Evaluation and Comparison of Design Standards for Biological Wastewater Treatment

A study was carried out to evaluate and compare the various state design standards for biological wastewater treatment systems in the United States. Activated sludge, trickling filters and lagoon systems were compared on the basis of various parameters such as design manual recommended, design approach, wastewater temperature dependence, population projection based treatment plant upgrades, climatic conditions, hydraulic and organic loadings, etc.Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities or Ten State Standards (by Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Board of State Public Health and Environmental Managers), Manual of Practice No.8 (by Water Environment Foundation and American Society of Civil Engineers) and TR-16 (by New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission) are the three major design manuals used in United States for the design of wastewater treatment plants.The findings of the study were then related to the conditions prevailing in Latin America and possible implications and suggestions were made with respect to wastewater treatment process design standards in these developing countries. The study and the results (see Table 2 and Table 3) can be used as a reference guide for the design of biological wastewater treatment systems in Latin America.