Municipal wastewater treatment: evaluating improvements in national water quality

MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT......Page 3
DEDICATION......Page 8
CONTENTS......Page 9
Preface......Page 17
Acknowledgments......Page 21
Acronyms......Page 25
1. Introduction......Page 29
Background......Page 30
Study Approach......Page 32
The First Leg: An Examination of BOD Loadings Before and After the CWA......Page 33
The Second Leg: An Examination of “Worst-Case” DO in Waterways Below Point Sources Before and After the CWA......Page 34
The Third Leg: Case Study Assessments of Water Quality......Page 40
References......Page 41
A. History of Water Supply and Its Effects on Public Health......Page 45
Impacts on Water Supply Users and “The Great Sanitary Awakening”......Page 47
Impacts on Water Resources Users......Page 49
Dissolved Oxygen as an Indicator of Water Quality......Page 51
Secondary Treatment......Page 53
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) as a Measure of Organic Wasteload Strength......Page 54
The Federal Role in Secondary Treatment Before the Clean Water Act......Page 55
The Federal Role in Secondary Treatment After the Clean Water Act......Page 61
D. Nationwide Trends in BOD Loading from POTWs......Page 70
Types of BOD Reported in this Trends Analysis......Page 71
Trends in POTW Inventory......Page 76
Trends in Population and Influent Wastewater Flow to POTWs......Page 78
Trends in Influent BOD Loading to POTWs......Page 80
Trends in Effluent BOD Loading from POTWs......Page 85
Trends in BOD Removal Efficiency......Page 91
Future Trends in BOD Effluent Loading......Page 92
E. BOD(5) Loadings from Point and Nonpoint Sources......Page 98
Pollutant Loading from Sources Other than POTWs......Page 99
BOD(5) Loads from the National Water Pollution Control Assessment Model (NWPCAM)......Page 104
The Construction Grants Program......Page 113
Other Investment Costs for Water Pollution Control Infrastructure......Page 118
Future Infrastructure Needs......Page 121
Key Points of the Background Sections......Page 123
Key Points of the BOD Loading Analysis Sections......Page 124
Conclusions and Future Trends......Page 126
References......Page 128
3. An Examination of “Worst-Case” DO in Waterways Below Point Sources Before and After the CWA......Page 133
A. Background......Page 134
“Worst Case” Conditions as a Screening Tool......Page 135
Step 1—Data Selection Rules......Page 147
Step 2—Data Aggregation Rules from a Temporal Perspective......Page 148
Step 3—Calculation of the Worst-Case DO Summary Statistic Rules......Page 149
Step 4—Spatial Assessment Rules......Page 150
Step 5—Data Aggregation Rules from a Spatial Perspective......Page 153
C. Comparison of Worst-Case DO in Waterways Below Point Source Discharges Before and After the CWA at Three Spatial Scales......Page 154
Before and After DO at Reach Scale......Page 155
Before and After DO at Catalog Unit Scale......Page 158
Comparison of the Change in Signal Between the Reach and Catalog Unit Scales Using the Upper White River Basin (Indiana) as an Example......Page 182
Before and After DO at Major River Basin Scale......Page 190
D. Summary and Conclusions......Page 199
Key Points of the Background Section......Page 200
Key Points of the Data Mining Section......Page 201
Key Points of the Comparison Analysis Section......Page 202
Conclusions......Page 204
References......Page 207
A. Background......Page 209
B. Selection of Case Study Waterways......Page 211
C. Before and After CWA......Page 212
D. Policy Scenarios for Municipal Effluent Discharges......Page 217
E. Discussion and Conclusions......Page 222
References......Page 223
Background......Page 227
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 228
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 231
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 232
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 233
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 234
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 235
Summary and Conclusions......Page 238
References......Page 239
Background......Page 241
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 243
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 248
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 251
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 253
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 270
Summary and Conclusions......Page 276
References......Page 277
7. Delaware Estuary Case Study......Page 283
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 284
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 287
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 289
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 290
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 291
Evaluation of Water Quality Benefits Following Treatment Plant Upgrade......Page 298
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 301
Summary and Conclusions......Page 307
References......Page 309
8. Potomac Estuary Case Study......Page 313
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 314
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 316
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 318
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 319
Evaluation of Water Quality Benefits Following Treatment Plant Upgrades......Page 322
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 326
Summary and Conclusions......Page 336
References......Page 337
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 339
Population Trends......Page 342
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 343
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 344
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 345
Evaluation of Water Quality Benefits Following Treatment Plant Upgrades......Page 349
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 352
References......Page 353
10. Upper Chattahoochee River Case Study......Page 355
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 356
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 359
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 361
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 363
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 364
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 368
References......Page 370
11. Ohio River Case Study......Page 373
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 374
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 375
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 378
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 380
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 384
References......Page 386
12. Upper Mississippi River Case Study......Page 389
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 390
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 394
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 395
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 400
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 401
Evaluation of Water Quality Benefits Following Treatment Plant Upgrades......Page 411
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 414
Summary and Conclusions......Page 418
References......Page 421
13. Willamette River Case Study......Page 427
Physical Setting and Hydrology......Page 428
Population, Water, and Land Use Trends......Page 431
Historical Water Quality Issues......Page 432
Legislative and Regulatory History......Page 433
Pollutant Loading and Water Quality Trends......Page 434
Recreational and Living Resources Trends......Page 436
Summary and Conclusions......Page 438
References......Page 440
Appendix A. United States Waterways Identified with Water Pollution Problems Before the 1972 Clean Water Act......Page 443
Appendix B. National Municipal Wastewater Inventory and Infrastructure, 1940–2016......Page 477
Appendix C. National Public and Private Sector Investment in Water Pollution Control......Page 529
Appendix D. Before and After CWA Changes in Tenth Percentile Dissolved Oxygen and Ninetieth Percentile BOD(5) at the Catalog Unit Level......Page 535
Appendix E. Before and After CWA Changes in Tenth Percentile Dissolved Oxygen at the RF1 Reach Level......Page 551
Appendix F. Hydrologic Conditions of the 48 Contiguous States, Summer (July–September) from 1961 through 1995......Page 565
Appendix G. Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Loads by Major River Basin Before and After the Clean Water Act: 1950, 1973, and ca. 1995......Page 611
Appendix H. Municipal and Industrial Water Withdrawals by Major River Basin: 1940–1995......Page 621
Glossary......Page 629
Index......Page 643