University:
Boston University
Course:
CAS EE 600 | Environment and Development: A Political Ecology Approach
Academic year:

2024
Views:

156

Pages:

19
Author:

Triston Franco

Wastewater Discharge Quality: an Attempted Analysis http://www.econse.com/solutions/waste-water/ Research objectives Part I ● Identify facilities that could be contributing to a waterbody impairment ○ Analyze trends in these particular sites ➢ Pollutant types ➢ Annual pollutant loads ➢ Compliance history Part II ● Record data issues encountered ● Recommend user-interface options Methods 1. 2. Use DMR pollutant loading tool to filter/identify Mapped sites alongside impaired waterbodies > Mass DEP’s 2014 Integrated List of Waters (305(b)/303(d)) 3. Assess trends in facility-specific data from the EPA Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Results: Load Over Limit Facilities Facility Name NPDES Permit Number Parameter Description Load Over Limit (Option 1) (kg/yr) Westfield WasteWater Treatment Plant MA0101800 Phosphorus, total (as P) 98.5614 Charles River WasteWater Facility MA0102598 Nitrogen, ammonia total (as N) 81.63265306 Westerly Wastewater Treatment Facility MA0100480 Phosphorus, total (as P) 24.356475 MA Correctional Institution (Norfolk/Walpole) MA0102253 Phosphorus, total (as P) 3.1909064 New Bedford Wastewater Treatment Facility MA0100781 Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 0.152781525 Results Facility Town Westfield Wastewater Treatment Plant Westfield Westerly Wastewater Treatment Facility Marlborough Charles River Wastewater Treatment Facility Medway Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI) Norfolk/Walpole New Bedford Wastewater Treatment Facility New Bedford Results Facility Town Westfield Wastewater Treatment Plant Westfield Westerly Wastewater Treatment Facility Marlborough Charles River Wastewater Treatment Facility Medway Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI) Norfolk/Walpole New Bedford Wastewater Treatment Facility New Bedford Pollutant Trends: Westfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Pollutant Trends: Westfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Pollutant Trends: Westfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Pollutant Trends: Westerly Wastewater Treatment Facility Pollutant Trends: Charles River Wastewater Treatment Facility Pollutant Trends: Charles River Wastewater Treatment Facility Pollutant Trends: MA Correctional Institution (Norfolk/Walpole) Pollutant Trends: New Bedford Wastewater Treatment Facility Discussion ● Pollutant trends not robust ● We were able to create data visualization tools ● Analysis hindered by data issues ○ Limited data availability ○ Pollutant load inconsistencies Inconsistencies: PLT and FSS Pollutant Loading Tool Output Facility Pollutant Pollutant Load (lb/yr) Charles River Wastewater Treatment Facility Nitrogen, ammonia total (as N) 3128.36 Inconsistencies: PLT and FSS Expired Permits 1.) User-interface recommendations Possible parameters to facilitate public use of ECHO data 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) Search criteria for number of years in non-compliance Agreement/consistency between pollutant loading tool and facility-specific search Flags for expired permits to target facilities Same units for PLT and FSS (PLT is in kg and FSS is in lbs) Make facility coordinates more specific so that they are conducive to mapping analysis (from 3 to 6 - 7 decimal places) If data collected after the permit expires, indicate that the new permit was not added to the site