Wastewater 2017

Question 1

How quickly does wastewater travel from home to sewer plant?

Answer 1

At least 2ft/sec
At most, 2 days to reach plant

Question 2

How far apart are manholes?

Answer 2

300-500ft

Question 3

When is the heaviest flow of sewage through a wastewater treatment plant?

Answer 3

Between 3-9 pm

Question 4

Define domestic waste water

Answer 4

sanitary waste out of home, general business, and institution from toilet, showers, sick, etc

Question 5

Define industrial waste water

Answer 5

waste water discharged from manufacturing plant, restaurants, hospitals, meat processors, refineries, etc

Question 6

How does ground water affect waste water?

Answer 6

can infiltrate sewer system by cracks in sewer pipe

Question 7

How does storm drain runoff affect waste water?

Answer 7

certain amount of water infiltration from leaky pipes
high water table can be introduced into system by open drain

Question 8

What is the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System?

Answer 8

SPDES
prohibits draining of any type of wastewater onto public streets

Question 9

What is leachate?

Answer 9

liquid waste coming out of the ground at refuse landfills
can be from rainfall seeping into landfill or liquid waste intentionally dumped

Question 10

What are the physical characteristics of waste water?

Answer 10

fresh - 99.8% water
0.2% solid concentration
aka Gray Water

Question 11

What are the three temperature types of bacteria involved in waste water?

Answer 11

Thermophillic zone - 113-158F
Mesophillic zone - 59-112F
Psychrophillic zone - 35-50F

Question 12

What is surface disposal?

Answer 12

surface disposal pipes drain liquid onto land

Question 13

What is tile fields disposal?

Answer 13

shallow underground collection of pipes, tiles segmented loosely to allow water to percolate

Question 14

What is subsurface disposal?

Answer 14

leach lines laid 2-5’ undergrounds with perforated pipes 4” thick

Question 15

What is dilution disposal?

Answer 15

no longer accepted
dispose of waste water into large water body, river, stream, etc

Question 16

What is effluent?

Answer 16

Waste water being treated, going out of a waste water system and into a treatment plant

Question 17

What is absorption?

Answer 17

something that is taken into material

Question 18

What is adsorption

Answer 18

something that adheres to material

Question 19

What is the standard weight of one gallon of water?

Answer 19

8.34 lbs

Question 20

One cubic feet of water is how many gallons?

Answer 20

7.48

Question 21

What is preliminary treatment of waste water?

Answer 21

bar screening - removed large objects
grit removal - sand/gravel
pre-aeration - introduces oxygen, helps remove oil/scum
flow meter - measures rate of flow
chlorine - optional

Question 22

What is primary treatment of waste water?

Answer 22

sedimentation - clarification tanks, removes solids that can settle and floating debris

Question 23

What is secondary treatment of waste water?

Answer 23

collects raw sludge and relocates for sludge digestion
bio/chem/physical treatment - further removal of solids and dissolved solids of the waste water

Question 24

What is tertiary treatment of waste water?

Answer 24

filtration - filters to remove particles, color, odor
disinfection - destroys pathogenic bacteria
used mainly for reclaimed water

Question 25

What is the aerobic treatment process?

Answer 25

activated sludge, trickling filter, oxidation ponds, composting, subsurface disposal field

Question 26

What are examples of anaerobic treatment process?

Answer 26

sludge digestion, methane production, septic tanks, composting

Question 27

What are examples of the anaerobic treatment process?

Answer 27

sludge digestion, methane production, septic tanks, composting

Question 28

What is a stabilization pont?

Answer 28

Lagoonization holds volume of water for period of time at shallow depths (3-5') to promote aerobic activity and purify water remains for 45-60 days before use

Question 29

Define sludge in general

Answer 29

solid portion of waste water

Question 30

Define raw sludge

Answer 30

most biologically active, high potential to turn septic

Question 31

Define activated sludge

Answer 31

contains biological agents that gidest sludge into inorganic materials, aka "Mixed Liquor"

Question 32

Define digested sludge

Answer 32

product of total anaerobic digestion most stable

Question 33

What is a pit privy?

Answer 33

simple hole dug only used in the past, now only used in emergencies

Question 34

What is a cesspool?

Answer 34

wastewater designed to seep into ground from cesspool vault

Question 35

What is a septic tank

Answer 35

used when there is an inability to connect to sewer waste water retained in multi-compartment tank for ~24hrs where 60-70% of sludge settles

Question 36

What does a purple pipe indicate?

Answer 36

reclaimed water

Question 37

What does a yellow pipe indicate?

Answer 37

steam, gas, oil

Question 38

What does a green pipe indicate?

Answer 38

sewer

Question 39

What does a blue pipe indicate?

Answer 39

potable water

Question 40

What does a red pipe indicate?

Answer 40

electrical

Question 41

What does a while pipe indicate?

Answer 41

leach line