</strong>g effigies of the conservationists on the SomersetLevels.So what happened to the wicked dra<strong>in</strong>age eng<strong>in</strong>eer? Has he really become an ext<strong>in</strong>ctspecies, as predicted by one Somerset farmer, observ<strong>in</strong>g the’rise of the conservationists<strong>in</strong> 1986: ‘And what’s it done to the farmers <strong>and</strong> the dra<strong>in</strong>age men? I’ll tell you: we’rethe endangered species now. You should see us. We’ve all got copies of the Wildlife<strong>and</strong> Countryside Act 1981 at the bedside now, see<strong>in</strong>g if there is any mention <strong>in</strong> thereof the Greater Crested Farmer or the Lesser Spotted Dra<strong>in</strong>age Eng<strong>in</strong>eer. You look <strong>in</strong>any of these farmhouses around here at 11 at night <strong>and</strong> they’ll all be read<strong>in</strong>g acouple of chapters of the barmy th<strong>in</strong>g before dropp<strong>in</strong>g off to sleep.’Not entirely. The water authorities still carry out large dra<strong>in</strong>age programmes, whilecounty <strong>and</strong> district councils are busy on the ‘non-ma<strong>in</strong> river’ tributaries. If you casta shrewd eye around the countryside <strong>in</strong> March you cannot fail to notice that spr<strong>in</strong>gis heralded not only by splashes of yellow cel<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>es <strong>and</strong> pale primroses <strong>in</strong> thehedge banks, but also by the gleam<strong>in</strong>g yellow diggers, hastily work<strong>in</strong>g their way upthe watercourses to use up their allocated budget before the f<strong>in</strong>ancial year ends on1 April.Sometimes the environmental results are as bad as ever. In 1988 the mature treesalong the Fareham Brook south of Nott<strong>in</strong>gham were felled <strong>and</strong> the stream gutted,<strong>in</strong> a scheme as crudely destructive as any I have ever seen. The fact that the NatureConservancy Council-apparently misread<strong>in</strong>g or not underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g the draw<strong>in</strong>gspresented to it by the <strong>in</strong>ternal dra<strong>in</strong>age board—accepted the scheme, did not makethe total destruction of riverside habitat any less catastrophic for the local wildlife.RECENT LEGISLATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGEWhile the whole adm<strong>in</strong>istrative structure of l<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age is be<strong>in</strong>g overhauled aspart of privatisation, the opportunity has been missed to reform the notoriouslyanachronistic <strong>in</strong>ternal dra<strong>in</strong>age boards, where vot<strong>in</strong>g strength at elections isproportional to the amount of property which an <strong>in</strong>dividual owns. At the other endof the dra<strong>in</strong>age spectrum, Welsh farmers <strong>in</strong> Powys are do<strong>in</strong>g their own th<strong>in</strong>g on theRiver Severn, dredg<strong>in</strong>g up salmon spawn<strong>in</strong>g beds <strong>in</strong> a va<strong>in</strong> attempt to tra<strong>in</strong> theriver not to erode their l<strong>and</strong>. Yet such is the law, that it is hard for the water


GREEN ENGINEERING: THE CASE OF LAND DRAINAGE 221authority to prevent them from damag<strong>in</strong>g the environment, unless they are alsoworsen<strong>in</strong>g the flood<strong>in</strong>g.By 1989, however, the general situation has enormously improved. Effective statutoryprotection for the Somerset Levels <strong>and</strong> other major wetl<strong>and</strong>s has come <strong>in</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce1984, a year which also saw a government <strong>in</strong>spired redirection of dra<strong>in</strong>age awayfrom rural agricultural schemes towards coastal <strong>and</strong> urban flood defence. InFebruary 1988, EC leaders abolished the previously guaranteed price for wheat,signall<strong>in</strong>g the end of the great corn boom, <strong>in</strong> a move of profound importance for thel<strong>and</strong>scape. This was followed <strong>in</strong> July 1988 with Environmental Impact Assessmentfor l<strong>and</strong> dra<strong>in</strong>age schemes which have brought dra<strong>in</strong>age under the first tentativestages of plann<strong>in</strong>g.The sett<strong>in</strong>g up of the National Rivers Authority as part of the deal for waterprivatisation has to be good news for rivers <strong>and</strong> wetl<strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>scapes, although thereal power of the environmentalists as opposed to the dra<strong>in</strong>age lobby with<strong>in</strong> theNRA has yet to be tested.CHANGING ATTITUDES AND METHODSOne major reason for what has amounted to a revolution <strong>in</strong> river management hasbeen the many <strong>in</strong>itiatives made by river eng<strong>in</strong>eers to take on a brief for the riverl<strong>and</strong>scape. The sheer undeniable beauty of river l<strong>and</strong>scapes has been their ownbest advocate <strong>in</strong> br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g about a common realisation that a new k<strong>in</strong>d of bridgebuild<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> river management is needed, <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g eng<strong>in</strong>eers, diggerdrivers, farmers<strong>and</strong> conservationists, to ensure that, which the risks of flood<strong>in</strong>g are reduced, thewildlife <strong>and</strong> the wild quality of the rivers are preserved <strong>and</strong> even enhanced.With this realisation came another discovery; that, subject to some criticalqualifications concern<strong>in</strong>g cases <strong>in</strong> which any dra<strong>in</strong>age would be environmentally<strong>in</strong>appropriate, the whole, hitherto destructive, process of river eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g couldnow be turned on its head. By work<strong>in</strong>g to a brief which takes full account of the lifeenhanc<strong>in</strong>gpotential of a river, rather than its narrow def<strong>in</strong>ition as a dra<strong>in</strong>, theerstwhile destroyer can now become a creator. It was recognised that mach<strong>in</strong>eswhich previously straightened every bend, filled every pond, <strong>and</strong> felled every treecould, at very little extra expense <strong>and</strong> at no sacrifice to dra<strong>in</strong>age efficiency, actuallyextend rivera<strong>in</strong> habitats for dragonflies, k<strong>in</strong>gfishers, <strong>and</strong> otters, not to mentionadd<strong>in</strong>g to the sum of human happ<strong>in</strong>ess for children with jam jars, walkers onriverside footpaths, <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>owners out for an even<strong>in</strong>g canter or <strong>in</strong> pursuit of duck<strong>and</strong> pheasant.Mighty mach<strong>in</strong>es can now be seen transport<strong>in</strong>g water forget-me-not to newly createdmarg<strong>in</strong>s at the water’s edge, the emerald-green cushions starred with their delicatebaby-blue flowers trembl<strong>in</strong>g over the edge of the great steel scoops before be<strong>in</strong>g laidgently down <strong>in</strong>to a new niche of carefully prepared river ooze.TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING NEW RIVER LANDSCAPESThe impact of mach<strong>in</strong>ery orig<strong>in</strong>ally designed to destroy habitat can, when properlyused, be noth<strong>in</strong>g short of magical. A ‘Swamp Dozer,’ a mach<strong>in</strong>e so colossal that itliterally makes the ground tremble, is able <strong>in</strong> a matter of days of pull back a wholefield of builders’ rubble or rye-grass to recreate the k<strong>in</strong>d of swamp it was orig<strong>in</strong>allydesigned to destroy. In a few hours, it can hollow out a sizeable pond.


222 WATER TREATMENTThe response of the natural world to such activities may be immediate. In 1984 oneof a dozen such ponds was created beside the Warwickshire Learn as part of al<strong>and</strong>-dra<strong>in</strong>age scheme. Before the mach<strong>in</strong>e had actually f<strong>in</strong>ished, a not-so-shymoorhen was build<strong>in</strong>g its nest on the isl<strong>and</strong> which the driver had created for it asa relatively safe refuge from such nocturnal marauders as hedgehogs, which snuffleout moorhen eggs as a special delicacy. On a river near Evesham, the mach<strong>in</strong>es, aspart of a flood alleviation scheme, extended a large bay <strong>and</strong> made a pool with<strong>in</strong> theriver bed. No sooner was the new pool created than the first swallows were dipp<strong>in</strong>g<strong>and</strong> swoop<strong>in</strong>g over it; <strong>and</strong>, best of all, by late afternoon of the first day, the bank topwas crowded with bicycles thrown down <strong>in</strong> the grass by the village children whilethey enjoyed their new bath<strong>in</strong>g-pool.This k<strong>in</strong>d of work has proved more <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g for the mach<strong>in</strong>e drivers who previouslytook a pride <strong>in</strong> the neatness of their straight channels, but who are now ris<strong>in</strong>g tothe challenge of do<strong>in</strong>g an ‘untidy’ job. Farmers, whose co-operation is essential <strong>in</strong>donat<strong>in</strong>g riverside l<strong>and</strong> for tree plant<strong>in</strong>g, ponds <strong>and</strong> other habitat creation, havebeen universally generous, both on <strong>in</strong>tensive arable l<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the east <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the hillcountry <strong>in</strong> the west.River eng<strong>in</strong>eers who take greater care <strong>and</strong> thought about the environment oftenf<strong>in</strong>d there are practical benefits which help the actual efficiency of the scheme.Ponds can sometimes be created <strong>in</strong> order to provide the material for raised floodbanks, thereby sav<strong>in</strong>g the cost of import<strong>in</strong>g spoil. Raised banks themselves can bespread with m<strong>in</strong>imal top soil (another sav<strong>in</strong>g), <strong>and</strong> sown with low-grow<strong>in</strong>g grasses.This can reduce massive mow<strong>in</strong>g costs, such as that currently <strong>in</strong>curred by theNational Rivers Authority Severn Trent Region on 200 miles of flood bank alongsidethe River Trent. The environmental bonus will be many more wild flowers <strong>and</strong>butterflies.Riverside trees will shade out aquatic weed <strong>and</strong> are among the best bank stabilisers.On the River Clwyd <strong>in</strong> North Wales, a river eng<strong>in</strong>eer came up with a particularlyneat solution to a problem of bank erosion <strong>in</strong> 1977. A willow had fallen <strong>in</strong>to thestream, <strong>and</strong> as a result, the river, nudged out of its regime, was erod<strong>in</strong>g the adjacentbank. The eng<strong>in</strong>eer removed the offend<strong>in</strong>g tree, <strong>and</strong> chopped it <strong>in</strong>to logs with whichhe filled mesh baskets, which he then set <strong>in</strong>to the newly erod<strong>in</strong>g bank. These grewimmediately, efficiently hold<strong>in</strong>g the bank aga<strong>in</strong>st erosion. Return<strong>in</strong>g 10 years later,the eng<strong>in</strong>eer was able to admire a riverside grove of 20ft willows still attractivelysolv<strong>in</strong>g the problem which their parent tree had created.CONCLUSIONDra<strong>in</strong>age schemes have been massively boosted by public money. For this reason itseems only fair that such schemes respect <strong>and</strong> even enhance the common heritageof the l<strong>and</strong>scape, <strong>and</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce 1981 this has <strong>in</strong>deed become a legal responsibility ofdra<strong>in</strong>age eng<strong>in</strong>eers. Currently, the National Rivers Authority Severn Trent Regionspends a mere 5% of its total annual river ma<strong>in</strong>tenance budget on just suchendeavours.If everyone responsible for the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of watercourses rises to such aproportionally modest commitment, then the loveliest of our exist<strong>in</strong>g rivers will notbe lost, <strong>and</strong> all the miles of denuded dra<strong>in</strong> which lie wait<strong>in</strong>g, like sleep<strong>in</strong>g beauties<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensive care, will, over the space of a generation, recover life <strong>and</strong> elegance asthey carry away their essential cargo of flood-water to the open sea.


Chapter 22PREVENTION OF WATERPOLLUTION ARISING FROM NON-POINT DISCHARGES FROM URBANAREASV M Khrat (All-Union Scientific Research Institute for <strong>Water</strong> Protection,Kharkov, USSR)SUMMARYDetrimental effect of nonpo<strong>in</strong>t (NP) discharge from urban areas on BiolochemicalOxygen Dem<strong>and</strong> (BOD) <strong>and</strong> Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of streams <strong>and</strong> water bodieswas evaluated by a mathematical model on the basis of field data <strong>and</strong>computerized prognostic calculations. Various situations were analysed atdifferent comb<strong>in</strong>ations of geomorphologie characteristics of water bodies <strong>and</strong>different dimensions of populated areas. As a result there were def<strong>in</strong>ed waterbodies need<strong>in</strong>g urgent protection aga<strong>in</strong>st pollution from urban NP discharge.Analysis of economic <strong>in</strong>dices of traditional methods of urban stormwatertreatment, on special treatment units with stormwater discharge systems,demonstrated high cost of such measures, especially if expressed <strong>in</strong> units of massof removed pollutants. This led to a conclusion that it is impossible to solve theproblem <strong>in</strong> the near future along these l<strong>in</strong>es only.A so-called complex ecological <strong>and</strong> technological approach to solv<strong>in</strong>g the problemis offered. It <strong>in</strong>volves quality control <strong>in</strong> the process of the NP discharge formation by<strong>in</strong>troduction of normative limits on pollutants build<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>in</strong> urban areas. Thelimits should be observed by limit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustrial emissions to the atmosphere, soilerosion, destruction of road cover<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>and</strong> by the improvement of ecological situationas a whole. On territories with heavy technogenic load<strong>in</strong>gs (<strong>in</strong>dustrial zones,highways, etc) it is necessary to construct local stormwater discharge <strong>and</strong> treatmentunits for first portions of NP discharge.Such measures will not only limit pollutant discharges (currently tend<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>creaseas a result of urbanization) but also allow cuts of 25–30 % compared with thepresent level.©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 223–230223


224 WATER TREATMENTINTRODUCTIONThe present practice of protection aga<strong>in</strong>st water pollution aris<strong>in</strong>g from urban NPdischarges concentrates ma<strong>in</strong>ly on construction of expensive discharge systemsprovid<strong>in</strong>g for entrapment of stormwaters <strong>and</strong> their treatment as a comb<strong>in</strong>ed effluent,or on special treatment units at the stormwater sewer outfalls. However this woulddem<strong>and</strong>—for the country as a whole—capital <strong>in</strong>vestments which, accord<strong>in</strong>g toscop<strong>in</strong>g calculations, are comparable with the present value of the ma<strong>in</strong> assets ofwater protection (khvat, 1986). Moreover, at present there are no scientificallysubstantiated data for evaluation of the f<strong>in</strong>al efficiency of the <strong>in</strong>vestments as toimprovement of the natural waters. So it is obvious that the traditional approach tothe solution of the problem must be reexam<strong>in</strong>ed.A new concept of protection of water resouces aga<strong>in</strong>st pollution from NP dischargemust be based on objective data, def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g a degree of the negative effect of thispollution source on quality of natural waters. It is necessary to provide for a stageby-stagesolution of the problem, with application of economically viable waterprotective measures.MethodsAt present the mechanism of urban NP discharge action on water bodies is notsufficiently studied. However a range of negative factors, such as Suspended Solids(SS) <strong>and</strong> BOD <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the river water <strong>and</strong> DO decrease dur<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>in</strong>storms arefairly obvious <strong>and</strong> amenable to quantitative evaluation.It must be stressed that the worst situation <strong>in</strong> the stream may occur not at po<strong>in</strong>tsof direct stormwater discharge <strong>in</strong> the city limits but below the po<strong>in</strong>t of treatedmunicipal effluents discharge where these two powerful sources of pollution <strong>in</strong>tensifyeach other (Nevzorov, 1986).Fig. 1 A diagram of urban NP discharge <strong>in</strong>flow to the stream.1-stream, 2-city, 3-stormwater outlets, 4-sewage treatment works, 5-treated effluentsoutletA design diagra<strong>in</strong> on which the mathematical model is based is presented <strong>in</strong> Fig 1.It permits evaluation of the <strong>in</strong>fluence of NP discharge on BOD <strong>and</strong> DO <strong>in</strong> the riverwater at the most po lluted river segment below the treated effluents outlet.


