Environmental and Sanitation

Engineering
Wastewater Treatment Site Visit

Contents

1. Brief
History
..3
2. Schematic
Diagram
..4
3. Design
Flow
7
4. Current Operation and Maintenance Procedures for Each
Process..8
5. New Aspects of the Wastewater Treatment
Plant.9
6.
Recommendations
...9
7. Mitigation and Environmental
Factors10
8.
References
.....11

1. Brief History

The history of the St Marys Sewage Treatment Plant goes back to 1939 when it
served a nearby government facility with an older-style trickling filter plant. This
was replaced with modern treatment in the 1960s. Further upgrades took place
in 1993 and 1998, to serve a growing population. The plant treats about 35
million litres of wastewater a day. A plant manager and seven staff manage the
treatment processes at the plant. They operate and maintain the plants, monitor
laboratory results and manage special projects to keep the plant running safely
and efficiently. The plant produces 20,000 tonnes of nutrient-rich biosolids a year
which are beneficially used in agriculture, composting and land rehabilitation.
The plants catchment is 84 km^2, bounded by Cambridge Park, Werrington
Downs, Blackett, Mt Druitt, Minchinbury and St Clair. The population served is
about 160,000. St Marys is the largest plant discharging to the HawkesburyNepean River. The area is mostly residential with some industry.

The map shows the coverage area of the St Marys Wastewater Treatment Plant.

2. Schematic Diagram

Stage 1: Primary treatment

When wastewater arrives at the plant it goes through the primary treatment
process.This initial treatment stage involves removing all the big stuff including
solid particles.
Once the wastewater enters the plant, the first step is screening. This process
traps things like vegetable matter, paper, cloth and plastics. This solid waste is
washed and compressed to remove any organic matter. It is then put into
screening bins and sent to landfill.
The amount of wastewater coming into the plant varies through the day. Peak
activity is between 8-10am and 7-9pm. The equalisation tank is used to
temporarily store and manage peaks and troughs of wastewater inflow. The tank
acts like a gateway, ensuring the flow of wastewater into the plant is controlled.
The grit removal process removes smaller material such as sand and rocks. Grit
is removed by a forced vortex, which causes grit and organics to spiral to the
bottom of the grit chamber. The
grit is then washed and left to
drain before being put into
screening bins.

Stage 2: Secondary treatment

Once the wastewater has passed through primary treatment, most of the rubbish
and solid waste has been screened out. The wastewater is now directed to
secondary treatment.
Secondary treatment removes nutrients and remaining solids through bacterial
decomposition. This treatment uses naturally occurring biological processes. The
level of oxygen in the wastewater is changed at different stages to produce
aerobic and anaerobic environments. These two environments cause different
bacterial communities to thrive. The different communities of bacteria remove
different pollution components from water during the treatment process.
The biological reactor processes millions of litres of wastewater a day. This
section of the plant uses different types of bacteria to treat the wastewater.
There are 5 steps, each designed to remove something different, e.g. phosphates
and nitrates.

This step involves moving some of the

wastewater from the primary
distribution structure into the primary
sedimentation tanks where about 60%
of all solids are removed. In these
tanks, the smaller solids and organic
material that got past the screening
process during primary treatment
settle to the bottom of the tank where
it becomes sludge. This sludge is
pumped to fermenter tanks while the
wastewater flows directly to the
anaerobic tanks.
In the fermenter, which is an
anaerobic environment, the solids
from the sedimentation tanks are
broken down. This produces an
organic food supply for bacteria in the
later stages of secondary treatment and helps remove phosphorus from the
water. When phosphorus enters waterways in high concentrations, it can cause
algal blooms, which affect water quality and aquatic life.

