1. “Let’s talk about poop, baby”
The day every five-year old boy dreams of…

2. Warm Up
True/False. Shower, sink, and toilet water leave your home through the same pipe.
Where does wastewater from your home go? ? ?

3. Not in here, buddy – show smithfield poop spraying!
Developing world: human waste disposal similar to pre-modern times
Waste Ditches and cesspools
Outhouses
1596- John Harington designed the toilet; Thomas Crapper an early toilet maker in U.K.
“The Great Stink” of London smelled so bad the government decided to construct an underground sewer for the city

4. Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater- water that contains waste from homes or industry
Goal of WWT- make water clean enough to return to a water source (river or lake) without damaging ecosystem

5. Primary Treatment
Filtration- wastewater passed through large screen to remove solid objects
First Settling Tank (sedimentation)- WW moved to large tank where solids settle and are later removed as sludge
Settling Tank

6. Secondary Treatment
Aeration Tank- WW mixed with oxygen and aerobic bacteria to break down waste biologically
2nd settling tank- bacteria and other solids are removed as sludge
Chlorination- chlorine is added to disinfect water before being released to water body
Question: What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic?

7. Aeration Tanks

8. Question: Why would we want to remove nitrogen and phosphorus?
Tertiary Treatment
Goal- remove anything primary and secondary didn’t remove such as:
Nutrients- Nitrogen and Phosphorus
Odor and other pathogens
UV light
Ozone
More chlorine
Question: Why would we want to remove nitrogen and phosphorus?

9. Wastewater Treatment Process

10. What about the sludge? Sludge can contain toxic substances
Heavy metals: Mercury, Lead, Cadmium
Organic pollutants
Pathogens
Where does it go?
Land: hauled to landfills
Oceans: Europe still dumps 35-45% of total vol.
Air: incinerated (burned); ash brought to landfill

11. Sludge Alternatives Fertilizers for crops
Soil conditioner (like compost)
Reclaiming a landfill for open space or park
Recycled into different materials
Bricks
Biofuels
But...the sludge needs to be treated first to remove heavy metals and other toxins- $$

12. Septic Systems A home WWTP for rural areas waste water treatment plant
Residential wastewater flows into buried tank on property
Solids settle in tank, liquids are distributed throughout pipe network in soil called the “drain field”
Soil bacteria break down liquid waste, purifies water (natural) before it re-enters the aquifer
Sludge gets removed periodically

13. Septic Systems

14. Septic Systems
1. Septic Tank 2. Drainfield 3. Sludge Removal 1 2 3

15. When it hits the fan…Issues
Unmaintained septic systems
E. Coli, fecal coliform bacteria in water
Water-borne diseases: Cholera, Dysentary
Dumping hazardous chemicals into toilet, sink

16. Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
In older towns and cities, storm water and wastewater sewers are connected- all goes to WWTP
During heavy rainstorms, WWTP cannot handle the extra load of wastewater
So…what do you think happens?!

17. Georgia flooding- 2009

18. Untreated Wastewater in River

20. What can you do at home?
Do NOT pour hazardous materials down the drain, toilet, or shower
Paint
Paint Thinner
Chemicals
Do NOT pour excessive fats, grease, oils, or dead pets down the drain

21. Wrapping Up… Complete Poop Day recap before you leave today