NON-POINT DISCHARGES FROM URBAN AREAS 225DO concentration along the river was determ<strong>in</strong>ed by the follow<strong>in</strong>g equations:(1(2where δ- DO concentration at a distance (m) from the sewage treatment works,mg O 2 /1; a-limit<strong>in</strong>g solubility of oxygen <strong>in</strong> water at a given temperature, mg O 2 /l;kpreaeration coefficient, days -1 ; , -constants of xygen consumption by effluents<strong>and</strong> river water organics, days- 1 ; -oxygen concentration <strong>in</strong> effluents <strong>and</strong> theriver O 2 background above the sewage treatment works, mg O 2 /1.(3S g ,S p -oxygen concentration <strong>in</strong> NP discharge <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the river above city, mg O 2 /l;Q g ,Q p rates of discharge of NP <strong>and</strong> the river above the NP <strong>in</strong>flow m 3 /s; Q-sum of theriver <strong>and</strong> NP dischargesof effluents <strong>and</strong> the river water<strong>and</strong> NP mixture above the sewage treatment works, mg O 2 /1;(4of the NP discharge <strong>and</strong> the river water prior to NP <strong>in</strong>flow, mgeffluent rate, m 3 /s; V <strong>and</strong> —rate of river flow below the sewage treatment works,<strong>in</strong> m/s <strong>and</strong> m/day, respectively:(5Kg—constant of NP oxygen consumption rate, day-1;coefficient of mix<strong>in</strong>g.effluents dilution ratio,Experimental data allowed to assign kg=0.3 day -1 . Comput<strong>in</strong>g produced a fileapplicable to evaluation of BOD <strong>and</strong> DO <strong>in</strong> the river water <strong>in</strong> a wide range ofcomb<strong>in</strong>ations.The rate <strong>and</strong> BOD of NP discharge were set correspond<strong>in</strong>g to towns with populationsrang<strong>in</strong>g from 50000 to one million <strong>in</strong>habitants. The design storm was set at 12 mmra<strong>in</strong>, provid<strong>in</strong>g for 90% wash off of solid particles built-up on impervious surfacesaccessible to the ra<strong>in</strong> flow (Khvat, 1988).


226 WATER TREATMENTSpecific wash-off of organics by the design storm per one <strong>in</strong>habitant is a function ofthe town population (Khvat, 1988).A rectangular averaged hydrograph analysis for the whole town area was performedon the basis of predeterm<strong>in</strong>ed relation of the types of territory areas to the numberof <strong>in</strong>habitants, with allowance for a given duration of ra<strong>in</strong>, rate of flow <strong>and</strong>,correspond<strong>in</strong>g travel time of the flow to the control po<strong>in</strong>t. The rate of municipaleffluents was set <strong>in</strong> accordance with normative volumes per one <strong>in</strong>habitant.ResultsThe <strong>in</strong>flow of NP discharge <strong>in</strong>to the river gives a considerable impact on the BOD ofthe river water. In rivers with discharge from one to 50 m 3 /s dur<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>in</strong> storms theriver water BOD can <strong>in</strong>crease 1.1 to 16 times, depend<strong>in</strong>g upon the town dimensions.However at present it is difficult to evaluate detrimental effects of such temporaryoverstepp<strong>in</strong>g of the BOD norms. At the same time, if BOD <strong>in</strong>crease is concurrentwith DO decrease <strong>in</strong> the stream, the situation must be considered as extremelydangerous. Under such conditions it is necessary to provide for urgentimplementation of measures of NP discharge treatment. Calculations <strong>in</strong>dicate thatrivers with natural hydrological <strong>and</strong> morphological regime subjected to a temporaryBOD <strong>in</strong>crease caused by ra<strong>in</strong> storms, as a rule ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> normal DO regime. Thesituation would be much worse <strong>in</strong> rivers with low flowage, up to 25 m 3 /s <strong>and</strong> lowflow rates, below 0.3 m/s.On the diagram (Fig 2) the area I <strong>in</strong>dicates the most unfavourable comb<strong>in</strong>ation ofrivers; flow rates <strong>and</strong> dimensions of towns situated <strong>in</strong> their bas<strong>in</strong>s. In the area withthe river flow rate 1–25 m 3 /s <strong>and</strong> many towns with population from 50000 to onemillion <strong>in</strong>habitants, 3–5-fold <strong>in</strong>crease of the river water BOD as compared to thenormative value, DO regime deterioration is observed.Presently <strong>in</strong> the majority of towns streams are regulated <strong>and</strong> they are practicallysystems of reservoirs with very low flowage <strong>and</strong> rates of flow.A formula is offered for rat<strong>in</strong>g DO regime under such conditions on the basis of theoxygen balance equation, with allowance for the bottom sediments:(6where oxygen concentration <strong>in</strong> the mixture of NP discharge <strong>and</strong> reservoir waterafret time t,<strong>in</strong>itital values of DO <strong>in</strong> the mixture, BOD mg O 2 /l, <strong>and</strong>relationship of river <strong>and</strong> NP water mixture BOD to the river water BOD; streamdischarge, m 3 /s, I <strong>and</strong> II—steam segments with reduced <strong>and</strong> normal DO,correspond<strong>in</strong>gly.


NON-POINT DISCHARGES FROM URBAN AREAS 227Fig 2 Influence of urban NP discharge from different numbers of <strong>in</strong>habitants onBOD <strong>and</strong> DO <strong>in</strong> the stream.organics oxidation rate constant day -1 , respectively; A-bottom sediments oxygenconsumption rate mg/m 2 per day; Fg-bottom sediments area, m 2 ; V-volume of NP<strong>and</strong> reservoir water rnixutre, m 3 .The m<strong>in</strong>imal DO concentration will occur after time determ<strong>in</strong>ed by formula(7Substitut<strong>in</strong>g (7) <strong>in</strong>to (6),value.can be found <strong>and</strong> compared with the normative DOField <strong>in</strong>vestigations conducted <strong>in</strong> the city of Kharkov elucidated features of oxygenconsumption by the solid phase <strong>in</strong> the discharge (Proma, 1983) <strong>and</strong> by bottomsediments orig<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g primarily from NP discharge (Khvat, 1983).Computer calculations, performed on the basis of (6) <strong>and</strong> (7), evaluated the<strong>in</strong>fluence of NP discharge on DO regime <strong>in</strong> reservoirs <strong>and</strong> sluggish streams <strong>in</strong> thewide range of volumes of NP <strong>and</strong> river water <strong>in</strong> the town segments of the waterbody, as well as an <strong>in</strong>itial oxygen deficit <strong>and</strong> average depths of the reservoir. Fielddata of the bottom sediments oxidation rates from 0.34 to 4 g/m 2 per day wereused <strong>in</strong> calculations.The analysis applied to streams <strong>and</strong> reservoirs allowed def<strong>in</strong>ition of water bodiesneedl<strong>in</strong>g urgent protection aga<strong>in</strong>st pollution from urban NP discharges. Such are


228 WATER TREATMENTstreams of low water content, with m<strong>in</strong>imal rates <strong>in</strong> the warm seasons up to 30m3/s, low rates of flow, below 0.3 m/s, <strong>and</strong> specific river discharge per one urban<strong>in</strong>habitant below 0.03 l/s. Urban reservoirs with low fiowage, with specific watervolume less than 1000m 3 per 1 ha of built-up adjo<strong>in</strong>ed territories, can also be<strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> this category.Traditionally SS loads can be reduced by construction of a partially separate systemwith partial bypass to the municipal sewage treatment works, or sedimentationlagoons at swere outfalls, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> exceptional cases filters can be provided for tertiarytreatment.<strong>Treatment</strong> of NP discharge gives relatively small BOD reduction, only about 3–6 %of the raw municipal sewage BOD, but capital <strong>in</strong>vestments for this purpose arecomparable with that for municipal sewage treatment works. Capital <strong>in</strong>vestmentseven for simplest NP discharge treatment, such as lagoons, when calculated perone tone of captured organics, are 2–3 times higher than for tertiary treatment ofmunicipal sewage.Such high specific costs, especially capital ones, for NP discharge treatment unitsare primarily due to the NP irregular periodicity.At present the ma<strong>in</strong> sources of urban NP discharge pollution are sediment<strong>in</strong>gaerosols, destruction of road cover<strong>in</strong>gs, tyres attrition, <strong>and</strong> soil erosion. If erosionproducts were reduced to average values, then pollut<strong>in</strong>g loads of the aerosolcomponent would amount to 58% for cities <strong>and</strong> to 78% for towns. Products of roadcover<strong>in</strong>g destruction amount to 10–25 %.Investigation of dispersive <strong>and</strong> dynamic characteristics of urban aerosols obta<strong>in</strong>eddata on SS concentration <strong>in</strong> NP discharge produced by the design ra<strong>in</strong> under variousdegrees of dust content <strong>in</strong> the air (see Table).The table data demonstrate that reduction of dust content <strong>in</strong> the lower atmosphere,primarily <strong>in</strong> areas with heavy pollut<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustries, can alone cut SS wash-off byseveral times. Such an approach is economically viable.Accord<strong>in</strong>g to our calculations capital costs of 1kg of dust removal from the air isabout 85-fold cheaper than 1 kg of SS removal at a partially separate system unitfor NP discharge treatment <strong>and</strong> about 16-fold cheaper than removal <strong>in</strong> lagoons.Prognostication demonstrated that at the normative air dust content 0.15 mg/m,prevention by simple measures of soil wash-off from lawns <strong>and</strong> open areas, aridhigher durability of road covers can reduce by 30% the total wash-off of pollutantscaused by the design ra<strong>in</strong>.Application of environment protect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> technical measures reduc<strong>in</strong>g technogenicpollut<strong>in</strong>g loads <strong>in</strong> urban NP discharge will allow cuts <strong>in</strong> treatment costs of 33–70 %,<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> some cases, with a large discharge of the stream, will completely obviatethem.ConclusionsIntroduction of limits on build up of f<strong>in</strong>e-gra<strong>in</strong>ed particles on urban territories is apromis<strong>in</strong>g way for environmental improvement as a whole <strong>in</strong> all media, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gwater bodies. If exist<strong>in</strong>g environmental protection measures do not reduce total


NON-POINT DISCHARGES FROM URBAN AREAS 229Table—Sediment<strong>in</strong>g aerosols wash-off by NP discharge as a function of dust content<strong>in</strong> the air.load down to the limit<strong>in</strong>g level, a programme of NP treatment units must beconsidered. Design of such units can be based on the balance equation of f<strong>in</strong>eparticles build-up <strong>and</strong> on found relationships (Khvat, 1988), allow<strong>in</strong>g quantitativeevaluation of technogenic components (atmosphere pollution, road cover destruction,soil erosion, etc).Where urban territory is very heterogenerous it is necessary to solve an optimizationproblem, to choose between alternative ways of reduc<strong>in</strong>g technogenic pollut<strong>in</strong>g loads(m<strong>in</strong>imization of environment-protection costs, giv<strong>in</strong>g a prescribed quality of NPdischarge <strong>in</strong> the water-use section).ReferencesKhvat V M (1983), Reglamentatziya vypuska poverkhnostnogo stoka stoka sgorodskoi territorii v vodnye objekty. Okhrana vod ot zagryazneniyapoverkhnostnym stokom, Sc. proc. VNIIVO, Kharkov, P 3–12.Khvat V M (1986), Planirovanie vodookhrannykh meropriyatii s uchetompoverkhnostnogo stoka, otvodimogo s zastroennykh territorii. Report abstractsof 2nd All-Union Conference: Sovershenstvovanie metodologii upravleniyasozialistichaskim prirodopolzovaniem, v, II, P 319–321.Khvat V M (1988), Analiz antropogennogo vozdeistviya na formirovaniepoverkhnostnogo stoka gorodov. Modelirovanie i kontrol kachestva vod. Se.proc. VNIIVO, Kharkov, p 8089.Nevzorov M I, Nechaevsky M L (1986), Vliyanie neorganizovannogo postupleniyapoverkhnostnogo stoka na effectivnost raboty kommunalnykh ochistnykhsooruzhenii. Report Abstracts of the All-Union Scientific <strong>and</strong> Technical


230 WATER TREATMENTConference Osnovnye napravleniya razvitiya vodosnabzheniya, ochistkiprirodnykh i stochnykh vod i obrabotka osadka, part II, Kharkov, p 448–450.Prima N G, Gorya<strong>in</strong>ov E I, et al. (1983), Vliyanie osazhdayuscheisya tverdoi fazypoverkhnostnogo stoka s gorodskoi territorii na kislorodnyi rezhim malykhrek. Okhrana vod ot zagryazneyiya poverkhnostnym stokorn. Sc. proc. VNIIVO,Kharkov, p 37–41.


