GARCIA, CAMILLE B.

1. EVALUATION AND FACTORS THAT AFFECT WASTEWATER DISCHARGE

Evaluation of Sewage Discharge

Correct estimation of sewage discharge is necessary; otherwise sewers may prove

inadequate resulting in overflow or may prove too large in diameter, which may make the
system uneconomical and hydraulically inefficient. Hence, before designing the
sewerage system it is important to know the discharge / quantity of the sewage, which
will flow in it after completion of the project and at the end of design period.

Apart from accounted water supplied by water authority that will be converted to
wastewater, following quantities are considered while estimating the sewage quantity:

a. Addition due to unaccounted private water supplies

People using water supply from private wells, tube wells, etc. contribute to the
wastewater generation more than the water supplied by municipal authority. Similarly,
certain industries utilize their own source of water. Part of this water, after desired uses,
is converted into wastewater and ultimately discharged into sewers. This quantity can be
estimated by actual field observations.

b. Addition due to infiltration

This is additional quantity due to groundwater seepage in to sewers through faulty joints
or cracks formed in the pipes. The quantity of the water depends upon the height of the
water table above the sewer invert level. If water table is well below the sewer invert level,
the infiltration can occur only after rain when water is moving down through soil. Quantity
of the water entering in sewers depends upon the permeability of the ground soil and it is
very difficult to estimate. While estimating the design discharge, following suggested
discharge can be considered (Table 4.1).

Table 4.1 Suggested estimates for groundwater infiltration for sewers laid below
groundwater
table (CPHEEO Manual, 1993)
GARCIA, CAMILLE B.

Storm water drainage may also infiltrate into sewers. This inflow is difficult to calculate.
Generally, no extra provision is made for this quantity. This extra quantity can be taken
care of by extra empty space left at the top in the sewers, which are designed for running
¾ full at maximum design discharge.

c. Subtraction due to water losses

The water loss, through leakage in water distribution system and house connections,
does not reach consumers and hence, not appear as sewage.

d. Subtraction due to water not entering the sewerage system

Certain amount of water is used for such purposes, which may not generate sewage, e.g.
boiler feed water, water sprinkled over the roads, streets, lawns, and gardens, water
consumed in
industrial product, water used in air coolers, etc.

Net quantity of sewage: The net quantity of sewage production can be estimated by
considering the addition and subtraction as discussed above over the accounted quantity
of water supplied by water authority as below:

Generally, 75 to 80% of accounted water supplied is considered as quantity of sewage

produced.

Factors that Affect Quantity of Wastewater

A. Population
GARCIA, CAMILLE B.

Quantity of sewage to be removes is dependent on the population and contribution of

sewage per capita

B. Rate of water supply

Quantity of water entering the sewer is slightly less than the water supplied
Usually assumed at 60 to 70%

C. Type of area served

Quantity of sewage depends on the type of area such as residential, commercial, or

industrial

Residential – directly dependent on the amount of water supplied

Industrial – Dependent on the industrial process taking place
Commercial – dependent on the amount of development of the area.

2. WORKING FORMULA FOR STORM DRAINAGE TIME OF CONCENTRATION

The Rational Method (or Rational Formula) is:

Q = Cf C i A (Equation 1)

Where:
Q = Peak flow in cubic feet per second (cfs)
Cf = Runoff coefficient adjustment factor to account for reduction of infiltration and other
losses during high intensity storms
C = Runoff coefficient to reflect the ratio of rainfall to surface runoff
i = Rainfall intensity in inches per hour (in/hr)
GARCIA, CAMILLE B.

A = Drainage area in acres (ac)

Limitations and assumptions in the Rational Method are as follows:

• The drainage area should not be larger than 200 acres.
• The peak flow is assumed to occur when the entire watershed is contributing runoff.
• The rainfall intensity is assumed to be uniform over a time duration equal to or
greater than the time of concentration, Tc.
• The peak flow recurrence interval is assumed to be equal to the rainfall intensity
recurrence interval. In other words, the 10-year rainfall intensity is assumed to
produce the 10-year flood.

Detailed descriptions of the Rational Method input variables follow:

• Runoff Coefficient "C" - This variable represents the ratio of runoff to rainfall. It is the
most difficult input variable to estimate. It represents the interaction of many complex
factors, including the storage of water in surface depressions, infiltration, antecedent
moisture, ground cover, ground slopes, and soil types. In reality, the coefficient may vary
with respect to prior wetting and seasonal conditions. The use of average values has
been
adopted to simplify the determination of this coefficient. Table 1 lists runoff coefficients
for
various combinations of ground cover and slope. Where a drainage area is composed of
subareas with different runoff coefficients, a composite coefficient for the total drainage
area
is computed by dividing the summation of the products of the subareas and their
coefficients
by the total area:
GARCIA, CAMILLE B.

The impervious surface area is often a factor in stormwater storage and water quality
treatment designs. Impervious surfaces have runoff coefficients greater than 0.80 based
on
Table 1. These are hard surfaces which either prevent or significantly retard the entry of
water into the soil mantle. Common impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to,
roof
tops, walkways, patios, driveways, parking lots or other storage areas, concrete or
asphalt
paving, gravel roads, packed earthen materials, oiled, macadam, or other similar
surfaces.

• Runoff Coefficient Adjustment Factor "Cf" - The coefficients in Table 1 are applicable
for 10-years or less recurrence interval storms. Less frequent, higher intensity storms
require adjusted runoff coefficients because infiltration and other losses have a
proportionally smaller effect on runoff. Runoff coefficient adjustment factors (Cf) for
storms of different recurrence intervals are listed in Table 2.

• Rainfall Intensity "i" - This variable indicates rainfall severity. Rainfall intensity is related
to rainfall duration and design storm recurrence interval. Rainfall intensity at a duration
equal to the time of concentration (Tc) is used to calculate the peak flow in the Rational
Method. The rainfall intensity can be selected from the appropriate
intensity-durationrecurrence
interval (I-D-R) curve in Appendix A.

• Area "A" - The area is defined as the drainage surface area in acres, measured in a
horizontal plane. The area is usually measured from plans or maps using a planimeter.
The
area includes all land enclosed by the surrounding drainage divides. In highway drainage
design, this area will frequently include upland properties beyond the highway
right-of-way

3. ESTIMATION OF QUANTITY OF WASTEWATER

GARCIA, CAMILLE B.

Wastewater Quantity Estimation

The flow of sanitary sewage alone in the absence of storms in dry season is known as
dry weather flow (DWF).

Quantity= Per capita sewage contributed per day x Population

Sanitary sewage is mostly the spent water of the community draining into the sewer
system. It has been observed that a small portion of spent water is lost in evaporation,
seepage in ground, leakage, etc. Usually 80% of the water supply may be expected to
reach the sewers.