In the anaerobic zone there is no oxygen and no nitrate. In this step, water from
the primary sedimentation tanks and solids from the fermentation tank are
gravity fed into the anaerobic zones. Bacteria absorb the carbon from
wastewater onto their cells, releasing phosphates as waste products.
During this stage there is still no oxygen. However, nitrates are present in the
wastewater. Since there is no oxygen available for bacteria they use carbon in
the organic matter as a food source and convert the nitrates to nitrogen gas,
which is released to the atmosphere
In this zone an oxygen rich environment is created by pumping air through fine
bubble diffusers, this raises the dissolved oxygen level. Increased oxygen
encourages the growth of bacteria which consume and breakdown the complex
organic compound.
In the aeration zone some of the organic matter will be used to grow new
bacteria and some will be oxidised and released as carbon dioxide. The bacteria
reduce the amount of phosphorus in the wastewater. Some bacteria communities
also convert ammonia into nitrates and water by oxidation by the process called
nitrification.
After the aeration zone the mixture is drained into the secondary clarifiers where
the biological sludge settles in the tank and is returned to the anaerobic zone for
further treatment. The clear water is sent to tertiary treatment

Stage 3: Tertiary treatment

Tertiary treatment is the final cleaning process that improves wastewater quality
before it is reused, recycled or discharged to the environment. The treatment
removes remaining inorganic compounds and substances such as nitrogen and
phosphorus. Bacteria, viruses and parasites which are harmful the public health
are also removed at this stage.
Wastewater flows from the biological reactor to the flash mixer. Alum is used to
help remove additional phosphorus particles and group the remaining solids
together for easy removals in the filters.
Wastewater from the flash mixer is gravity feed though the sand filters. Because
of the addition of alum, tiny particles cluster together in a mass called floc. Floc
is trapped by the sand while the clear water is gravity fed to the chlorine contact
tank. The filters are back washed every day to remove the floc that has
accumulated. The backwash water is returned to the primary treatment stage to
go through full treatment.
The chlorine contact tank disinfects the tertiary treated wastewater. Chlorine
removes microorganisms in treated wastewater including bacteria, viruses and
parasites. The chlorinated water slowly winds its way along the discharge tank
giving it time to react.
Any remaining chlorine is removed by adding sodium bisulphite just before its
being discharged. Chlorine is removed from the water since it can be harmful to
water quality and aquatic life when in high concentrations

3. Design Flow
On an average day 35 mega litres a day flows through the St Marys Wastewater
Treatment Plant. The hydraulic capacity of the plant is 100megaliters a day.
During the wet seasons the plant can expect those numbers to dramatically
increase due to the flow of water from sewerage pipes. The extra wastewater
that flows into the plant puts a lot of stress on its capacity to contain it, so it does
not overflow.
Wastewater travels from the catchment to the plant though pipes. As the
wastewater travels through the pipes it is assisted by gravity when travelling
downhill, however when it is travelling uphill or on a flat surface it is assisted by
pumps which help move the water around. The St Marys Wastewater Treatment
Plant has 9 sewage pumping stations in its catchment area.
In the future the flow of the plant is expected to increase dramatically with new
housing developments in the western suburbs. This is expected to almost double
the average daily flow of wastewater into the plant.

4. Current Operation and Maintenance Procedures for

Each Process
The wastewater treatment continues running on holidays and weekends. The
plant does experience variations in flow and maintenance work loads. Under
these conditions, it is important that maintenance be planned and scheduled so
that there is no unused time or peak work load period.
Preventive maintenance must be performed on a constant basis. For plant
equipment, the manufacturers maintenance manuals must be consulted and a
schedule of maintenance required listed.
All maintenance work should be scheduled just as the operating routine has to
be scheduled. Preventive maintenance should not be a random procedure to be
done if time permits..
Corrective maintenance must be scheduled immediately upon occurrence. A
history of corrective maintenance problems will greatly contribute to scheduling
future work of similar nature.
Indoor and outdoor maintenance should be scheduled to take advantage of
weather conditions, low load or flow periods and other variable conditions
beyond the control of the operating staff.
Some type of maintenance must be scheduled for the once a year opportunity
when the plant load normally is at its lowest. This may be the time to drain,
check, repair, and paint the aeration tanks, settling tanks, chlorine contact tank
and certain underwater items of equipment.
There are items which may occur annually or others with as much as 4 or 5 year
intervals. The items include:

