A survey of heavy metals in municipal wastewater in combined sewer systems during wet and dry weather periods

During wet weather, combined sewer system overflows affect the quality of water in watercourses. For planning overflows, the lowest possible load of priority substances according to Directive 2008/105/EC is crucial and the knowledge of variability in concentrations of elements in the sewer system is necessary. The behaviour of heavy metals in a sewer system was observed in the course of dry weather flow (DWF) and wet weather flow (WWF). We found, from the comparison of concentration medians for the WWF and DWF that during wet weather periods, an increase in the concentrations of As, Cr, Cd, Pb, Mn and Fe occurs in the sewer system and the effect of nonpoint sources manifests itself. Zn, Cu and Ni concentrations decreased during wet weather periods, and Hg concentrations did not significantly change. During the WWF period, a considerable nonhomogeneity of the sewage system was demonstrated.     

Energy optimization of the urban drainage system by integrated real-time control during wet and dry weather conditions

An extension of the frequently applied equal filling degree control algorithm is proposed for integrated control of sewer system and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Under dry weather conditions (DWC), this control synchronizes sewer storage volume activation at pumping stations (PS) throughout the sewer system with the intermittent aeration at the WWTP. This is in contrast with the frequently advocated influent load equalization at WWTPs. The concept is demonstrated on a case study using an integrated system composed of detailed models for sewer system and WWTP where it reveals considerable potential for energy savings and effluent quality improvement. Moreover, the integrated control allows for the reduction of combined sewer overflows during wet weather events and decreased sedimentation potential in the sewer system. Neither weather predictions nor structural changes at the WWTP or in the sewer system are required. The control concept is applicable to about 50 Flemish WWTPs.     

Contribution of different sources to the pollution of wet weather flows in combined sewers

Experiments performed on "Marais" catchment, in central Paris, aimed to follow up the quality of wet weather flows from the entry to the exit of a combined sewer network. SS, VSS, COD, BOD5, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn concentrations were measured for an important number of rain events in roof, yard, street runoff, as well as in dry and wet weather flows at the catchment outlet. Mass entry-exit totals, at the scale of the catchment, were calculated over 31 rain events in order to evaluate the contribution of different types of runoff, of sanitary sewage and of sewer sediments to the total wet weather pollutant loads at the catchment outlet. The erosion of in-sewer pollutant stocks was found to be the main source of particles and of organic matter in wet weather flows, whereas heavy metal loads mainly originated from roof runoff, due to the corrosion of metallic roofs. Particles eroded inside the sewer during rain events were found to be quite different from the particles constituting the main part of sewer sediments: they are organic and biodegradable, with rather important settling velocities and seem to accumulate during dry weather periods. A change of the chemical form of heavy metals was noticed during the transport in the sewer and it is suspected that a fraction of the dissolved metals from the runoff is adsorbed on sewer sediments.     

Characteristics of combined sewer overflows in Shanghai and selection of drainage systems

The overflow frequencies of combined sewer systems (CSSs) along Suzhou Creek in Shanghai are definitely lower compared with low interception ratio and design expectation. This noteworthy phenomenon was analysed and the results indicate that large sewer storage capacity due to a dense interconnection between sewer systems, flat pipe slope and pump drainage pattern, as well as the spatial–temporal difference of rainfall on a large catchment that is integrated by the connected network, lead to the overflow frequencies of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) along Suzhou Creek that are much less than those of designed and of Japanese counterparts. The drainage hydraulic model was used to simulate the performance of typical CSSs in Shanghai centre area to further explain the phenomenon. Meanwhile, as separate systems have serious illicit connections and are subject to heavy wet weather pollution in Shanghai, separate systems did not show the expected advantage in nonpoint pollution control. Thus, keeping old CSSs in the Shanghai downtown area seems to be of great value with respect to the control of urban non-point pollution.     

