Vocab Flashcards
Receiving Water
a stream, river, lake, ocean, or other surface or groundwaters into which treated or reclaimed wastewater is discharged.
Nutrient
any substance that is assimilated by organisms and promotes growth. for example, nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that promote the growth of algae
Biosolids
a primarily organic solid product produced by wastewater treatment processes that can be beneficially recycled
EFFLUENT
WATER - RAW (UNTREATED), PARTIALLY TREATED, OR COMPLETELY TREATED - FLOWING FROM A RESERVOIT, BASIN, TREATMENT PROCESS, OR TREATMENT PALNT.
Collection systems
A network of pipes, manholes, cleanouts, traps, siphons, lift stations, and other structures used to collect all wastewater and wastewater-carried wastes of an area and transport them to a treatment plant. the collection system includes land, wastewater lines and appurtenances, pumping stations, and general property. also called sewerage system
Domestic Contribution
Wastes originating in a residential facility or dwelling. in this use, it means the type and quantity of wastes are different from commercial and industrial or agrigultural
Organic Waste
Waste material that may come from animal or plant sources. Natural organic wastes generally can be consumed by bacteria and other small organisms. Manufactured or synthetic organic wastes from metal finishing, chemical manufacturing, and petroleum industries may not normally be consumed by bacteria and other organisms
Inorganic waste
Waste material (sand, salt, iron, calcium, and other mineral materials) that is only slightly affected by the action of organisms. inorganic wastes are chemical substances of mineral origin; whereas organic wastes are chemical substances usually of animal or plant origin
Grit
the heavy material present in wastewater such as sand, coffee grounds, eggshells, gravel, and cinders.
Suspended Solids
Solids that either float on the surface or are suspended in water or wastewater. when referred to as a waterborne constituent, total suspended solids (TSS) is the quantity of material removed from water or wastewater in a standard laboratory test
Sludge
- The settleable solids separated from liquids during processing. 2. The deposits of foreign materials on the bottoms of streams or other bodies of water or on the bottoms of streams or other bodies of water or on the bottoms and edges of wastewater collection lines and appurtenances. Also called biosolids. However, biosolids typically refers to treated waste.
Milligrams per liter
A measure of the concentration by weight of a substance per unit volume.
Aerobic Bacteria
Bacteria that will live and reproduce only in an environment containing oxygen that is available for their respiration, namely atmospheric oxygen or oxygen dissolved in water. Oxygen combined chemically, such as in water molecules cannot be used for respiration by aerobic bacteria
Stabilization
Conversion to a form that resists change. Organic material is stabilized by bacteria that convert the material to gases and other relatively inert substances. stabilized organic material generally will not give off obnoxious odors
Disinfection
The process designed to kill or inactivate most microorganisms in water or wastewater, including essentially all pathogenic bacteria.
PH
An expression of the intensity of the basic or acidic condition of a liquid. Mathematically, this is equivalent to the negative of the base 10 logarithm. Equation on PG 7 Vol1
Algae
Microscopic plants containing chlorophyll that live floating or suspended in water. They also may be attached to structures, rocks, or other submerged surfaces. excess algal growths can impart tastes and odors to potable water. Algae produce oxygen during sunlight hours and use oxygen during the night hours. Their biological activities appreciably affect the PH, alkalinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen of the water
Settleometer
A one- or Two-liter graduated cylinder that measures the settling rate of settleable solids
NPDES permit ( National pollutant discharge Elimination system permit)
A regulatory document that limits discharges into US waterways, and provides monitoring and reporting requirements and other provisions to ensure that discharges do not hurt water quality or people health
POTW (publicly owned treatment works)
devices and systems used to store, treat, recycle, or reclaim municipal wastewater or industrial liquid wastes that are owned by a state, municipality, special sewer district, or other publicly owned and financed entity.
Combined Sewer
a sewer designed to carry both sanitary wastewaters and stormwater or surface water runoff.
