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

2. Warm Up 1True/False. Shower, sink, and toilet water leave your home through the same pipe. 2Where does wastewater from your home go? ? ?

3. Not in here, buddy 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 1858- London smelled so bad the government decided to construct an underground sewer for the city

4. Cesspool Design

5. 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

6. 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

7. Secondary Treatment Aeration Tank- WW mixed with oxygen and aerobic bacteria to break down waste biologically 2 nd 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?

8. Aeration Tanks

9. 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?

10. Wastewater Treatment Process

11. 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

12. 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- $$

13. Septic Systems A home WWTP for rural areas 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 before it re-enters the aquifer Sludge gets removed periodically

14. Septic Systems

15. 1. Septic Tank 2. Drainfield 3. Sludge Removal 1 2 3

16. Raised septic systems for high water tables

17. 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

18. 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?!

19. Georgia flooding- 2009

20. Untreated Wastewater in River

22. 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

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