TYPICAL DESIGN OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES

GENERAL:
The purpose of a sewerage project is to ensure the wastewater is collected, conveyed to the
treatment works, treated and safely disposed without adversely affecting the environment.
The degree of wastewater treatment depends on many factors among them the minimum flow
of the receiving stream, the characteristics of the diluting water and the use of the receiving
water.
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Study and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP)
preparation are mandatory before the project is implemented. This is to ensure that the
environment is not affected negatively and that project affected persons are properly resettled
for them to continue with their lives as before or better.

Project Purpose:
Wastewater if not properly collected and safely disposed of, it turns septic and creates bad
odour and unhygienic environment resulting to various health hazards to the community.
Consequently, adequate treatment and disposal of the waste is absolutely essential to secure
public health and clean environment.
The main steps of planning a project are:
 Field investigation
 Location of treatment works
 Design calculations
 Preparation of project drawings
 Costing
 Financing
 ESIA study and RAP preparation.

Field Investigations:
Field investigations are necessary to obtain information and data necessary for proper planning
and design of a sewerage project. The main field investigation includes the following:
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 i. Population projection, rate of water consumption and quantity of sewage:
The purpose of this investigation is to establish the quantity of sewage generated for
which design will be based. Design population and per capita water consumption are
key factors in determining quantity of sewage generated.
The population should be fairly accurately estimated on the basis of the census reports.
The projected population is done for the ultimate design year to which the project is
designed to serve.
The rate of water consumption is done based on water consumption trends and also the
tendency of people using more and more water as the area develops. Different
countries have developed and recommended water consumption rates for various
categories of people. These figures can be used in design of a sewerage project.

Domestic sewage is estimated at 70-80% of water consumed by the population. Other

sources of sewage (wastewater) include:
1. Industrial wastewater
2. Groundwater infiltration
3. Stormwater flows
4. Institutional and commercial enterprises
ii. Characteristics of wastewater:

Determination of treatment required depends on the characteristics of the wastewater

to be treated. It may also depend on the receiving waters. For instance, if the receiving
water is a river with adequate discharge it may permit partially treated wastewater due
to high dilution factor thus having a good self-purification capacity.
Local legislation must be complied with especially regarding the quality of effluent
discharged to the environment.
iii. Economy of the sewerage project:
The major components of a sewerage project are the sewers and the treatment plant.
Efforts should be made to minimize these costs as far as possible.
iv. Masterplan and future developments:

Generally, sewerage projects are implemented in phases depending on development

plans of the area to be served. A masterplan showing various stages of development
should be prepared. The masterplan for the sewerage project must closely follow the
overall development of the town/city.

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 The project is planned in such manner that future expansion are done with less cost and
without any major demolition or alteration of the existing installation.
v. Project Financing:
Sewerage projects do not direct benefits however indirect benefit are immense.
Source of financing of these projects include municipal contribution, Government grant,
service charge etc.
vi. Survey:
A contour map is required with a reasonable scale to work out the gradients of sewers
and their layout. This is particularly necessary along the roads, details of railways,
footpaths etc.
vii. Excavation:

Excavation is necessary in order to lay sewers below ground level. Information should be
collected on the type of soil to formation level. This will enable the designer ascertain
the ease with which the excavation will be done and sewers laid. Rocky, very soft and
waterlogged soils are undesirable and increase the cost of the project. Unusual soil
conditions should be investigated.
viii. Existing Sewerage System:
Existing system of collecting and disposal of sewage should be studied. This should
include sullage and stormwater collection and disposal. The proposed system may or
may not incorporate the existing system.
The characteristics and quantity of sewage are different in cases of combined, separate
and partially separate sewerage systems. Domestic sewage has much higher BOD than
stormwater and need complete treatment compared to stormwater which may need
only preliminary treatment.
Volume of stormwater is so high that it is uneconomical to treat it together with
domestic sewage. For this reason, a greater percentage of stormwater is discharged
directly into the water course. Thus basic planning and method of treatment depends
on the proposed sewerage system – combined, separate or partially separate.
ix. Location of Treatment Plant:
The location of the treatment plant is important as it will determine the cost of
installation, operation and maintenance. The major criterion of site selection is the
topography. The location of the treatment plant should be such that flow in sewers is by
gravity. Thus the location of the TWs should be much lower in altitude than the area

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 served. This makes the project economical especially in relation to O&M as it avoids
pumping of sewage. However, in some cases pumping cannot be avoided from some
sections of the service area.

Where pumping is unavoidable, it may be economical to have single pumping at the

intake of the treatment plant with a provision of gravity flow all along the length of the
main sewer as well as inside the different units of the treatment plant.

The consideration in selecting site for TWs is to be far from residential and business
areas to avoid public health hazards and aesthetic concerns. It must be accessible to
facilitate construction and later for operation and maintenance.
x. Treatment Method:
The treatment method is decided on the basis of quantity and the characteristics of the
wastewater. It is also determined by the likely health and environmental hazards.
Treatment of wastewater is done in two stages namely: Primary and Secondary
treatment. Primary treatment consists of screening, grit removal and sedimentation.
Whereas secondary treatment removal of BOD, COD and pathogens.
In exceptional cases tertially treatment is incorporated to treat wastewater to almost
100% purity especially if the water is to be used for drinking.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS:
Based on data and information obtained from studies and investigations, detailed designs of
sewerage systems that is pumping stations, sewers TWs units to arrive at the sizes of various
components of the project. Design of sewers was dealt with in PHE II.
Combined sewerage system should be designed for a population of future year (medium term –
10 years or so from the time the project becomes operational) the project should have a
sewage flow measuring and sampling devices. An equipped laboratory for quality examination
to control the operation of treatment processes must be part of the project.

PROJECT DRAWINGS:
Drawings are prepared from the designs. They clearly show the sizes and details of the various
components of the project. The drawings required comprise of the following:
1. Layout Plan:

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 This is the topographical map showing the entire town and surrounding areas with the
major components of the proposed project with a suitable scale.
2. Site Plan:

This is a contoured site plan showing details of the project. It also shows the zoning of
the town into major drainage areas. It gives an overview of the entire project and the
coordination between the various components of the project.
3. Detailed Drawings:

They should show the sewer profiles, stream crossings, appurtenances, manholes,
inspection chambers, road crossings, pumping stations, buildings, treatment works units
etc.
4. Flow Diagrams:
They show the direction of flow.

COSTING:
In preparing the cost estimates, all the components of the project must be clearly defined and
included in the estimate. Costs associated to each component should be grouped together in
order to determine their effect on the total cost of the project. Related costs like land, right of
way and others should be included.

The recurrent annual costs of the project should be estimated separately. They include:
operation and maintenance costs (Staff salary, power, consumable materials, repairs etc.),
depreciation, interest on loans and the repayment of loans etc.

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