Chapter 23THE RIVER FANE FLOWREGULATION SCHEME: A CASESTUDY IN RIVER ENVIRONMENTMANAGEMENTM F Garrick (Patrick J Tob<strong>in</strong> & Company Ltd, Gaiway, Rep. of Irel<strong>and</strong>)1. INTRODUCTION1.1 Design ConceptThe River Fane Scheme is a Low Flow Augmentation Scheme which depends on thedevelopment of Lough Muckno as a Storage Reservoir <strong>in</strong> order to supply the waterdem<strong>and</strong> of Dundalk, the Republic of Irel<strong>and</strong>’s sixth largest urban centre located <strong>in</strong>the North Eastern part of the Country. <strong>Water</strong> from Lough Muckno will supplementflow deficiency <strong>in</strong> the River Fane so as to provide the required flows at variouspo<strong>in</strong>ts downstream <strong>and</strong> particularly at the Dundalk U.D.C. Intake at StephenstownCounty Louth. The Scheme therefore has two centres of activity, the Headworks atLough Muckno <strong>and</strong> the Intake-<strong>Treatment</strong> Works at Stephenstown <strong>and</strong> Cavan Hill,more than 20 km downstream.FIG 1 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OFHEADWORKS AND ABSTRACTIONS© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 231–242231


232 WATER TREATMENTThe Scheme has been designed not only to meet the projected dem<strong>and</strong> of Dundalk<strong>and</strong> its h<strong>in</strong>terl<strong>and</strong>, but also to provide for projected requirements of a second LocalAuthority (County Monaghan) abstract<strong>in</strong>g directly from Lough Muckno; of Newry<strong>and</strong> Mourne District Council <strong>in</strong> Northern Irel<strong>and</strong> who already abstract from LoughRoss (3km downstream) as well as Riparian Users <strong>and</strong> Compensation <strong>Water</strong> belowthe Stephenstown Intake.The compensation water is <strong>in</strong>tended to facilitate movement of migratory salmon,sea-trout <strong>and</strong> eels along the Fane River System. The Fane though relatively small<strong>in</strong> catchment area (350 sq.km) is one of Irel<strong>and</strong>s primary late run salmon rivers,with adult fish mov<strong>in</strong>g upstream <strong>in</strong> September-November to spawn<strong>in</strong>g grounds <strong>in</strong>the Clarebane River, a short reach between Loughs Muckno <strong>and</strong> Ross, as well as totributary streams <strong>in</strong> the upper catchment.While Dundalk U.D.C. have a <strong>Water</strong> Order for a 36.4 Ml/d. abstraction atStephenstown, the total Regulation Flow downstream of Lough Muckno will <strong>in</strong>cludeall downstream water dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> river management requirements <strong>and</strong> willultimately reach 56.8 Ml/d. The natural unregulated river has gone dry <strong>in</strong> 1975<strong>and</strong> has a record—averaged 90 Percentile Flow of 17.3 Ml/d at a Gaug<strong>in</strong>g Station<strong>in</strong> the lower half of the catchment.1.2 The Influence of theRiver Environment on Headworks DesignThe Scheme is unusual <strong>in</strong> that, <strong>in</strong> order to avoid irreparable damage to salmonspawn<strong>in</strong>g grounds by excavation <strong>in</strong> the gravel redds <strong>in</strong> the Clarebane River, a decisionwas made to design a Headworks that would regulate outflow from Lough Muckno<strong>in</strong> two ways; by gravitational spillage for as long <strong>in</strong> the year as possible, but then bypump<strong>in</strong>g from a reduced water level <strong>in</strong> the upstream Lough Muckno to a higherwater level <strong>in</strong> the undisturbed Clarebane River downstream. The overspill gates <strong>in</strong>Spr<strong>in</strong>g will therefore function as backstop gates for the pumped flow <strong>in</strong> late Summer<strong>and</strong> Autumn, <strong>and</strong> the entire <strong>in</strong>stallation is designed to operate unmanned, by aProgrammable Logic Controller (PLC), except for telemetric supervision from theMa<strong>in</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong> Works. The dual flow aspect of the Head Station design has meanta consequent need for a conventional two stage gravitational fish pass as well as apumped flow Fish Chute for upstream migration <strong>and</strong> a Fish Lift for downstreammigration dur<strong>in</strong>g pump<strong>in</strong>g periods.A secondary feature of the Scheme, aris<strong>in</strong>g from the underreservoired nature ofLough Muckno, is the impoundment of storage at as late a stage <strong>in</strong> Spr<strong>in</strong>gtime, asis possible, so as to reduce the risk of additional flood<strong>in</strong>g of l<strong>and</strong>s <strong>in</strong> the uppercatchment. This is achieved by monitor<strong>in</strong>g the recession hydrograph of w<strong>in</strong>ter flowsus<strong>in</strong>g the PLC which operates the control gates, <strong>and</strong> us<strong>in</strong>g knowledge of the shapeof this hydrograph to manage the storage so that it is just full when it is firstrequired to supplement river flow.Thirdly the flow attenuation effects of the <strong>in</strong>termediate catchment <strong>and</strong> particularlythe <strong>in</strong>termediate Lough Ross, have been studied <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong>to a storagemanagement policy, which adjusts releases at the Headworks <strong>in</strong> good time to matchreced<strong>in</strong>g or ris<strong>in</strong>g flow hydrograph at the Intake, so as to reduce EnvironmentalImpact by overabstraction at Lough Muckno.The Scheme is also notable <strong>in</strong> that Simulated Gate Control Policies (1) were appliedto historically wet <strong>and</strong> dry years to assist <strong>in</strong> expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the environmental impact ofthe Scheme to the public at the largest Public Inquiry ever held under Irel<strong>and</strong>’s<strong>Water</strong> Supplies Act <strong>and</strong> these policies were subsequently used to evolve simple,Fail-Safe control software particular to the requirements of the Site.


RIVER FANE FLOW REGULATION SCHEME 233F<strong>in</strong>ally, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> keep<strong>in</strong>g with the non <strong>in</strong>trusive philosophy of the Scheme, thearchitectural treatment of the Pump<strong>in</strong>g Station has provided a structure similar toa late 19th century granary typical of the Lough Muckno area <strong>and</strong> fullycomplementary to the Lake/River Environment there.2. HYDROLOGY OF THE LOUGH MUCKNO-FANE RIVER SYSTEMThe design of the Headworks at Lough Muckno followed a detailed HydrographieSurvey of the Lake bed as well as hydrological study of the Lake-River System.As has been mentioned, there are two lakes of significant size on the Fane RiverSystem, Lough Muckno be<strong>in</strong>g the upstream <strong>and</strong> major lake, connected with thedownstream Lough Ross by a 3 km short reach of river known as the ClarebaneRiver. There are two pr<strong>in</strong>cipal Flow Gaug<strong>in</strong>g Stations on the catchment, one atClarebane Bridge approximately midway between the two lakes, the second on theRiver Fane downstream of Lough Ross at Moyles Mill near Inniskeen, CountyMonaghan.The pr<strong>in</strong>cipal characteristics of Lough Muckno <strong>and</strong> the flow record<strong>in</strong>g stations areas follows:A. STORAGE/AREA Lough Muckno1. Lake area at MaximumRecorded Flood Level568 ha2. Lake area at LowestRecorded Summer Level338 ha3. Impounded Storage(92.1m OD to 91.3m OD)2.6 million cu.m4. Available Storage forPump<strong>in</strong>g (91.3mOD—88.6m OD)8.4 million cu.mB. LEVELS (metres AOD)1. Highest Recorded Flood Level 92.872. Upper Impoundment Level 92.13. Level at which Pump<strong>in</strong>g mustcommence at full dem<strong>and</strong> 91.34. Lowest Recorded Summer Level 90.975. Control Structure Apron Level 90.76. Projected Drawdown Level atFull Dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> 1975 typeDrought Conditons 88.6TABLE 1: LOUGH MUCKNO HYDROGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICSFlow Gaug<strong>in</strong>g Station Clarebane Bridge Moyles MillCatchment Area to Station 163 Km 2 230 Km 2Mean Annual Flow 2.75 m 3 /s 3.76 m 3 /sPeak Flood 17.1 m 3 /s 34.6 m 3 /sLowest Recorded Flow 0.02 m 3 /s 0.00 m 3 /sTABLE 2: RIVER FANE FLOW GAUGING STATIONSLough Ross is a relatively small lake, 88 ha <strong>in</strong> area, <strong>and</strong> will operate without controls,ris<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> fall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> response to releases at Lough Muckno. Referr<strong>in</strong>g to the flow


234 WATER TREATMENTrecords, it might appear anomalous that a flow of zero could be recorded at adownstream station dur<strong>in</strong>g a period when the flow at an upstream station was 0.02m 3 /s (1.7 M1/d), approximately, but the circumstances may be expla<strong>in</strong>ed by thefact that a water supply from Lough Ross is at present abstracted to serve theadjacent area <strong>in</strong> Northern Irel<strong>and</strong>.FIG.2 HYDROGRAPHS AT CLAREBANE BRIDGE AND MOYLES HILLSHOWING LOW INTERMEDIATE BASEFLOW


RIVER FANE FLOW REGULATION SCHEME 235It is a characteristic of the flows on the Fane System that although the Mean AnnualFlow is respectably high, flows at or above this level do not persist over anyth<strong>in</strong>glike half the year, <strong>and</strong> much lower flows are experienced over long periods <strong>in</strong> driersummers. The geology of the catchment is mostly Ordovician-Silurian Shales withsome S<strong>and</strong>stone Drifts <strong>and</strong> the Fane Catchment shares with the nearby Clyde <strong>and</strong>Dee Catchments a particularly low baseflow contribution from groundwater <strong>in</strong>prolonged dry weather (Fig 2).S<strong>in</strong>ce the headworks are some distance upstream of the abstraction po<strong>in</strong>t, our<strong>in</strong>itial assumption was that <strong>in</strong>termediate catchment flow could be counted upon topermit fractional releases at Lough Muckno. This assumption was tested bycomparison of the flows at Clarebane Bridge <strong>and</strong> downstream at Moyles Mill overdifferent periods of the year. When adjustment was made for the exist<strong>in</strong>g watersupply abstraction from Lough Ross it was found that the overall correspondencebetween Catchment Area <strong>and</strong> Mean Annual Flow did not persist <strong>in</strong>to the drierperiods of the year. In 1975 for example 97% of the flow at Moyles Mill <strong>in</strong> May wasalready <strong>in</strong> the river at Clarebane Bridge <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the follow<strong>in</strong>g month the flows atboth stations were equal (when allowance for Newry is made). In June 1976 thefigure was 87% <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> May 1977 it was 91%. In design<strong>in</strong>g releases from LoughMuckno for abstraction at Stephenstown dur<strong>in</strong>g severe drought periods it wastherefore assumed that the <strong>in</strong>termediate catchment would contribute negligibleamounts to the overall flow arriv<strong>in</strong>g at the Intake.3. HEADWORKS DESIGN3.1 Pump<strong>in</strong>g Station DesignBased on a Hydrographie Survey of Lough Muckno, a Storage/Elevation curve forthe Lake was prepared prior to the <strong>Water</strong> Order Enquiry of 1982. The flow recordsfor 1975 & ‘76 suggested that <strong>in</strong> particularly dry years, with all <strong>Water</strong> SupplyAuthorities draw<strong>in</strong>g at full dem<strong>and</strong>, water level on Lough Muckno could drop to88.6m above OD compared to normal summer levels of 91.0m OD. S<strong>in</strong>ce the Pump<strong>in</strong>gStation is located approximately 450m from the lake outlet, <strong>and</strong> allow<strong>in</strong>g for channellosses it became clear that a direct access for water from the 88m OD contour <strong>in</strong>the lake to the Pump<strong>in</strong>g Station would be required <strong>and</strong> that the Wet Wells <strong>in</strong> theStation itself would have to anticipate a maximum drawdown water level of 88.0mOD at the Station. The construction of a l<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> normally submerged concreteRevetment Channel <strong>in</strong> the bed of the Clarebane River between Lough Muckno <strong>and</strong>the Pump<strong>in</strong>g Station therefore formed part of the Civil Works Contract.The Pump<strong>in</strong>g Rate depends on the flow defecit between water dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> thenaturally available flow <strong>in</strong> the Fane at Stephenstown, so that the Pumps are variablespeed pumps capable of pump<strong>in</strong>g over a flow range from 11.4 Ml/d. to 56.8 Ml/d.3.2 Gate ControlActivation of the Gates from the passive W<strong>in</strong>ter position will take place on reach<strong>in</strong>ga predeterm<strong>in</strong>ed po<strong>in</strong>t on a fall<strong>in</strong>g recession hydrograph, or on reach<strong>in</strong>g apredeterm<strong>in</strong>ed date. The PLC will control the rais<strong>in</strong>g of the Gates so as to pass theRegulation Flow while impound<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to storage, aim<strong>in</strong>g to just achieve a full storagewhen drafts from storage are first required. <strong>Water</strong> Level upstream <strong>and</strong> downstreamis logged at 15 m<strong>in</strong>ute <strong>in</strong>tervals <strong>and</strong> the Gates pause at each movement (for aperiod which is related to the response time of the Clarebane River) dur<strong>in</strong>g whichthe effect of the adjustment is monitored.