Sanitary sewer
a pip or conduit (sewer) intended to carry wastewater or waterborne wastes from homes, businesses, and industries to the treatment works. some systems combine the collection of wastewater and stormwater.
Influent
water-raw (untreated) or partially treated flowing into a reservoir, basin, treatment process, or treatment plant
infiltration
the seepage of groundwater into a collection system through breaks, open joints, or corrosion-damaged pipes
inflow
water discharged into a sewer system and service connections from sources other than regular connections
Preliminary Treatment
the removal of metal, rocks, rags, sand, eggshells, and similar materials that may hinder the operation of a treatment plant.
Preliminary treatment is accomplished by using equipment such as bar racks or bar screens, shredders, and grit removal systems
primary Treatment
a wastewater treatment process that takes place in a rectangular or circular tank and allows those substances in wastewater that readily settle or float to be separated from the wastewater being treated. a septic tank is also considered primary treatment.
secondary treatment
a wastewater treatment process used to convert dissolved or suspended materials into a form more readily separated from the water being treated. usually, the process follows primary treatment using sedimentation. the process commonly is a type of biological treatment followed by secondary clarifiers that allow the solids to settle out from water being treated.
Screen
a device used to retain or remove suspended or floating objects in wastewater.
Shredding
a mechanical treatment process that cuts large pieces of wastes into smaller pieces so they will not plug pipes or damage equipment. also called comminution
Headworks
the facilities where wastewater enters a wastewater treatment plant. the headworks may consist of bar racks or bar screens, shredders or grinders, a wet well, and pumps
weir(WEER)
a wall or plate placed in an open channel and used to measure the flow of water or to control flow to ensure a uniform flow rate and avoid short- circuiting. the depth of the flow over the weir can be used to calculate the flow rate, or a chart or conversion table may be used to convert depth to flow.
Clarifier
A tank or basin in which water or wastewater is held for a period of time during which the heavier solids settle to the bottom and the lighter materials float to the surface. also called settling tank
media
the material in a trickling filter or rotating biological contactor on which slime accumulates and organisms grow or the material through which water or wastewater flows in a gravity or pressure filter
sterilization
the removal or destruction of all microorganisms, including pathogens and other bacteria, vegetative forms, and spores
Short-circuiting
a condition that occurs in tanks or basins when some of the flowing water entering a tank or basin flows along a nearly direct pathway from the inlet to the outlet. this is usually undesirable because it may result in shorter contact, reaction, or settling times in comparison with the theoretical or presumed detention times
Dissolved air flotation (DAF)
a process in which air is dissolved into wastewater under high pressure and is then released into the bottom of the treatment tank to allow the air to come out of solution in very fine bubbles and float the solids to the surface.
Permeate
the liquid (demineralized water) produced from the reverse osmosis process that contains a low concentration of dissolved solids
dalton
a unit of mass designated as one-sixteenth the mass of oxygen-16, the lightest and most abundant isotope of oxygen. the dalton is equivalent to one mass unit
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
the application of pressure to a concentrated solution, which causes the passage of a liquid from the concentrated solution to a weaker solution across a semipermeable membrane. the membrane allows the passage of the water(solvent) but not the dissolved solids(solutes). in the reverse osmosis process, two liquids are produced: the reject(containing high concentrations of dissolved solids) and the permeate (containing low concentrations). the clean water (permeate) is considered to be demineralized
total dissolved solids (TDS)
all of the dissolved solids in a water. TDS is measured on a sample of water that has passed through a very fine mesh filter to remove suspended solids. the water passing through the filter is evaporated and the residue represents the total dissolved solids
Photosynthesis
a process in which organisms, with the aid of chlorophyll, convert carbon dioxide and inorganic substances into oxygen and additional plant material, using sunlight for energy. all green plants grow by this process
Facultative Lagoons
lagoons that contain an aerobic top layer and an anaerobic bottom layer
Mercaptans
compounds containing sulfur that have an extremely offensive skunk like odor; also sometimes described as smelling like garlic or onions