Production and transport of urban wet weather pollution in combined sewer systems: the “Marais” experimental urban catchment in Paris

An experimental catchment area was set up in the centre of Paris (France) so as to follow up the quality of wet weather flows from the entry to the exit of a combined sewer network. The distinctive characteristic of this site is its location in a town centre and the extent of the equipment used to monitor the water pollution over the whole length of its course through the catchment area. The results obtained show a change in quality between the runoff entering the sewer network and the combined storm water flow at the sewer's outlet, which cannot be explained only by the mixture with domestic wastewater. In particular, an increase was observed in the concentrations of suspended solids (SS), VSS, COD, BOD and Cu, in the proportion of pollutants linked to particles and in the characteristics of the particles. A calculation of the total masses going in and out of the sewer network during a rainfall event shows that the erosion of in-sewer pollution stocks is the main source of particles and of organic matter in wet weather flows, whereas heavy metals loads originated from roof runoff, due to the corrosion of metallic roofs. Particles eroded from the sewer sediments during rain events were found to be quite different from the particles of type A deposits and organic biofilms. Nevertheless, they have mean organic and metallic loads that are of the same order of magnitude as the particles of the organic layer at water sediment interface. A change in the chemical form of heavy metals was noticed during the transport in the sewer and it is suspected that a fraction of the dissolved metals from the runoff is adsorbed on sewer sediments.     

Hydrological assessment of flow dynamic changes by storm sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows on an event-scale in an urban river

In addition to assessing the impacts of water quality changes in urban rivers caused by storm water sewer overflows (SWO) and combined sewer overflows (CSO), the extent to which flow dynamics are changed by these structures must be understood in order to define hydrological assessment criteria to guide sustainable water management strategies as required by the European Community (EC) Water Framework Directive. In this study, the quantitative impacts of SWOs and CSOs on the flow dynamics of an urban river and their variability are investigated. For four single runoff events, hydrological measurements were accomplished in the River Dreisam, upstream and downstream of the city of Freiburg, in southwest Germany. As the catchment is widely free of urban areas upstream of the city, comparison with downstream locations allowed quantification of Freiburg's effects on the changes in the hydrograph on an event scale. The proposed hydrological parameter—flow acceleration, peak discharge, and discharge dosage—were shown to be appropriate to assess the impacts of SWOs and CSOs on flood hydrographs in urban rivers.     

Hydrocarbons and heavy metals in the different sewer deposits in the 'Le Marais' catchment (Paris, France): stocks, distributions and origins

The knowledge of the pollution stored in combined sewers is of prime importance in terms of management of wet weather flow pollution since sewer deposits play a significant role as source of pollution in combined sewer overflows. This work, which focused on the hydrocarbon (aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons) and metallic (Fe, Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd) pollution fixed to the different kinds of sewer deposits (gross bed sediment [GBS], organic layer [OL] and biofilm), was performed in order to provide a complete overview of the contaminant storage in the 'Le Marais' combined sewer (Central Paris, France). Firstly, our results have shown that, for all kinds of pollutants, a major part was stored in the GBS (87 to 98%), a lesser part in the OL (2 to 13%) and an insignificant part in the biofilm (<1%). These results demonstrated that the potential contribution of biofilm to wet weather pollution was negligible compared to the OL one. Secondly, the investigation of hydrocarbon fingerprints in each deposit has provided relevant information about contamination origins: (1) aliphatic hydrocarbon distributions were indicative of petroleum input in the GBS and reflected a mixture of biogenic and petroleum inputs in the OL and biofilm, (2) aromatic hydrocarbon distributions suggested an important pyrolytic contamination in all the deposits. Finally, the study of pollutant fingerprints in the different deposits and in the suspended solids going through the collector has shown that: (1) the suspended solids were the major component of OL and biofilm while urban runoff seemed to be the main transport mechanism introducing pollutants in the GBS and (2) the residence times in sewer of OL and biofilm were quite short compared to those for GBS.     

Innovative modeling framework for combined sewer overflows prediction

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and street flooding are undesirable consequences of insufficient capacity of sewer networks and wastewater systems. These conditions degrade the water quality of the receiving waters, potentially damage infrastructure, and threaten public health. Significant efforts to prevent CSOs and alleviate flooding have been undertaken in Chicago, with the construction of the tunnel and reservoir plan (TARP). This study analyses the hydraulic response of the first tunnel built in Chicago “The Lawrence Avenue Tunnel” through a framework of hydrological and hydraulic models. This framework proved effective in CSO's volume, frequency and duration predictions as it yields simulation results of existing conditions that match well with available records. The findings also provide insights into the importance of system operation on CSOs occurrence and magnitude. Adaptive management of the tunnel during storm events is recommended to minimize the impact of CSOs.     