236 WATER TREATMENTThe PLC is programmed to drop the gates at a rate related to the known rate of riseof the worst recorded flood hydrograph on Lough Muckno, <strong>and</strong> when the spill<strong>in</strong>g ofexcess floodwater has stabilised water level on the lake the programme willrecognise when to resume impoundment of water. The Gate Control Panel has abackup battery power supply, as does the PLC <strong>and</strong> hydraulic accumulators aredesigned to permit one full manual cycle of adjustment of all the gates follow<strong>in</strong>gpower failure. The Gates will either rema<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> the vertical back stop position or willdrop to the passive position whichever is fail-safe (at that time of the year) on powerfailure.The hydraulic control of outflow from Lough Muckno will be balanced between freedischarge over the gates on the one h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> backwater<strong>in</strong>g of the Control Structurebecause of the throttl<strong>in</strong>g effect of the Clarebane River at higher flows on the other.Upstream water level determ<strong>in</strong>es the controll<strong>in</strong>g head for free flow over the gates,downstream water level is then monitored together with the Rat<strong>in</strong>g Curve as acheck on outflow. Once the flow over the gates is no longer free, control is passed tothe downstream level alone.4. RECESSION CURVE ANALYSISS<strong>in</strong>ce Lough Ross lies between the headworks <strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>take, <strong>and</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce these are<strong>in</strong> any case separated by more than 20km of the river length, it is clear that anyvariation <strong>in</strong> release from Lough Muckno, particularly at low flows, would beextensively attenuated <strong>in</strong> Lough Ross <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the river reach downstream. If water isnot to be needlessly pumped at Lough Muckno, or if a defecit is not to arise atStephenstown then releases at Lough Muckno will have to be anticipatory <strong>in</strong> natureboth as to tim<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> magnitude. Long term prospects for river bank storage atStephenstown will permit regulation of bank-side storage to compensate to somedegree for over or under releases but a careful analysis of river recession rates willpermit a substantial degree of control <strong>in</strong> the early years of the Scheme as dem<strong>and</strong>grows towards its long term values.Recession analysis depends upon the isolation of good recession hydrographs,uncontam<strong>in</strong>ated by ra<strong>in</strong>fall if possible, from which to derive the natural decayfactor def<strong>in</strong>ed by the equation:(1)where k is a constant (the recession rate). The solution to this equation is given by(2)so that the ratio of flows one time unit apart can be expressed as(3)The assumption that the ratio of flows <strong>in</strong> successive time periods rema<strong>in</strong>s constantthroughout the range of flow is often not justified <strong>in</strong> practice.The difficulties of estimat<strong>in</strong>g the decay factor from the ratio of flows one day apartare many <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g errors of measurement, “contam<strong>in</strong>ation” of the recession by


RIVER FANE FLOW REGULATION SCHEME 237small amounts of ra<strong>in</strong>fall, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the case of Lough Muckno poor rat<strong>in</strong>g curvedef<strong>in</strong>ition at very low flows. It was recognised moreover that the time required forequilibrium to be established between <strong>in</strong>flows to Lough Ross <strong>and</strong> outflows to theRiver Fane below would vary between 3 <strong>and</strong> 5 days approximately, with the longerperiod apply<strong>in</strong>g at low flows. Accord<strong>in</strong>gly it was decided to estimate recession factorus<strong>in</strong>g the expression(4)FIG 3 RECESSION FACTOR AT CLAREBANE BRIDGE<strong>and</strong> these have been plotted for Clarebane Bridge <strong>in</strong> Fig 3. These show that theRecession Factor (R 0 ) at Clarebane Bridge is relatively constant at 0.9 but rises to0.92 at low flows. S<strong>in</strong>ce Storage/Yield analyses suggest that w<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>in</strong>flow will alwaysbe adequate to replenish storage at the levels of dem<strong>and</strong> which are projected,<strong>in</strong>activation of outlet controls for the w<strong>in</strong>ter period will be possible thus m<strong>in</strong>imis<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>terference with w<strong>in</strong>ter floods.


238 WATER TREATMENTA knowledge of the recession characteristics of Lough Muckno has permitted apo<strong>in</strong>t to be identified on the recession curve which will trigger the fill<strong>in</strong>g of storageto any selected target level while guarantee<strong>in</strong>g releases throughout the fill<strong>in</strong>gsequence. It rema<strong>in</strong>s to check that the recession factor has not been significantlyaltered by the outlet works which have been constructed over the past two years,s<strong>in</strong>ce other sources (3) have found this to be the case elsewhere.The presence of substantial natural storage <strong>in</strong> Lough Muckno greatly <strong>in</strong>fluencesthe recession rates on the hydrograph at gaug<strong>in</strong>g stations downstream. From theStorage/Elevation curve on Lough Muckno, <strong>and</strong> the rat<strong>in</strong>g curve for outflow fromthe lake <strong>in</strong>to the Clarebane River, it is possible to calculate an approximate decaycurve for the lake alone assum<strong>in</strong>g no <strong>in</strong>flow from the m<strong>in</strong>or lakes <strong>and</strong> catchmentupstream, <strong>and</strong> this has also been plotted on Fig 3. In future it is the behaviour ofLough Ross at low flow that will dom<strong>in</strong>ate the response of the lower catchmentdur<strong>in</strong>g regulation periods s<strong>in</strong>ce all <strong>in</strong>flows to Lough Muckno will be completelyabsorbed <strong>in</strong> replenish<strong>in</strong>g storage depletion. While an accurate Storage/Elevationcurve for Lough Ross has not been produced, there are <strong>in</strong>dications that its “no<strong>in</strong>flow”recession factor is of the order of 0.66 for flows <strong>in</strong> the region of 20 Mli/d, <strong>and</strong> thatit is somewhat larger (0.74) for flows <strong>in</strong> the region of 7.5 Ml/d.Recession Analysis of the hydrograph at Moyles Mill, <strong>in</strong> the Lower Fane Catchment,suggests that the recession at this po<strong>in</strong>t is still dom<strong>in</strong>ated by Lough Mucknoparticularly at medium <strong>and</strong> high flows. We are now research<strong>in</strong>g the extent to whichthe recession factor of 0.88 to 0.92 recorded at Moyles Mill changes as LoughMuckno becomes a more regulated reservoir. We have prudently assumed that itwill approach the “no-<strong>in</strong>flow” calculated recession for Lough Ross but this can notbe practically tested until the system is aga<strong>in</strong> exposed to a drought which requirespump<strong>in</strong>g on Lough Muckno.We attach importance to the Recession Analysis at Lough Muckno, Moyles Mill <strong>and</strong>Stephenstown <strong>in</strong> order(a)(b)(c)to m<strong>in</strong>imise the extent of pump<strong>in</strong>g from Lough Muckno <strong>and</strong>to ensure that pump<strong>in</strong>g is commenced <strong>in</strong> good time <strong>and</strong> then discont<strong>in</strong>uedwhen refill<strong>in</strong>g has taken place to an extent that resumed pump<strong>in</strong>g shortlyafterwards is not required.to determ<strong>in</strong>e the consequences of power failure on the Clarebane River dur<strong>in</strong>gpump<strong>in</strong>g periods.The Station at Lough Muckno will be unmanned <strong>and</strong> the <strong>in</strong>tention is to carry out amajor ma<strong>in</strong>tenance clean<strong>in</strong>g of screens, pumps etc. at the end of the pump<strong>in</strong>gseason. The sequence of operation required to set the pump<strong>in</strong>g regimen <strong>in</strong> tra<strong>in</strong>,while not particularly complex, would be such that a well def<strong>in</strong>ed, reliable endpo<strong>in</strong>t to the pump<strong>in</strong>g season should be established.5. MIGRATORY FISH MOVEMENTThe Control Structure <strong>in</strong>cludes two Fish Pass Gates which will <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>itial stagesof a drought simply act to divide the level difference between lake <strong>and</strong> river <strong>in</strong>to twosteps whilst flow to the Clarebane River spills over the gates. The PLC will controlgate lip level so that a m<strong>in</strong>imum depth of flow of 200mm over the Fish Pass Gatesalways exists, irrespective of m<strong>in</strong>imum Regulation Flow.Once pump<strong>in</strong>g commences, a fraction of the pumped flow will be delivered to a FishChamber which discharges over the downstream Fish Pass Gate (Fig 5). Fish


RIVER FANE FLOW REGULATION SCHEME 239migrat<strong>in</strong>g upstream will be attracted <strong>in</strong>to the Fish Chamber <strong>and</strong> counted as theyenter. On reach<strong>in</strong>g a pre-determ<strong>in</strong>ed number of fish, or overridden by a timer, apenstock will open allow<strong>in</strong>g the fish to be flushed down a chute which term<strong>in</strong>atesupstream of the Intake.Fig 4 -SiteLayoutFig 5 UpstreamMigration


240 WATER TREATMENTFish migrat<strong>in</strong>g downstream dur<strong>in</strong>g the pump<strong>in</strong>g phase of operation must passfrom a low level Lough Muckno to a higher level Clarebane River. On enter<strong>in</strong>g theStation via the operat<strong>in</strong>g Intake Channel, they can pass through the coarse screensbut are conf<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the sump outside the B<strong>and</strong>screens. The Intake, B<strong>and</strong>screens<strong>and</strong> entry to the Wet Well are designed on a Tw<strong>in</strong> Stream basis symmetrical aboutthe axis X-X (Fig 6) so that any one half of the Intake-B<strong>and</strong>screen arrangement canaccommodate the entire flow. It is then possible to isolate one side by clos<strong>in</strong>gPenstocks A, B & C <strong>and</strong> pump its contents <strong>in</strong>to the other, <strong>in</strong> the process draw<strong>in</strong>gfish <strong>in</strong>to the base of the Fish Lift. Closure of the penstock at the base of the Lift (D)<strong>and</strong> reversal of the flow from the Fish Lift Pump together with closure of SI. Valve Ewill flood the shaft of the Fish Lift. A sta<strong>in</strong>less steel mesh basket on vertical guides<strong>in</strong> the Fish Lift is then drawn up from below, forc<strong>in</strong>g the fish to rise above it. At thetop of the Fish Lift Shaft an outlet pipe will take the Fish to the downstream side ofthe Control Structure.Fig 6 DownstreamMigration by Fish Lift


RIVER FANE FLOW REGULATION SCHEME 2416. CONCLUSIONSThe River Fane Flow Regulation Scheme comes on stream at a time whendevelopments <strong>in</strong> Telemetry <strong>and</strong> transfer of <strong>in</strong>formation make a high degree of controlpossible to the overall advantage of the river environment. Indeed the design conceptof the Scheme makes such control essential if abstractions from Lough Mucknoare to be optimised so as to protect the amenity of the lake itself <strong>in</strong> the first <strong>in</strong>stance<strong>and</strong> of the River Fane System as a whole. We have been particularly fortunate <strong>in</strong>that a 16 year record <strong>in</strong>cludes two severe droughts <strong>in</strong> 1975 <strong>and</strong> 1976 <strong>and</strong> twoparticularly wet summers <strong>in</strong> 1985 <strong>and</strong> 1986 so that the data bank is available totest our proposed Operations Policy aga<strong>in</strong>st documented extreme historicalconditions. A considerable amount of work on recession analysis has already beencarried out, projections have been made of how the recession rate would change <strong>in</strong>the lower catchment follow<strong>in</strong>g substantial regulation of Lough Muckno as dem<strong>and</strong>grows. The particular needs of migratory fish to move upstream <strong>and</strong> downstream,sometimes simultaneously depend<strong>in</strong>g on species, dur<strong>in</strong>g both the gravitational flow<strong>and</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g periods has resulted <strong>in</strong> a novel approach to Pump<strong>in</strong>g Station Design<strong>and</strong> we are pleased to report that first recorded fish movements have taken place <strong>in</strong>October 1989.AcknowledgementThe Author would like to acknowledge the permission of the Dundalk UrbanDistrict Council to present this Paper. He would also like to acknowledge thecontribution of Associate Consult<strong>in</strong>g Eng<strong>in</strong>eers, Rofe Kennard <strong>and</strong> Lapworth,Surrey, UK to the Project, as well as the three Contractors <strong>in</strong>volved: SIACConstruction (Western Div.) Irel<strong>and</strong>, SPP (Projects) Ltd. Read<strong>in</strong>g, UK <strong>and</strong> KvaernerBov<strong>in</strong>g Limited, Rotherham, UK.References1. “The Modell<strong>in</strong>g of Post Works Reservoir Behaviour us<strong>in</strong>g PreWorks RecordedLevels <strong>and</strong> Outflows”. M.F. Garrick, paper presented to a jo<strong>in</strong>t Meet<strong>in</strong>g of<strong>Water</strong> Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g Section of I.E.I, <strong>and</strong> Rep. of Irel<strong>and</strong> Section of IWES February1986.2. Institute of Hydrology 1980 Low Flow Studies Report No. 1 IOH Wall<strong>in</strong>gford,UK.3. “River Recession Analysis <strong>in</strong> the Operational <strong>Management</strong> of Lake Abstraction”S. Walker <strong>and</strong> D. Pearson Jour. IWES Vol. 39, No. 3 1985.4. “Information for Reservoir Control <strong>in</strong> the Northumbrian <strong>Water</strong> Authority” J.Edwards <strong>and</strong> P. Johnson Jour. IWES. Vol. 32, No. 3 1978.