Painting
Roofing
Paving and road repairs
Fencing
Insulating

Electrical system upgrading

Plumbing revisions

The manufacturer's maintenance manual is generally the best guide for

preventive maintenance instructions for any item of equipment. Most equipment
is mass produced on a competitive basis and the cost of its maintenance should
be consistent with its value, life expectancy and replacement costs. Equipment
should be rated as to its critical position in the plant operating system and its
maintenance priority. Unnecessary or too frequent preventive maintenance can
be as wasteful as improper maintenance procedures.

5. New Aspects of the Wastewater Treatment Plant

As I have never been to a wastewater treatment plant before there were several
aspects that I found interesting during my visit. Firstly I found the size of the
plant to be very interesting. I never knew that the whole process of purifying
wastewater for our needs would take up that much space. I had envisioned it to
be a small structure that was looked after by a small group of people before my
visit. Secondly was the amount of processes that the wastewater had to go
through to be clean and environmentally safe for our use and the environment. I
had never really thought about what happened to wastewater after it was
discharged from our homes and workplace. Visiting this plant has given me an
insight into what really happens to our waste products. Now that I am aware of
what happens I will be trying a lot harder to reduce and recycle wastewater
around my home. This will help me in two ways; firstly it will help me reduce my
water consumption around the home which will help lower my water bills and
secondly I will be helping out the environment by recycling wastewater.

6. Recommendations
Ultraviolet light can be used instead of chlorine or other chemicals in the tertiary
treatment stage of wastewater treatment process. Because no chemicals are
used, the treated water has no adverse effect on organisms that later consume
it, as may be the case with other methods. UV radiation causes damage to the
genetic structure of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, making them
incapable of reproduction. The key disadvantages of UV disinfection are the need
for frequent lamp maintenance and replacement and the need for a highly
treated effluent to ensure that the target microorganisms are not shielded from
the UV radiation i.e., any solids present in the treated effluent may protect

microorganisms from the UV light. In the United Kingdom, UV light is becoming

the most common means of disinfection because of the concerns about the
impacts of chlorine in chlorinating residual organics in the wastewater and in
chlorinating organics in the receiving water. Some sewage treatment systems in
Canada and the US also use UV light for their effluent water disinfection.

7. Mitigation and Environmental Factors

If wastewater is not properly treated, then the environment and human health
can be negatively impacted. These impacts can include harm to fish and wildlife
populations, oxygen depletion, beach closures and other restrictions on
recreational water use, restrictions on fish and shellfish harvesting and
contamination of drinking water. Some examples of pollutants that can be found
in wastewater and the potentially harmful effects these substances can have on
ecosystems and human health:

decaying organic matter and debris can use up the dissolved oxygen in a
lake so fish and other aquatic biota cannot survive

excessive nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, can cause

eutrophication, or over-fertilization of receiving waters, which can be toxic
to aquatic organisms, promote excessive plant growth, reduce available
oxygen, harm spawning grounds, alter habitat and lead to a decline in
certain species

chlorine compounds and inorganic compounds can be toxic to aquatic

invertebrates, algae and fish

bacteria, viruses and disease-causing pathogens can pollute beaches,

lakes, rivers etc and contaminate marine life populations, leading to
restrictions on human recreation, drinking water consumption and seafood
consumption

8. References

48350 ENVIRONMENTAL & SANITATION ENGINEERING Lecture Notes

http://www0.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/environment/water/wastewater.asp

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuww.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEWater

http://www.amrclearinghouse.org/Sub/SCARLIFTReports/ErnestMine/Chapter
%206.pdf

http://www.sydneywater.com.au/Education

http://www.fao.org/docrep/T0551E/t0551e05.htm

http://www.greenandsmart.net/images/knowledge/Treatment%20of%20Raw
%20Sewage%20Using%20Anaerobic%20Process.pdf

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs100980100108

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wastewater/dom/domuv.htm