MODELLING THE IMPACTS OF DOMESTIC WATER CONSERVATION ON THE SUSTAIN ABILITY OF THE URBAN SEWERAGE SYSTEM

A computer model was developed to evaluate the impact of various technologies for water conservation in domestic households, in terms of the Impact on the operation of downstream infrastructure. These technologies, which include (a) low-flush toilets, (b) greywater re-use, and (c) re-use of rainwater from roof runoff for toilet flushing, were compared using indicators of sustainability to measure water consumption, sewerage-system operational performance and process treatment efficiency. The results demonstrated that rainwater re-use is potentially the most sustainable strategy in terms of the benefits associated with water conservation and reduction in sewage discharges from combined-sewer overflows (CSOs). The benefits were observed without the problems associated with increased sedimentation in sewers during dry weather, associated with other water-conservation strategies such as reduced-flush toilets, greywater re-use and the resultant increase in pollutants from CSOs during wet weather.     

Discharge-based QMRA for estimation of public health risks from exposure to stormwater-borne pathogens in recreational waters in the United States

This study is the first to report a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) on pathogens detected in stormwater discharges-of-concern, rather than relying on pathogen measurements in receiving waters. The pathogen concentrations include seven “Reference Pathogens” identified by the U.S. EPA: Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Salmonella, Norovirus, Rotavirus, Enterovirus, and Adenovirus. Data were collected from 12 sites representative of seven discharge types (including residential, commercial/industrial runoff, agricultural runoff, combined sewer overflows, and forested land), mainly during wet weather conditions during which times human health risks can be substantially elevated. The risks calculated herein therefore generally apply to short-term conditions (during and just after rainfall events) and so the results can be used by water managers to potentially inform the public, even for waters that comply with current criteria (based as they are on a 30-day mean risk). Using an example waterbody and mixed source, pathogen concentrations were used in QMRA models to generate risk profiles for primary and secondary water contact (or inhalation) by adults and children. A number of critical assumptions and considerations around the QMRA analysis are highlighted, particularly the harmonization of the pathogen concentrations measured in discharges during this project with those measured (using different methods) during the published dose–response clinical trials. Norovirus was the most dominant predicted health risk, though further research on its dose–response for illness (cf. infection) is needed. Even if the example mixed-source concentrations of pathogens had been reduced 30 times (by inactivation and mixing), the predicted swimming-associated illness rates – largely driven by Norovirus infections – can still be appreciable. Rotavirus generally induced the second-highest incidence of risk among the tested pathogens while risks for the other Reference Pathogens (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Adenovirus, Enterovirus and Salmonella) were considerably lower. Secondary contact or inhalation resulted in considerable reductions in risk compared to primary contact. Measurements of Norovirus and careful incorporation of its concentrations into risk models (harmonization) should be a critical consideration for future QMRA efforts. The discharge-based QMRA approach presented herein is particularly relevant to cases where pathogens cannot be reliably detected in receiving waters with detection limits relevant to human health effects.     

Policies influencing the design of the Richmond transport project

The Richmond Transport Project is one of the last elements of the City and County of San Francisco's Wastewater Master Plan for reducing combined sewer overflows into San Francisco Bay. The project includes a 10,200-ft.-long wastewater storage and diversion tunnel that is currently under construction. The tunnel follows an alignment through a sensitive urban area in the northwest part of San Francisco and traverses portions of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area (managed by the National Park Service), Lincoln Park, the exclusive Seacliff residential district, and the Presidio Army Base. In addition to the tunnel, an underground overflow chamber will be constructed to allow future overflows to be discharged through an abandoned outfall tunnel eliminating overflows at the current outfall located at BakerBeach. Planning activities for the project spanned more than 10 years and involved an extensive public participation process. Public policy issues that influenced the City's approach toplanningand designing this project were: the interactions with the numerous agencies involved; an ongoing public participation process; the development and evaluation of the various project alternatives; design accommodations to minimize construction impacts in this urban area; and discharge modif cations such as the underground overflow chamber system designed to eliminate future wastewater overflows at Baker Beach.     