PART VII<strong>Management</strong> of estuaries<strong>and</strong> beaches


Chapter 24RIBBLE ESTUARY WATER QUALITYIMPROVEMENTS: AN INTEGRATEDWASTE WATER MANAGEMENT PLANTO ACHIEVE BATHING WATERCOMPLIANCEP C Head <strong>and</strong> D H Crawshaw (North West <strong>Water</strong> Ltd, Warr<strong>in</strong>gton, UK),S K Rasaratnam <strong>and</strong> J R Klunder (North West <strong>Water</strong> Ltd, Preston, UK)As part of the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom’s programme to br<strong>in</strong>g its identified bath<strong>in</strong>g waters up to thest<strong>and</strong>ard required by the EC Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive, North West <strong>Water</strong> has developed an<strong>in</strong>tegrated waste water management plan to improve the water quality of the bath<strong>in</strong>g beachessituated at the mouth of the Ribble Estuary. This plan is based on an extensive <strong>in</strong>vestigationto determ<strong>in</strong>e the most appropriate way of deal<strong>in</strong>g with both base flows (flows dur<strong>in</strong>g dryweather or moderate ra<strong>in</strong>), <strong>and</strong> storm flows (overflows from comb<strong>in</strong>ed sewerage systems dur<strong>in</strong>gwet weather). Mathematical models were used to exam<strong>in</strong>e the hydraulic behaviour of thesewerage systems <strong>and</strong> the subsequent dispersion of effluent <strong>in</strong>to the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters.To determ<strong>in</strong>e the discharge characteristics of the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewerage systems discharg<strong>in</strong>g tothe estuary, extensive hydraulic models were set up <strong>and</strong> validated by means of flowmeasurements gathered from critical po<strong>in</strong>ts of the sewer networks. These models were thenused, <strong>in</strong> conjunction with a time series ra<strong>in</strong>fall record for the area, to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the effect ofthe <strong>in</strong>tensity <strong>and</strong> duration of storm events on the volumes of sewage to be discharged. Estimatesof the base <strong>and</strong> storm flows <strong>in</strong> the systems, derived from the hydraulic models, were used todeterm<strong>in</strong>e the <strong>in</strong>puts to the dispersion model.Dispersion modell<strong>in</strong>g of various possible waste water management schemes, <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g differentdegrees of sewage treatment <strong>and</strong> long sea outfalls, <strong>in</strong>dividually <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ation, <strong>in</strong>conjunction with tracer releases demonstrated that the use of a long sea outfall for all or partof the base flow was unlikely to lead to consistent compliance at the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters situatedat the mouth of the estuary. A suitable degree of compliance could be achieved by means ofa sewage treatment scheme designed to remove at least 99 per cent of the bacterial load fromthe largest <strong>in</strong>put.INTRODUCTIONThe well known seaside resorts of Southport <strong>and</strong> Lytham St Anne’s, which are situated nearthe mouth of the Ribble estuary (see Figure 1) were not <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the orig<strong>in</strong>al list of 27bath<strong>in</strong>g waters submitted by the UK Government to the European Commission <strong>in</strong> 1979 fordesignation under the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive (Council of European Communities, 1976).This caused considerable local concern which led, <strong>in</strong> 1986, to a formal compla<strong>in</strong>t be<strong>in</strong>g madeto the Commission <strong>and</strong> a national review of how the Directive should be applied. As a resultof this review, which identified more than 350 additional beaches, an extensive sampl<strong>in</strong>gprogramme was <strong>in</strong>stigated to determ<strong>in</strong>e the extent to which these bath<strong>in</strong>g waters compliedwith the microbiological st<strong>and</strong>ards conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the Directive. This confirmed earlier studies©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp. 245–254245


246 WATER TREATMENTwhich <strong>in</strong>dicated that the waters off both Southport <strong>and</strong> Lytham did not consistently complywith the microbiological st<strong>and</strong>ards. North West <strong>Water</strong> was asked by the government todeterm<strong>in</strong>e how the quality of these bath<strong>in</strong>g waters could be improved to ensure compliance.Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>vestigations of the location of sewage discharges to the area, <strong>and</strong> a detailedexam<strong>in</strong>ation of ways to achieve compliance for the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters off the nearby Fylde coast(Crawshaw & Head, 1989; Head et al., <strong>in</strong> press), showed that solutions to the problems atSouthport <strong>and</strong> Lytham would only be possible with<strong>in</strong> the context of an <strong>in</strong>tegrated programmeto reduce pollut<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>puts to the Ribble estuary as a whole. It was apparent that, <strong>in</strong> additionto the effects of discharges of sewage <strong>and</strong> storm water near the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters, the quality ofthe outer estuary could be <strong>in</strong>fluenced by discharges from Preston via the sewage works atClifton Marsh, <strong>and</strong> possibly comb<strong>in</strong>ed sewage overflows with<strong>in</strong> the town itself.Figure 1. Ribble Estuary show<strong>in</strong>g bath<strong>in</strong>g waters <strong>and</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g sources of pollutionAdditionally, sewage effluents from areas dra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to the River Douglas were also liable tohave an effect (Figure 1). It was important to ensure that any scheme to improve the conditionof waters near the bath<strong>in</strong>g areas did not result <strong>in</strong> a worsen<strong>in</strong>g of microbiological or otherconditions elsewhere. In particular it was essential to ensure that the important salmonfishery <strong>in</strong> the estuary <strong>and</strong> further upstream was not adversely affected. Investigations todeterm<strong>in</strong>e the most appropriate scheme <strong>in</strong>volved mathematical modell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> bacteriological<strong>in</strong>vestigations of the sewerage systems <strong>and</strong> receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters, along with tracer experiments todeterm<strong>in</strong>e the significance of the exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>puts.EXISTING CONDITIONSThe effects of the discharges from the most significant of the exist<strong>in</strong>g discharges to the estuarywere <strong>in</strong>vestigated by means of a series of tracer releases carried out dur<strong>in</strong>g 1988 <strong>and</strong> 1989.


RIBBLE ESTUARY WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS 247In these, quantities of dye (rhodam<strong>in</strong>e) <strong>and</strong> bacterial spores (Bacillus globigii) were added tothe effluent from Southport Sewage <strong>Treatment</strong> Works (STW), Preston STW <strong>and</strong> the tidal sewagestorage tanks at Fairhaven. In all, tracer tests were carried on 6 occasions <strong>in</strong> 1988 <strong>and</strong> 1989,<strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g 2 releases from Southport <strong>and</strong> Preston <strong>and</strong> 4 from Fairhaven. The ma<strong>in</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs ofthese tracer releases were:discharges from Preston STW could be detected <strong>in</strong> the outer estuary <strong>in</strong> the watersoff Lytham, but not off Southport;discharges from Southport STW were well dispersed <strong>in</strong> the outer estuary <strong>and</strong> werenot detectable <strong>in</strong> the waters off either Southport or Lytham;discharges from Fairhaven Tanks were detectable <strong>in</strong> the waters off Lytham but notSouthport, <strong>and</strong> dur<strong>in</strong>g a period of strong south westerly w<strong>in</strong>ds could also be detected<strong>in</strong> water further north along the Fylde Coast.From the determ<strong>in</strong>ations of the numbers of B. globigii found <strong>in</strong> the samples taken dur<strong>in</strong>g thecourse of the tracer releases, it is probable that bacteria conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the discharges fromPreston STW <strong>and</strong> Fairhaven Tanks would lead to concentrations <strong>in</strong> the waters off Lytham <strong>in</strong>excess of those allowable by the Directive. The numbers of spores recovered from the watersoff Southport <strong>and</strong> the Fylde Coast <strong>in</strong>dicate that any effect from the above sources is small <strong>and</strong>unlikely to result <strong>in</strong> failure to comply with the Directive.MODELLING OF THE SEWERAGE SYSTEMBackground <strong>and</strong> VerificationThe hydraulic performance of each of the sewerage systems dra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to the exist<strong>in</strong>g outfallswas exam<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> conjunction with the <strong>Water</strong> Research Centre (WRc) us<strong>in</strong>g the Wall<strong>in</strong>gfordStorm Sewer Package (WASSP) (DOE/NWC, 1983). With this package it is possible to simulatethe effects of surcharg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> flood<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> to <strong>in</strong>corporate a wide range sewer ancillaries,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g overflows <strong>and</strong> storage tanks. Information on the pipe networks <strong>and</strong> contribut<strong>in</strong>gareas was obta<strong>in</strong>ed from the local authorities. Surveys of flow <strong>and</strong> impermeable area werecoord<strong>in</strong>ated by WRc, <strong>and</strong> soil moisture deficit values for calculat<strong>in</strong>g the urban catchmentwetness <strong>in</strong>dex were supplied by the Meteorological Office. The validity of the flows predictedby the model was checked by means of an extensive series of flow measurements carried outat key po<strong>in</strong>ts on the sewer network. In all, data from some 50 flow monitors <strong>and</strong> 20 ra<strong>in</strong>gauges were used <strong>in</strong> the validation process. The hydrographs produced by the WASSP modell<strong>in</strong>gwere used to calculate the <strong>in</strong>puts to the dispersion model for the various comb<strong>in</strong>ations oftreatments <strong>in</strong>vestigated.Storm <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Management</strong>S<strong>in</strong>ce it is necessary to ensure that any scheme to achieve bacteriological compliance of thebath<strong>in</strong>g waters dur<strong>in</strong>g the bath<strong>in</strong>g season must be capable of deal<strong>in</strong>g with all but the severeststorms {this is taken by the UK regulatory authority to <strong>in</strong>clude storm events of up to a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5year return period ) a considerable effort was directed towards modell<strong>in</strong>g the effects of stormson the sewerage systems. This work provided estimates of the volumes of storm water liableto overflow from the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewerage systems under a wide range of ra<strong>in</strong>fall conditions.Follow<strong>in</strong>g on from the work previously carried out for the Fylde Coast studies (Crawshaw &Head, 1989; Head et a/., <strong>in</strong> press) hydrographs for use with the storm discharge dispersionmodel were obta<strong>in</strong>ed by runn<strong>in</strong>g the WASSP models for Fairhaven <strong>and</strong> Preston with a sampleof 44 summer storms from a time series ra<strong>in</strong>fall suite represent<strong>in</strong>g the storms of a typicalyear, <strong>and</strong> 177 summer storms derived from ra<strong>in</strong>fall data at Blackpool Airport. In the case ofSouthport, the most severe summer storms from the annual time series were used <strong>in</strong>conjunction with 25 summer storms derived from a local 15 year ra<strong>in</strong>fall record.DISPERSION MODELLINGBackgroundThe model used to simulate the dispersion of effluent from outfalls to the estuary <strong>and</strong> coastalwaters was developed by WRc. The dispersion processes are represented by a r<strong>and</strong>om walkprocedure superimposed on the water movements derived from a hydrodynamic model cover<strong>in</strong>gthe majority of the Irish Sea. The hydrodynamic model was validated by comparison with


248 WATER TREATMENTsurface current <strong>in</strong>formation derived from Admiralty charts, Ocean Surface Current Radardeployments, <strong>and</strong> float track data (Crawshaw & Head, 1989).In assess<strong>in</strong>g the effects of the base flow, that is flows of up to about 6 x the dry weather flow(DWF), the dispersion model was run <strong>in</strong> a quasi steady-state manner with a run <strong>in</strong> period of upto 6 tidal cycles, to allow conditions to stabilize. An alternative form of the dispersion model wasused to <strong>in</strong>vestigate the impact of storm water discharges. In this case there is no run <strong>in</strong> period<strong>and</strong> the effects of a discrete <strong>in</strong>put of storm water is followed over a number of tidal cycles. Theconcentration of bacteria used for the <strong>in</strong>puts <strong>in</strong> the modell<strong>in</strong>g exercises were estimated, whereverpossible, from measurements of the exist<strong>in</strong>g discharges. Where data were not available, usuallyfor storm water <strong>in</strong>puts, concentrations were taken to be half the estimate for the associatedcont<strong>in</strong>uous discharge (Crawshaw, 1988). From the work carried out <strong>in</strong> relation to the FyldeCoast <strong>in</strong>vestigations it was known that die-off rates (t 90 ) for bacteria <strong>in</strong> the relatively turbidwaters typical of the area could be <strong>in</strong> excess of 30 hours. For all the Ribble <strong>in</strong>vestigations theconservative value of 40 hours was used. With such a long die-off time the bacterial distributionsproduced by the model differ little from those result<strong>in</strong>g from dispersion alone.The Exist<strong>in</strong>g SituationFrom the regular sampl<strong>in</strong>g of the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters from 1986 to 1989 it was apparent that thebacteriological quality was better at Southport (compliance for about 80 per cent of samplescollected) than at Lytham (compliance for about 70 per cent of samples). In order to try todeterm<strong>in</strong>e which of the various discharges to the estuary might be caus<strong>in</strong>g the poor quality ofthe bath<strong>in</strong>g waters, the dispersion model was used to simulate the effects of the dischargess<strong>in</strong>gularly <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ation. As can be seen from Figure 2, the effects of the sewagedischarges to the Ribble estuary from Preston STW <strong>and</strong> Fairhaven Tanks lead to concentrationsof bacteria <strong>in</strong> the vic<strong>in</strong>ity of Lytham St Anne’s sampl<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>t which are <strong>in</strong> excess of thoseallowed by the Directive. Discharges from Southport STW have little effect on bacterialconcentrations <strong>in</strong> the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters off either Lytham or Southport, but the exist<strong>in</strong>g stormwater discharges have a significant effect on the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters at Southport (Figure 3).Figure 2. Effects of the present discharges from Preston <strong>and</strong> Fairhaven on bacterialconcentrations. Dispersion model simulations, E. coli concentrations greaterthan 2 000 per 100 ml at low water: a Preston STW, b Fairhaven Tidal TanksOptions for Treat<strong>in</strong>g the Base FlowNorth bankFrom the <strong>in</strong>vestigations <strong>in</strong>to the exist<strong>in</strong>g situation, it was apparent that to achieve the requiredbacteriological quality at Lytham <strong>in</strong> dry weather would require improvements to the presentsewage disposal arrangements for both Fairhaven <strong>and</strong> Preston. Measurements of bacterialconcentrations <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>flow<strong>in</strong>g rivers showed them to be appreciable. Model runs of the river<strong>in</strong>puts <strong>in</strong>dicated a significant effect on bacterial distributions <strong>in</strong> the upper <strong>and</strong> middle estuary


