Wastewater Treatment Lab Processing May 24, 2022
What does a Wastewater Treatment Lab do? Throughout the treatment process there are certain parameters that must be met per the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Some of these parameters include testing for:
- pH
- BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand is the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter)
- TSS (total suspended solids is the dry weight of suspended particles that are not dissolved)
- Chlorine Total Residual (the amount of chlorine remaining after processing)
- Temperature of the wastewater
- fecal coliform and enterococci (both of which are bacterium which are produced from humans)
- Along with ammonia, alkalinity, mercury, metals, oil, grease, and many more.
The lab processes samples daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly depending on permit requirements. This lab also runs tests for the Coos Bay North Bend Water Board, Charleston Sanitary District and Bunkerhill Sanitary District.
Different tests are run on samples to determine how the process is working. Settleometers are very commonly seen in the lab daily as this shows the solids liquid separation capability and can tell you how the plant is functioning. Other tests include Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) which is used to ensure that there is a sufficient quantity of active biomass available to consume the organic matter in the treatment process.
The lab is a very essential part of the treatment process as it can help show trends and help see what is happening during the treatment process. Annual EPA studies are completed every year to ensure that our lab is up to the national standards for testing.