Approaches adopted by the European Union and selected Member States for the control of urban pollution

Several EU Directives have been adopted which have an influence on the control of urban pollution in particular the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment and the Integrated Pollution Control and Prevention Directive. In addition, the recently adopted Water Framework Directive (WFD) will have an additional impact on the control of urban pollution in particular related to storm overflows. The present paper provides a brief discussion of the EU legislation relevant to the control of urban pollution with special emphasis on the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) and its implementation in the Member States.The recently adopted WFD requires the achievement of good ecological and chemical status in all waters. The implementation of the UWWTD by the Member States, which should be achieved by 2005, will make a significant contribution towards achieving good ecological and chemical status. However, besides the discharge of sewage effluents, storm overflows can have a significant impact on the quality of surface waters and they will therefore require adequate control in order to achieve the final goal of good ecological and chemical status. The paper, therefore, also provides a brief analysis of the permitting requirements in the different countries and of the criteria currently applied by the EU Member States for the design of combined sewer overflow systems. Not all countries currently require a permit for storm overflows and the design criteria for combined sewer overflows are generally based on the spill frequency or treatment capacity in terms of dry weather flow, which do not take into account the effect on the receiving water. However, in the UK a method has been developed to assess the impact of combined sewer overflows on the quality of the receiving water, which is being applied to ensure the design of the storm overflow is adequate for the protection of the receiving water. Member States will need to adapt their methodologies used for the design of storm overflow to ensure the requirements of the WFD, the achievement of good ecological and chemical water quality, is being met.     

Contributions of wastewater, runoff and sewer deposit erosion to wet weather pollutant loads in combined sewer systems

An observatory of urban pollutants was created in Paris for the purpose of assessing the dynamics of wastewater and wet weather flow (WW and WWF) pollutant loads within combined sewers. This observatory is composed of six urban catchments, covering land areas ranging in size from 42 ha to 2581 ha. For a wide array of parameters including total suspended solids (TSS), chemical and biochemical oxygen demand (COD and BOD₅), total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), heavy metals (Cu and Zn) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), this article is intended to evaluate the contributions of wastewater, runoff and in-sewer processes to WWF pollutant loads through the use of an entry–exit mass balance approach. To achieve this objective, a total of 16 rain events were sampled on these sites between May 2003 and February 2006. This study has confirmed that at the considered catchment scale (i.e. from 42 ha to 2581 ha) the production and transfer processes associated with WWF pollutant loads do not vary with basin scale. Entry–exit chemical mass balances over all catchments and for a large number of rain events indicate that wastewater constitutes the main source of organic and nitrogenous pollution, while runoff is the predominant source of Zn. For Cu, PAHs and TSS, the calculation underscores the major role played by in-sewer processes, specifically by sediment erosion, as a source of WWF pollution. A significant loss of dissolved metals was also observed during their transfer within the sewer network, likely as a consequence of the adsorption of dissolved metals on TSS and/or on sewer deposits. Moreover, the nature of eroded particles was examined and compared to the various sewer deposits. This comparison has highlighted that such particles exhibit similar organic and PAH contents to those measured in the organic layer, thus suggesting that the deposit eroded during a wet weather period is organic and of a nature comparable to the organic layer. Despite the extent of initial field investigations, no organic deposit was observed to be present on sewer lines within the catchments, which implies that this organic deposit is probably present in another form or to be found elsewhere in the main trunks.     

Evaluation of combined sewer overflow assessment methods: case study of Cork City,Ireland

Discharges of untreated wastewater from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) present a potential threat to human health and the chemical and ecological status of receiving waters. Sewer monitoring coupled with hydraulic models are frequently applied to estimate CSO impacts and to test alternative improvement strategies, but their cost can be prohibitive. Therefore, municipal authorities must apply subjective assessment criteria to identify problematic CSOs which require immediate monitoring. In this paper, subjective assessment criteria for CSOs were reviewed and applied using a case study from Cork City, Ireland. Whilst the subjective criteria were robust in identifying nuisance CSOs (those giving rise to public complaint), the assessment of impacts on chemical and ecological status were confounded by other pollutant sources in the catchment and a lack of CSO monitoring data. A methodology was developed, using a geographical information systems (GIS) model, to prioritise monitoring of problematic CSOs on a national basis.     

Quantifying the effect of proactive management strategies on the serviceability of gully pots and lateral sewer connections

Gully pots and lateral connections represent the anterior part of the sewer infrastructure responsible for the majority of flooding events in public areas. This study provides a statistical procedure to quantify the effectiveness of proactive management strategies to improve their performance. The first part consists of non-parametric methods to determine the evolution of gully pot blockages. The second part presents a Bayesian approach to quantify the development of reported flooding events when lateral connections are subject to proactive strategies. To this end, call data were collected from areas that were maintained proactively instead of reactively. Application of the procedure revealed a significant call decrease in one area. In addition, an increasing blockage likelihood over time indicated cyclic cleaning to be effective to improve sewer serviceability. By linking management strategies to performance, this flexible procedure can support sewer managers to balance the merits of proactive and reactive management strategies.     