RIBBLE ESTUARY WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS 249but that their effects did not extend <strong>in</strong>to the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters. In view of this the <strong>in</strong>vestigations<strong>in</strong>to the most appropriate method of reduc<strong>in</strong>g bacterial loads to the estuary, to achieve bath<strong>in</strong>gwater compliance, concentrated on deal<strong>in</strong>g with the contributions from Preston <strong>and</strong> Fairhaven.Because of the various constra<strong>in</strong>ts imposed by the exist<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>and</strong> use around the estuary theavailable options could be narrowed down to:a sea outfall for flows from Fairhaven or Fairhaven <strong>and</strong> Preston together;treatment of Fairhaven <strong>and</strong> Preston flows separately <strong>and</strong> discharge via the exist<strong>in</strong>goutfalls;transfer flows from Fairhaven to Preston for comb<strong>in</strong>ed treatment with a dischargevia the exist<strong>in</strong>g Preston outfall.Figure 3. Effects of the present storm discharges from Southport on bacterialconcentrations. Dispersion model simulations, E. coli concentrations greater than2 000 per 100 ml: a Southport STW, b Southport Comb<strong>in</strong>ed Sewer Overflows.In consider<strong>in</strong>g possible locations for long sea outfalls there was only one possible site, situatedto the north of Lytham, where it would be feasible to site a headworks with<strong>in</strong> a reasonabledistance of water sufficiently deep to provide adequate <strong>in</strong>itial dilution of the effluent. Evenfrom this position an outfall of around 6.5 km would be required to reach water with a lowwater depth greater than 10 m.The probable effects of variations of these schemes were compared with the assumption that3DWF would be discharged. Investigations of the effects of deal<strong>in</strong>g with flows of around 6DWFwere left until the modell<strong>in</strong>g of the effects of storm discharges with 3DWF receiv<strong>in</strong>g treatmenthad been exam<strong>in</strong>ed. Removal of the Preston <strong>and</strong> Fairhaven flows from the estuary to a longsea outfall resulted <strong>in</strong> a dramatic improvement <strong>in</strong> the bacteriological quality <strong>in</strong> the bath<strong>in</strong>gwaters off Lytham, but produced an area of high bacteriological contam<strong>in</strong>ation off the FyldeCoast near to a number of identified bath<strong>in</strong>g areas. Even the discharge of flows from Fairhavenalone resulted <strong>in</strong> a relatively large area of high bacterial numbers near to these sensitive highamenity waters.The effects of treat<strong>in</strong>g the Fairhaven <strong>and</strong> Preston flows, either separately, or together at thepresent Preston STW site, depend on the assumptions made about the degree of bacterialremoval. The bacterial load from Preston is so large <strong>in</strong> relation the volume of the receiv<strong>in</strong>gwaters that it is necessary to reduce bacterial concentrations by 99 per cent before the effectson the Lytham bath<strong>in</strong>g waters become acceptable (Figure 4). If Fairhaven flows are treatedseparately <strong>and</strong> discharged on the ebb a bacterial reduction of between 90 <strong>and</strong> 95 per centwould be required.


250 WATER TREATMENTFigure 4. Effects comb<strong>in</strong>ed discharges from Preston <strong>and</strong> Fairhaven follow<strong>in</strong>g variouslevels of bacterial removal. Dispersion model simulations, E. coli concentrationsgreater than 2 000 per 100 ml: a 95 per cent removal, b 99 per cent removal.South bankThe exist<strong>in</strong>g dra<strong>in</strong>age system for Southport is designed to convey flows of comb<strong>in</strong>ed foul <strong>and</strong>storm sewage for primary treatment at a works discharg<strong>in</strong>g via Crossens Pool to the Ribbleestuary. Although the effluent from this works comprises a large proportion of the flow <strong>in</strong>Crossens Pool, lead<strong>in</strong>g to local oxygen depletion problems, particularly <strong>in</strong> the summer, itseffects on bath<strong>in</strong>g water quality are small. Inadequate capacity of the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewerage systemleads to premature operation of exist<strong>in</strong>g comb<strong>in</strong>ed sewer overflows <strong>and</strong> the flood<strong>in</strong>g ofproperties. In plann<strong>in</strong>g improvements to the system to alleviate these problems, it wasnecessary to determ<strong>in</strong>e how best to deal with the base flow so that the effects of discharges ofstorm water on bath<strong>in</strong>g water quality could be reduced to a level compatible with therequirements of the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive. S<strong>in</strong>ce only part of the system <strong>in</strong>volves comb<strong>in</strong>edoverflows discharg<strong>in</strong>g to areas near the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters, it was necessary to consider convey<strong>in</strong>gdifferent multiples of the base flow to the site of the exist<strong>in</strong>g works, depend<strong>in</strong>g on whether theoverflows were to <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> water courses or to the sea. Additionally the possibility ofconstruct<strong>in</strong>g a long sea outfall for some or all of the base or storm flows needed to beconsidered. After tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account the various constra<strong>in</strong>ts associated with exist<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>and</strong>use <strong>and</strong> obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g permissions for new constructions it was possible to narrow the options tobe considered to:convey all flows up to a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year storm, from areas where overflows would need tobe to the sea, to the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewage works site. Allow volumes <strong>in</strong> excess of these tobe discharged via a relatively short outfall (about 1 km) near the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters. Forareas with overflows to <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> water courses, transfer approximately 6DWF to theexist<strong>in</strong>g sewage works site. Discharge flows <strong>in</strong> excess of 6DWF arriv<strong>in</strong>g at the worksvia an overflow to Crossens Pool;convey all flows from areas where overflows would need to be to the sea to a coastalsite for pretreatment <strong>and</strong> possibly storage before discharg<strong>in</strong>g to the sea. Dischargevolumes up to a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year storm via a long outfall (about 4.5 km) <strong>and</strong> those <strong>in</strong>excess of this via a short outfall (about 1 km) near the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters. Transfer flowsof up to 6DWF from <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> areas to the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewage works site;convey flows up to 6DWF from all areas to the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewage works site. Dischargeflows of between 6DWF <strong>and</strong> a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year storm via a long sea outfall (about 4.5 km),with or without storage to limit the time of the discharge; or store <strong>and</strong> transfer to the


RIBBLE ESTUARY WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS 251works at a rate of 6DWF. Discharge flows <strong>in</strong> excess of those for the 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year stormto sea via a short outfall (about 1 km) near the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters.For all these options it was necessary to determ<strong>in</strong>e the amount of storage that would berequired to limit the number of discharges from any comb<strong>in</strong>ed sewer overflows, to <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> ormar<strong>in</strong>e waters, to a frequency that would be acceptable <strong>in</strong> terms of general environmentalimpact, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the case of those to sea to that which would not prejudice bath<strong>in</strong>g waterquality.Options for Treat<strong>in</strong>g Storm FlowsNorth bankFor Fairhaven, <strong>in</strong>vestigations concentrated on determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g which storms would lead to spillsfrom the tanks outside the 3 hour period follow<strong>in</strong>g high water (the tidal w<strong>in</strong>dow), whendischarges receive maximum dilution <strong>and</strong> tend to move offshore away from the bath<strong>in</strong>g area.This <strong>in</strong>volved modell<strong>in</strong>g the effect, <strong>in</strong> terms of probable spill volumes, of all the time seriessummer storms, start<strong>in</strong>g at hourly <strong>in</strong>tervals through the tidal cycle. After comb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g some ofthe output to take account of similar spill volumes from different storms start<strong>in</strong>g at differenttidal states, an analysis of ra<strong>in</strong>fall data from nearby Blackpool airport (Head et al., <strong>in</strong> press)was used to determ<strong>in</strong>e the number of spills to be expected dur<strong>in</strong>g an average summer. FromFigure 5 it can be seen that <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the exist<strong>in</strong>g storage from 10 000 m 3 to around 25 000m 3 would dramatically reduce the number of spills liable to occur. Above this figure thebenefit <strong>in</strong> terms of a reduction <strong>in</strong> the numbers of spills dim<strong>in</strong>ishes. Increas<strong>in</strong>g the tidal w<strong>in</strong>dowfrom 3 to 4 hours has a relatively small effect on spill frequency, whereas the removal of3DWF for treatment elsewhere would greatly reduce the number of spills.A much more limited exam<strong>in</strong>ation of the storm water management with regard to receiv<strong>in</strong>gwater quality was required <strong>in</strong> the case of Preston, as the <strong>in</strong>itial <strong>in</strong>vestigations showed that thebacterial loads from the comb<strong>in</strong>ed sewer overflows on the sewerage system only affected theupper <strong>and</strong> middle estuary, <strong>and</strong> that significant numbers of bacteria did not reach the bath<strong>in</strong>gareas.Figure 5 Relationships between storm water storage requirements <strong>and</strong> number ofdischarges dur<strong>in</strong>g an average summer for Fairhaven Tanks


252 WATER TREATMENTSouth bankBecause the only locations for overflows of storm water from the coastal areas of Southportare near to the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters, the aim of any storm water management scheme is to conta<strong>in</strong>all flows up to a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year storm, <strong>and</strong> discharge flows <strong>in</strong> excess of this via a short outfall thatwill not result <strong>in</strong> gross pollution of the bath<strong>in</strong>g beaches. Additionally it is necessary to ensurethat flows of between 6DWF <strong>and</strong> the 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year storm, which would exceed the volumetriccapacity of the sewage works, are discharged at a location <strong>and</strong> a frequency which will notprejudice other uses of the estuary.Investigations are proceed<strong>in</strong>g to determ<strong>in</strong>e the storage capacity necessary to conta<strong>in</strong> a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5year storm, <strong>and</strong> the effects of discharg<strong>in</strong>g the volumes stored to the sea via a long sea outfallor the exist<strong>in</strong>g sewage works. In determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the best overall solution for the discharge of thestorm water, it will be necessary to ensure that transfer to the sewage works at rates greaterthan 6DWF will not result <strong>in</strong> an excessive number of discharges <strong>in</strong>to Crossens Pool.Although the <strong>in</strong>vestigations are not yet complete, sufficient <strong>in</strong>formation is available to ensurethat the options are properly evaluated <strong>in</strong> terms of storage <strong>and</strong> pump<strong>in</strong>g capacity required,<strong>and</strong> probable effect on the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters.By ensur<strong>in</strong>g that sufficient storage is provided to conta<strong>in</strong> a 1 <strong>in</strong> 5 year storm, any samplesreflect<strong>in</strong>g contam<strong>in</strong>ation of the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters result<strong>in</strong>g from discharges via the short outfallcan be excluded from assess<strong>in</strong>g compliance, on the grounds of abnormal weather conditions.DISCUSSIONThe <strong>in</strong>vestigations so far carried out <strong>in</strong>to the most appropriate way of improv<strong>in</strong>g the quality ofthe bath<strong>in</strong>g waters to that required by the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Directive have shown thatimprovements will be required for the disposal of both the base <strong>and</strong> storm water flows.In the case of the base flow, the ma<strong>in</strong> improvement required is to achieve a reduction <strong>in</strong> thebacterial <strong>in</strong>put from Preston STW of the order of 99 per cent, <strong>and</strong> to ensure that the dischargefrom Fairhaven is either <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong> this or treated separately to achieve reductions ofaround 90 per cent. Improvements to the treatment of storm water will be necessary at bothFairhaven <strong>and</strong> Southport to ensure that the frequency of discharges is reduced, <strong>and</strong> thatthey are located so as to m<strong>in</strong>imize their impact on the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters.The f<strong>in</strong>al scheme to achieve the degree of improvement <strong>in</strong>dicated from the studies can only bedeterm<strong>in</strong>ed after discussions with the regulatory authority responsible for authoriz<strong>in</strong>g new oraltered discharges to surface waters, (the National Rivers Authority) <strong>and</strong> representatives ofthe local communities. Studies are <strong>in</strong> progress to determ<strong>in</strong>e the costs of various strategies toachieve the required improvements, so that the overall economic <strong>and</strong> environmental costscan be <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>al decision mak<strong>in</strong>g process.Investigations are <strong>in</strong> progress to determ<strong>in</strong>e whether a consistent reduction of around 99 percent <strong>in</strong> the bacterial load from Preston STW could be achieved by means of conventionalsecondary treatment with a long retention period, or whether some form of dis<strong>in</strong>fection wouldbe more cost effective. These studies, which are also relevant to treatment options for theFairhaven flow if the costs of transfer to Preston STW are significant, are exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g variousmethods of dis<strong>in</strong>fection, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g peracetic acid, ozone, ultra-violet light <strong>and</strong> flocculation.These are less likely to produce environmentally undesirable by-products than the traditionalchlor<strong>in</strong>e based dis<strong>in</strong>fectants.Although it is unlikely that a long sea outfall will be a cost effective <strong>and</strong> environmentallyacceptable way of reduc<strong>in</strong>g the bacterial <strong>in</strong>puts from the north bank of the estuary, it couldbe a suitable way of discharg<strong>in</strong>g screened storm water from the coastal areas of Southportwithout contam<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g the bath<strong>in</strong>g waters. However, with many environmental pressure groupsopposed, on pr<strong>in</strong>ciple, to any discharges to the sea which only receive prelim<strong>in</strong>ary treatment,even a proposal for an <strong>in</strong>termittent discharge such as this could cause controversy.In design<strong>in</strong>g any sewage treatment scheme, it is necessary to determ<strong>in</strong>e the comb<strong>in</strong>ation oftreatments for base flows <strong>and</strong> storm water which results <strong>in</strong> the least overall impact on the


