Environmental Factors
Water Resource Management
Groundwater recharge with recycled wastewater presents a wide spectrum of technical and health challenges that must be evaluated. Requirements for groundwater recharge vary considerably depending upon the purpose of groundwater recharge, sources of recycled wastewater, recharge methods and location. Due to the fact that the city member wants to recharge recycled wastewater within a large city district, I would recommend tertiary treatment vice secondary because of the high potential of human exposure to the water produced.
Secondary treatment is directed toward the removal of biodegradable organics and suspended solids. These treatment processes usually include biological treatment and sedimentation, such as activated sludge, trickling filters, rotating biological contactors, and stabilization ponds. The activated sludge process and trickling filters have high concentrations of microorganisms that are used to metabolize organic matter, thus making them high-rate biological processes. They accomplish biological oxidation in relatively small basins and use sedimentation tanks after the aerobic process to separate the microorganisms and other settable solids from the treated wastewater.
Pond systems used in secondary treatment usually require large land areas and are most widely used in rural areas and in warm climates where land is available at a reasonable cost. Most treatment involving this method occurs in the anaerobic and facultative ponds. Stabilization ponds use algae to provide oxygen to the system. This system is considered a low rate biological process. Well designed and well operated pond systems are capable of reducing bacteria and viruses, however, the algae produced during pond treatment may present soil clogging problems during recharge.
Due to some of the limitations and challenges presented by secondary groundwater treatment, tertiary treatment appears to be the better process improvement,...
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