Source characterisation and loads of metals and pesticides in urban wet weather discharges

Contaminants in urban wet weather discharges originate from a number of sources such as materials from wet and dry atmospheric deposition, wastewaters, urban surface erosion, traffic-related activities, in-sewer deposits, etc. In the current study, four contributions (rainwater, dry atmospheric deposition, dry weather discharge and catchment surface + possible erosion of in-sewer deposits) to the total concentrations of priority substances have been assessed at the outlet of two urban catchments (one residential catchment with a combined system and one industrial area with a separate stormwater system) for 12 storm events (six for each catchment). Mass balances were calculated for seven metals and four pesticides, as well as for total suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand. The respective contributions of dry and wet atmospheric deposition, wastewater and catchment surface differ for each pollutant type, corresponding to different land use, activities, environments and sewer systems. For most of the pollutants, the catchment surface appears to be the main contribution, with significant storm event variability, excepted for atrazine in one catchment.     

Rainwater harvesting to control stormwater runoff in suburban areas. An experimental case-study

On a 23 ha urban watershed, 10 km East of Paris, rainwater tanks have been installed on 1/3 of the private parcels to prevent stormwater sewer overflows. This paper investigates the macroscopic effect of rainwater harvesting on runoff, and thus the potential of this technique for stormwater source control. The analysis is performed using the SWMM 5 model, calibrated on rainfall- runoff measures from two measurement campaigns, before and after the equipment. The availability of two data-sets allows the authors to point out changes in the catchment's behaviour. The main findings are that: (1) catchment's evolution, mainly caused by individual land-cover modifications, produces non-stationarity of the hydrologic behaviour; (2) the rainwater tanks installed, although they affect the catchment hydrology for usual rain events, are too small and too few to prevent sewer overflows in the case of heavy rain events.     

Dynamic simulation of storm tanks

Storm retention tanks are used widely for regulating pollution caused by combined sewer overflows, a notably transient, dynamic phenomenon. Nevertheless, few dynamic models of the process have hitherto been proposed. A conceptual model for simulation of the dynamic performance of a storm tank is presented. Four modes of behaviour are identified: fill, draw, dynamic sedimentation and quiescent settling. Discussion is given of the problems associated with the model, in particular the characterization of spatial non-uniformities in pollutant concentrations. Simulation results are presented for the application of the model to a test storm disturbance based on field data taken from the Norwich Sewage Works in eastern England. The disturbance comprises the response of a sewer network to a high-intensity, short-duration precipitation event, with a significant transient increase in suspended solids concentration and a transient depression in ammonium-N concentration. The impact of the storm tank returns on primary clarifier performance is found to be almost negligible. Some tests of the sensitivity of the storm tank model to changes of its parameters, such as particle settling velocity, are discussed.     

Stochastic modeling of total suspended solids (TSS) in urban areas during rain events

The load of total suspended solids (TSS) is one of the most important parameters for evaluating wet-weather pollution in urban sanitation systems. In fact, pollutants such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phosphorous and organic compounds are adsorbed onto these particles so that a high TSS load indicates the potential impact on the receiving waters. In this paper, a stochastic model is proposed to estimate the TSS load and its dynamics during rain events. Information on the various simulated processes was extracted from different studies of TSS in urban areas. The model thus predicts the probability of TSS loads arising from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in combined sewer systems as well as from stormwater in separate sewer systems in addition to the amount of TSS retained in treatment devices in both sewer systems. The results of this TSS model illustrate the potential of the stochastic modeling approach for assessing environmental problems.     

合流制排水管道沉积物及其模型研究进展

在合流制排水系统中,管道沉积物不但影响系统的正常运行,而且在雨天时随着溢流排放被冲刷释放,造成雨天出流污染负荷的增加,成为水体面源污染的重要组成部分。因此,开展排水管道沉积物的研究不仅有利于改善排水系统的运行状况,也有利于水体污染的控制。介绍了排水管道沉积物的来源、构成、性质以及国外管道沉积物的模型研究进展,并总结了其中的不足,以期为我国开展此方面的研究提供参考依据、基础以及研究方向。