RIBBLE ESTUARY WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS 253environment at an economic cost. By comb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g hydraulic modell<strong>in</strong>g of sewerage systems, bymeans of packages such as WASSP, with hydrodynamic <strong>and</strong> dispersion models of the receiv<strong>in</strong>gwater, it is possible to exam<strong>in</strong>e the range of options available <strong>in</strong> far greater detail than wasthe case previously. Provided both types of model are adequately validated aga<strong>in</strong>st field data,the task of achiev<strong>in</strong>g the desired degree of compliance with receiv<strong>in</strong>g water st<strong>and</strong>ards becomesmuch more one of objective scientific <strong>in</strong>vestigation, rather than one based to a very largeextent on <strong>in</strong>tuition <strong>and</strong> experience.CONCLUSIONSWhen putt<strong>in</strong>g forward proposals to improve water quality it is important that the cause of theproblem is sufficiently well understood, to enable the consequences of various possibleimprovement schemes to be properly evaluated.Mathematical models of the sewerage system <strong>and</strong> the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters, used <strong>in</strong> conjunctionwith adequate <strong>in</strong>vestigative work, provide a powerful tool for illustrat<strong>in</strong>g the probableconsequences of various courses of action. Once it can be established that a number ofdifferent schemes will result <strong>in</strong> the degree of improvement <strong>in</strong>itially required <strong>and</strong>, <strong>in</strong> mostcases, what would be required to achieve a greater improvement, the decision as to which isappropriate to any particular location will then <strong>in</strong>volve weigh<strong>in</strong>g the costs of each optionaga<strong>in</strong>st the immediate <strong>and</strong> future environmental benefits.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThese <strong>in</strong>vestigations <strong>in</strong>volved contributions from a number of people work<strong>in</strong>g for NWW <strong>and</strong>its consultants. The authors would like to thank them for their help <strong>in</strong> formulat<strong>in</strong>g the problemsto be addressed <strong>and</strong> evaluat<strong>in</strong>g possible solutions.REFERENCESCouncil of European Communities. 1976. Council Directive of 8 th December 1975 concern<strong>in</strong>gthe quality of bath<strong>in</strong>g water. (76/160/EEC) Official Journal of the European CommunitiesNo. L31, 1–7.Crawshaw, D H. 1988. Mathematical modell<strong>in</strong>g of sewage dispersal <strong>and</strong> scientific studies.Appendix H. Fylde Coastal Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong> Improvements. Plann<strong>in</strong>g Study F<strong>in</strong>al Report.North West <strong>Water</strong>, Warr<strong>in</strong>gton.Crawshaw, D H <strong>and</strong> Head, P C. 1989. Fylde Coast bath<strong>in</strong>g water improvements environmental<strong>in</strong>vestigations for the design of sea outfalls. In: Long Sea Outfalls. Thomas Tel ford,London, 75–88.Department of the Environment/National <strong>Water</strong> Council. 1983. The Wall<strong>in</strong>gford Procedure.DoE/NWC St<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g Technical Committee Report No. 28Head, P C, Crawshaw, D H <strong>and</strong> Rasaratnam, S K. In press. Fylde Coast bath<strong>in</strong>g waterimprovements—storm water management for compliance with the Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong>Directive. Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of 2 nd Wagen<strong>in</strong>gen Conference—Urban Storm <strong>Water</strong> Quality <strong>and</strong>Ecological Effects upon Receiv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong>s. 20–22 September 1989. Pergamon Press,Oxford.


Chapter 25ADVANCES IN WATER TREATMENTAND ENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENT: A STUDY OFPOLLUTION CONTROL AT ASTORMWATER OVERFLOWN J Bennett <strong>and</strong> R V Farraday (Balfour Maunsell Ltd, UK)In the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom pollution of beaches <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> waterways hasbecome a serious environmental issue dem<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g urgent attention. Pressurefrom the general public <strong>and</strong> from EC legislation is mount<strong>in</strong>g on authoritiesto improve the present level of service.Stormwater overflows are regarded as transient, <strong>in</strong>termittent po<strong>in</strong>t sourcesof pollution. There are numerous reports which conclude that pollutionaris<strong>in</strong>g from Stormwater overflows can account for the majority of pollutionproblems experienced <strong>in</strong> water courses <strong>and</strong> on beaches.Southern <strong>Water</strong> pic are address<strong>in</strong>g the problem of the pollut<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>fluence ofStormwater overflows on receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters by <strong>in</strong>stall<strong>in</strong>g Storm K<strong>in</strong>g Overflowsfor remov<strong>in</strong>g solids from sewage <strong>and</strong> Stormwater. A Storm K<strong>in</strong>g Overflowhas no mov<strong>in</strong>g parts, needs no power to operate <strong>and</strong> is self-cleans<strong>in</strong>g.Southern <strong>Water</strong> has <strong>in</strong>stalled five such devices on a sewerage system <strong>in</strong>Bexhill, Sussex Engl<strong>and</strong> to control <strong>and</strong> screen Stormwater before discharge<strong>in</strong>to an adjacent stream. Balfour Maunsell Ltd. has been commissioned toevaluate the “treatment” efficiency of one of these <strong>in</strong>stallations.The research programme <strong>in</strong>volves monitor<strong>in</strong>g the frequency of discharge<strong>and</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the long term effects of discharge on the receiv<strong>in</strong>g stream.Efficiency is be<strong>in</strong>g measured both <strong>in</strong> chemical terms, us<strong>in</strong>g automaticsampl<strong>in</strong>g devices on the <strong>in</strong>let <strong>and</strong> outlet pipes, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> aesthetic terms bycollect<strong>in</strong>g from the stream, material which can be described as be<strong>in</strong>g ofsewage orig<strong>in</strong>. Flows through the Storm K<strong>in</strong>g Overflow <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the streamare also be<strong>in</strong>g recorded.© 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Engl<strong>and</strong><strong>Water</strong> <strong>Treatment</strong>—Proceed<strong>in</strong>gs of the 1st International Conference, pp.255–270255


256 WATER TREATMENTThe long term effect of storm discharges on the stream is be<strong>in</strong>g measured<strong>in</strong> biological, bacteriological <strong>and</strong> chemical terms. Biological analysis exam<strong>in</strong>esthe presence of <strong>in</strong>vertebrate fauna us<strong>in</strong>g the BMWP score <strong>and</strong> ASPTtechniques. Bacteriological <strong>and</strong> chemical sampl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>volves the measurementof coliforms, faecal streptococci, BOD, suspended solids <strong>and</strong> ammonia fromfive sites along the receiv<strong>in</strong>g stream.The project is ongo<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs to date are reported <strong>in</strong> this paper.1. INTRODUCTIONIn the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom pollution of beaches <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> waterways hasbecome a serious environmental issue dem<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g urgent attention. Thedem<strong>and</strong>s of EC directives have <strong>in</strong>creased public awareness of bacteriological<strong>and</strong> other st<strong>and</strong>ards to be achieved at bath<strong>in</strong>g beaches <strong>and</strong> there has beena lot of activity on the control of pollution <strong>in</strong> the environment. Stormwateroverflows are regarded as transient, <strong>in</strong>termittent po<strong>in</strong>t sources of pollution.There are numerous reports (1) which conclude that pollution aris<strong>in</strong>g fromstormwater overflows can account for the majority of pollution problemsexperienced <strong>in</strong> watercourses <strong>and</strong> on beaches. But, more <strong>in</strong>formation isrequired on the effects of stormwater on the environment.2. PRESENT PRACTICEIn general, st<strong>and</strong>ard practice <strong>in</strong> the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom concentrates on thefunction of a stormwater overflow as a “flow splitter” to remove excessvolumes of storm sewage from a foul sewer with <strong>in</strong>adequate hydrauliccapacity. In consequence, there has been much attention paid to stormwateroverflow sett<strong>in</strong>gs.For example, the recommendation by the orig<strong>in</strong>al M<strong>in</strong>istry of Health of sett<strong>in</strong>gstorm overflows at 6×DWF, provid<strong>in</strong>g full treatment for 3×DWF <strong>and</strong>settlement for flows from 3–6×DWF <strong>in</strong> storm tanks regardless of thesomewhat obscure orig<strong>in</strong>s of these recommendations, have been <strong>in</strong> use formany years.This recommendation was modified on slightly more rational grounds bythe Technical Committee on Storm Overflows(2), with the production ofFormula ‘A’commonly regarded as the present st<strong>and</strong>ardThe development of computers <strong>and</strong> advanced mathematical techniques hasenabled further ref<strong>in</strong>ement <strong>and</strong> it is now normal to assess a sewerage system<strong>and</strong> the impact of an overflow on the hydraulics of a system us<strong>in</strong>g a designpackage such as WASSP or WALLRUS.The question of the pollut<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>fluence of stormwater overflows on thereceiv<strong>in</strong>g waters environment has been basically neglected.


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 257It is obvious that, <strong>in</strong> general, the mass pollutant escape from a stormwateroverflow is the most damag<strong>in</strong>g to the environment <strong>and</strong> is a function of thevolume of water overflow<strong>in</strong>g to the receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters.Some attention has been paid to the avoidance of the discharge of large <strong>and</strong>aesthetically offensive materials by the use of screens on overflows, <strong>and</strong> itis common to use 12–25mm spac<strong>in</strong>g bar screens to reta<strong>in</strong> larger solids <strong>in</strong>the flow passed for treatment. It is also usual to <strong>in</strong>corporate some form ofdip plate to reta<strong>in</strong> float<strong>in</strong>g solids with<strong>in</strong> the overflow <strong>and</strong> to discharge themback to the sewer at the end of the storm when water levels recede.3. PRESENT TRENDSIt is clear that there will be a revolutionary change <strong>in</strong> the way stormwateroverflows are considered <strong>in</strong> the future. Present research is reveal<strong>in</strong>g thedeficiencies of exist<strong>in</strong>g practice <strong>and</strong> it should produce the techniques whichwill be needed to rectify these deficiencies. Pressure from the general public<strong>and</strong> from E.G. legislation is mount<strong>in</strong>g on Authorities to improve the presentlevel of service. This trend is reflected <strong>in</strong> other countries too.4. SOUTHERN WATERSouthern <strong>Water</strong> pic are address<strong>in</strong>g the problem of the pollut<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>fluence ofstormwater overflows on receiv<strong>in</strong>g waters by <strong>in</strong>stall<strong>in</strong>g Storm K<strong>in</strong>g Overflow(SKO) devices for remov<strong>in</strong>g solids from sewage <strong>and</strong> stormwater.Three sets of SKO’s have been constructed by Southern <strong>Water</strong> on a comb<strong>in</strong>edsewerage system <strong>in</strong> Bexhill to control, attenuate <strong>and</strong> screen the dischargeof stormwater from the dra<strong>in</strong>age area. Follow<strong>in</strong>g the commission<strong>in</strong>g of thesedevices <strong>in</strong> September 1987, Southern <strong>Water</strong> <strong>in</strong>stigated a research projectto study the long term effects of these stormwater discharges on the receiv<strong>in</strong>gwater—the Egerton Park Stream. This study was carried out <strong>in</strong>-house bySouthern <strong>Water</strong> until November 1989, when the newly formed company,Balfour Maunsell Ltd., was appo<strong>in</strong>ted as Consultant on the project.5. THE STORM KING OVERFLOWThis device is a hollow cyl<strong>in</strong>drical vessel with a dished base <strong>and</strong> a flat top,see Fig 1. The geometry of the <strong>in</strong>terior <strong>and</strong> the shape <strong>and</strong> plac<strong>in</strong>g of theentry jet (A) are carefully arranged so that flow enter<strong>in</strong>g the device mustfollow a predeterm<strong>in</strong>ed path through the vessel.Sewage is tangentially fed <strong>in</strong>to the side of the cyl<strong>in</strong>der (B) so that the contentsrotate gently about the vertical axis. The flow first spirals gradually down theperimeter allow<strong>in</strong>g time for solids to settle out by gravity, aided by the dragforces of the boundary layer at the wall <strong>and</strong> bottom surfaces of the cyl<strong>in</strong>der.


258 WATER TREATMENTIn the bottom of the vessel, a cone (C) is mounted so that its edge is clear ofthe base; the collect<strong>in</strong>g zone (D) for the separated solids is located underthe cone discharg<strong>in</strong>g solids to outlet (E).Hav<strong>in</strong>g reached the bottom, the ma<strong>in</strong> flow is then directed by the shape ofthe vessel away from the perimeter <strong>and</strong> up the middle as a broad spiral<strong>in</strong>gcolumn; but, it now rotates at a slower velocity than the outer downwardflow. The <strong>in</strong>terface between the outside downward circulation <strong>and</strong> the<strong>in</strong>ternal upward circulation is called the shear zone, where there is a sudden<strong>and</strong> marked difference of velocities. This differential creates a coagulat<strong>in</strong>g<strong>and</strong> flocculat<strong>in</strong>g effect, encourag<strong>in</strong>g further separation of the solids. Thelocation of the shear zone is critical <strong>and</strong> it is precisely positioned by a dipplate (F). When the flow reaches the top of the device, the decanted liquid isdischarged through an annular slot (G) to the outlet (H). Float<strong>in</strong>g materialis captured <strong>in</strong> the floatables trap (J) at the top of the device, between thewall of the cyl<strong>in</strong>der <strong>and</strong> the dip plate.6. THE EGERTON PARK STREAMFIG 1 STROM KING OVERFLOWThe Egerton Park Stream is a small urban stream which rises to the northof Bexhill, flows through the centre of the town <strong>and</strong> then discharges ontothe beach to the south of the town, see Fig. 2. The stream was culverted<strong>and</strong> widened dur<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>stallation of the SKO’s, to cater for the extra flowfrom the catchment.Several natural spr<strong>in</strong>gs, of which many are rich <strong>in</strong> iron, seep <strong>in</strong>to the streamalong its length. In its upper reaches the stream also flows alongside arecreation ground which used to be a refuse tip.


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 259FIG 2The consent st<strong>and</strong>ard imposed on the discharge from the SKO’s was that“theeffluent shall consist only of storm sewage”.7. THE STUDYThe study was designed toa) evaluate the “treatment” efficiency of a SKO.b) measure the long term effects of stormwater discharges on the streamitself


260 WATER TREATMENT7.1 Efficiency of a Storm K<strong>in</strong>g OverflowThe efficiency of a SKO can be looked at <strong>in</strong> two ways—<strong>in</strong> chemical terms<strong>and</strong> aesthetic terms. Chemical efficiency means the ability of the device toremove common pollutants such as suspended solids (SS), biochemicaloxygen dem<strong>and</strong> (BOD) <strong>and</strong> ammoniacal nitrogen (AmmN) from the flowbefore discharge to the stream. Aesthetic efficiency can be def<strong>in</strong>ed as theability of the device to remove neutrally buoyant sewage solids from theflow before discharge; these solids could be regarded by the public as caus<strong>in</strong>ga nuisance <strong>in</strong> the receiv<strong>in</strong>g stream <strong>and</strong> therefore, the device could be regardedas fail<strong>in</strong>g the “telephone test” (3)The SKO chosen for this study is located <strong>in</strong> Fig 2. <strong>and</strong> the layout of the<strong>in</strong>stallation is shown <strong>in</strong> Fig 3.FIG. 3Two automatic sampl<strong>in</strong>g devices (Dalog mach<strong>in</strong>es) have been fitted to theSKO, see Fig 3—one on the <strong>in</strong>let <strong>and</strong> one on the outlet. These samplers areactivated by the <strong>in</strong>com<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> outgo<strong>in</strong>g flow <strong>and</strong> take composite samples ofthe storm water. Therefore, by compar<strong>in</strong>g the quality of <strong>in</strong>let <strong>and</strong> outletsamples <strong>and</strong> tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to account the ratio of flow splitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the device, a


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 261measure of the efficiency can be established. The follow<strong>in</strong>g formula, whichassumes mass balance through the the device, applies.Simultaneous with recover<strong>in</strong>g the above samples <strong>and</strong> after the storm haspassed, an aesthetic survey is carried out upstream <strong>and</strong> downstream of theSKO discharge po<strong>in</strong>t. In this survey, all material which can be described asbe<strong>in</strong>g of sewage orig<strong>in</strong> is collected <strong>in</strong> bags, counted, described, recorded<strong>and</strong> then disposed of.7.2 Flow MeasurementAutomatic flow recorders have been <strong>in</strong>stalled <strong>in</strong> the SKO <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the EgertonPark Stream. Data are downloaded from these recorders at regular,fortnightly, <strong>in</strong>tervals <strong>and</strong> reproduced <strong>in</strong> graphic <strong>and</strong> tabular form for furtheranalysis. Ra<strong>in</strong>fall is recorded at Bexhill <strong>and</strong> data here are retrieved at similar<strong>in</strong>tervals.From these measurements, <strong>in</strong>ter-relationships can be established <strong>and</strong> anoverall assessment of the conditions under which the SKO’s operate can bedef<strong>in</strong>ed.7.3 Measurement of the Long Term Effect on the StreamThis part of the study <strong>in</strong>volves three sampl<strong>in</strong>g rout<strong>in</strong>es to measurebacteriological, chemical <strong>and</strong> biological levels <strong>in</strong> the stream.<strong>Water</strong> samples are taken from the stream each month <strong>and</strong> analysed forbacteria <strong>and</strong> chemical levels. Bacteriological <strong>and</strong> chemical analysis <strong>in</strong>volvesthe measurement of Total Coliforms, E. Coli, Faecal Streptococci, BOD, SS,AmmN <strong>and</strong> pH. Bacteriological <strong>and</strong> chemical analysis enables short termpollut<strong>in</strong>g effects to be assessed.Every three months, biological sampl<strong>in</strong>g is undertaken <strong>in</strong> the stream bed toexam<strong>in</strong>e the presence of <strong>in</strong>vertebrate fauna. Biological analysis measuresthe existence of <strong>in</strong>vertebrate fauna accord<strong>in</strong>g to the Biological Monitor<strong>in</strong>gWork<strong>in</strong>g Party (BMWP)(4) score <strong>and</strong> Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT)(5)techniques. A method called the L<strong>in</strong>coln Quality Index (LQI)(6), whichcomb<strong>in</strong>es both the BMWP score <strong>and</strong> ASPT, is then used <strong>in</strong> such a way as togive an overall quality rat<strong>in</strong>g or <strong>in</strong>dex for the stream. Invertebrate sampl<strong>in</strong>gis a good method of demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g organic pollution or stream life decayover long periods.Five po<strong>in</strong>ts were chosen along the stream from which to take samplestwoupstream of the SKO, to act as control po<strong>in</strong>ts, <strong>and</strong> three downstream, seeFig 2. Also, dur<strong>in</strong>g periods of storm, when the SKO is operat<strong>in</strong>g, extrasampl<strong>in</strong>g (except biological) is carried out.


262 WATER TREATMENT8. THE RESULTS8.1 GeneralNo biological, bacteriological or chemical quality data were available for thestream prior to the commencement of this study. Therefore, no directcomparison of previous water quality can be made with the results of thisstudy. Also, automatic flow sensors <strong>in</strong> the stream <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the SKO were not<strong>in</strong>stalled until the autumn of 1988.Due to the quantity of <strong>in</strong>formation available from this study, this paper hasonly presented results from two sampl<strong>in</strong>g sites—one upstream (SIDLEYWOOD) <strong>and</strong> one downstream (BANCROFT ROAD) of the SKO under scrut<strong>in</strong>y.8.2 BiologyUnder the LQI system(6), all sampl<strong>in</strong>g sites must be classified accord<strong>in</strong>g totheir “habitat” before any <strong>in</strong>terpretation of the BMWP <strong>and</strong> ASPT scores iscarried out. The sampl<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts along the Egerton Park Stream are classifiedas “habitat-poor riffles” <strong>and</strong>, as such, enhanced rat<strong>in</strong>gs are assigned to thiscategory s<strong>in</strong>ce this type of environment will support a poorer <strong>in</strong>vertebratecommunity even <strong>in</strong> the absence of pollution.The results from the two upstream or control sites suggest that the qualityrat<strong>in</strong>g is consistent, whereas the quality rat<strong>in</strong>g of the downstream sitesseems to fluctuate <strong>and</strong> generally improve when there is no ra<strong>in</strong>fall or stormspill events. Fig 4. shows the results from an upstream site at Sidley Wood<strong>and</strong> a down stream site at Bancroft Road.The diversity of flora is greater downstream of the overflow probably due tothe effect of the discharges. The <strong>in</strong>vertebrate data show the stream populationto be unstable <strong>and</strong>, overall, accord<strong>in</strong>g to the L<strong>in</strong>coln Quality Index, thestream itself has ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed a poor quality s<strong>in</strong>ce the start of the study <strong>and</strong>has not deteriorated as a direct result of the spill events. Further longerterm effects will be available as the study progresses.8.3 ChemistryUrban run-off <strong>and</strong> the discharge from the SKO seem to be the ma<strong>in</strong> causativefactors <strong>in</strong> the variation of chemical quality of the stream. Consider<strong>in</strong>g twosampl<strong>in</strong>g sites, one upstream (Sidley Wood) <strong>and</strong> one downstream (BancroftRoad) of the SKO, the average value of the BOD for the study (Dec 87-May89) for each site was 2.57 <strong>and</strong> 3.89 mg/1 respectively—see Figs 5 <strong>and</strong> 6.The average value of the SS content for each site was 22 <strong>and</strong> 52mg/lrespectively—see Figs 5 <strong>and</strong> 6.Ammonia is toxic to fish <strong>and</strong> if a stream has ammonia levels of over lmg/1it is considered not suitable for fish life. The average value of ammoniacal


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 263FIG 4 BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY ANALYSES FROM 2 SAMPLING POSITIONSON THE EGERTON PARK STREAM.nitrogen for the study for each site was 0.19 <strong>and</strong> 0.23 mg/1 respectively.This confirms the fact that local residents have eported see<strong>in</strong>g eels swimm<strong>in</strong>garound the overflow position. However, when the overflow operates, BOD,


264 WATER TREATMENTSS <strong>and</strong> AramN levels <strong>in</strong> the discharge have been recorded at 4.9–106mg/1,52–281 mg/1 <strong>and</strong> 2.19–8.92 mg/1 respectively see Table 1. Compar<strong>in</strong>gthese figures to the average BOD, SS <strong>and</strong> AmmN values for the downstreamsampl<strong>in</strong>g site, see Fig 6, suggests that the effects of the spill events aretransient <strong>and</strong> that the stream is quick to recover. Although elevated levelsof pollutants are detectable at the upstream site dur<strong>in</strong>g some ra<strong>in</strong>fall events,the effect of ra<strong>in</strong>fall on water quality there shows no detrimental trend.8.4 BacteriologyFrom the results at the five sampl<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>ts it was found that bacteriacounts varied greatly along the stream, varied from month to month <strong>and</strong>varied from season to season. It was noticeable that on most sampl<strong>in</strong>g daysthe bacteria levels at Sidley Wood, upstream of the SKO, were significantlyhigher than the other sites (except the sea outfall site). One reason for thisFIG 5 SUMMARY Of CMEMIÇM ANALYSES FROM UPSTREAM


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 265could be the existence of a disused rubbish tip (now a recreation ground)situated alongside the stream. This site is also a popular place for dogs.When operat<strong>in</strong>g, the SKO discharges a large number of bacteria (typically3×1C coliforms/l00ml) to the stream. But, spill events are <strong>in</strong>termittent <strong>and</strong>,from the bacteria levels recorded at the Bancroft Road site, (typically 6×103coliforms/l00ml) co<strong>in</strong>cide with 5 or more dilutions <strong>in</strong> the stream. Of <strong>in</strong>terest,though, is the fact that the Egerton Park Stream flows out onto a designatedbath<strong>in</strong>g beach, see Fig 2. So, <strong>in</strong> this respect, bacteria counts are important.But, despite the fact that bacteria counts can be difficult to <strong>in</strong>terpret <strong>and</strong>are highly variable, Bexhill’s beach has passed the EC Bath<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Water</strong>st<strong>and</strong>ards. Also, the bacteriological analysis supports the evidence fromthe chemical analysis that the effects of the spill events are transient <strong>and</strong>that the stream is quick to recover. Results are shown <strong>in</strong> Figs 7 <strong>and</strong> 8.FIG 6 SUMMAflY OF CHEMICAL ANALYSES FROM DOWNSTREAM SAMPLINGPOSITION


266 WATER TREATMENT8.5 Ra<strong>in</strong>fallRa<strong>in</strong>fall has been measured s<strong>in</strong>ce the commencement of the study <strong>and</strong>data are presented <strong>in</strong> Fig. 9. The ra<strong>in</strong>fall which occurred 3 days before arout<strong>in</strong>e sample <strong>and</strong> a spill event is shown. Total monthly ra<strong>in</strong>fall is notshown. Generally, it can be seen that elevated levels of pollutants <strong>and</strong>bacteria occur dur<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>in</strong>fall; but, that, these return to normal when thestorm has passed.8.6 Overflow EfficiencySix discharge events have been recorded dur<strong>in</strong>g the study but, only on oneoccasion (17/3/89), has <strong>in</strong>let <strong>and</strong> outlet quality data been retrievedFIG 7 SUMMARY OF BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSES FROM UPSTREAMSAMPLING POSITION


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 267FIG 8 SUMMARY OF BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSES FROM DOWNSTREAMSAMPLING POSITIONFIG 9 RAINFALL


268 WATER TREATMENTsimultaneously. From these data <strong>and</strong> us<strong>in</strong>g the formula suggested <strong>in</strong> section7.1, the treatment efficiency of the SKO has been calculated <strong>and</strong> is shown<strong>in</strong> Table 1. The calculations have been based on the fundamental premisethat mass enter<strong>in</strong>g the device equals mass leav<strong>in</strong>g the device.TABLE 1The analysis of the automatic <strong>and</strong> bulk samples from the SKO suggeststhat there is a considerable reduction <strong>in</strong> dissolved pollutants. However, theslight <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> suspended solids recorded by the outlet automatic sampleron 17/3/89 was due to some water decant<strong>in</strong>g back through the mach<strong>in</strong>efrom the sample bottle <strong>and</strong> leav<strong>in</strong>g concentrated sediment <strong>in</strong> the bottom ofthe bottle.Two aesthetic studies have been carried out. On one occasion 53 objects ofsewage orig<strong>in</strong> were recovered along a 50m stretch of river downstream ofthe overflow. On another occasion, 26 objects were found. One reason forthis could be that neutrally buoyant objects rema<strong>in</strong> suspended with<strong>in</strong> theSKO <strong>and</strong> when conditions are right (perhaps aided by leaves) escape withthe discharge. But, <strong>in</strong> the authors’ experience, this performance is good <strong>in</strong>comparison to the efficiency <strong>and</strong> effectiveness of conventional screens.9. CONCLUSIONSThe study commenced <strong>in</strong> October 1987 <strong>and</strong> is still cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g. More<strong>in</strong>vertebrate data are required to assess the long term trends of water quality


STUDY OF POLLUTION CONTROL AT A STORMWATER OVERFLOW 269<strong>in</strong> the stream; but, as suggested by the chemical <strong>and</strong> bacteriological analyses,despite there be<strong>in</strong>g transient effects from the discharges, the stream quicklyrecovers.Regard<strong>in</strong>g stormwater quality, the results suggest that the SKO improvesthe chemical quality of the discharge but does little to reduce bacteria.Also, from the results of one spill event (17/3/89) the device demonstratesa high treatment efficiency despite the fact that some solids are dischargedto the stream.REFERENCES1. Clifforde I.T, Saul A.J, Tyson J.M. (1986)—Urban Pollution of Rivers—the UK<strong>Water</strong> Industry Research Programme. International Conference on <strong>Water</strong>Quality Modell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the Inl<strong>and</strong> Natural Environment, Bournemouth.2. Technical Committee on Storm Overflows <strong>and</strong> the disposal of storm sewage—F<strong>in</strong>al Report (1970). M<strong>in</strong>istry of Hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> Local Government, HMSO.3. Ellis J.B. (1989). The management <strong>and</strong> control of urban runoff quality. J.IWEM,3 (No2). Discussion by N.J. Bennett, pages 123–124.4. Chesters R.K. (1980) Biological Monitor<strong>in</strong>g Work<strong>in</strong>g Party. The 1978 nationaltest<strong>in</strong>g exercise. Department of the Environment <strong>Water</strong> Data Unit, TechnicalMemor<strong>and</strong>um 19.5. Armitage P.D et al (1983). The performance of a new biological water qualityscore system based on macro<strong>in</strong>vertebrates over a wide range of unpollutedrunn<strong>in</strong>g—water sites. Wat. Res, 17, 333–47.6. Extence C.A et al. (1987). Biologically based water quality management.Environmental Pollution, 45, 221–236.

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