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P0ND0105

ELONGATED STABILIZATION PONDS WITH PARTITIONS:

A SOLUTION FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES SEWAGE DISPOSAL

By Rodolfo F. Saenz
Chief Engineer/Representative in the US
Acuasan Projects/Saenz Espinoza Engineers
6060 California Circle # 403, Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: (301) 770 1548; Fax: (301) 770 9180; rodsaenz@aol.com

January 2001

ABSTRACT

This document considers important aspects related to the theory, design, and use of
elongated stabilization ponds with partitions as a technology to facilitate the
sanitary disposal of sewage from small communities.

The main objective of this paper is to present a technology for wastewater

stabilization ponds design that produces effluents with a very low bacterial (Fecal
coliform or Escherichia coli) concentrations without the use of disinfection. This
effluent can be used for irrigation in accordance with WHO Health Guidelines for
the Use of Wastewater in Agriculture and Acuaculture (1).

1) INTRODUCTION

The operation of wastewater treatment plants in small or isolated communities is difficult for the lack of
adequate budgets to hire skill operators and to have appropriate control laboratories. Sometimes a group
of small towns can organize an association with capacity to hire a good operator and establish laboratory
support to supervise de operation and maintenance of a region’s group of sewage treatment plants.
However, when the towns are too small or too isolated, this solution is not practical, and the use of
technologies more simple than conventional wastewater treatment becomes a good possibility.

Stabilization ponds have been used for this purpose for more than sixty years. Adequate Biochemical
Oxygen Demand (BOD) removal has been achieved, but frequently it has been difficult to obtain the
bacteriological effluent quality required all the time because hydraulic short circuits occur (portions of
water leaving the pond after remaining only a fraction of the theoretical retention time). The result is
poor effluent bacteriological quality. Disinfection had been considered, but its use after stabilization
pond treatment is not practical and is not recommended.
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It has been found that with elongated ponds (L/W > 15; where L=length, W=width) the pond’s
efficiency improves and the hydraulic short circuits can be controlled. Even though elongated ponds are
more expensive to build than square or rectangular (L/W>3) ponds, this problem can be solved building
square ponds and using longitudinal partitions to make them elongated as shown in Figure 1.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 1
Square Stabilization Pond System Consisting of a
Primary Facultative Pond Followed by an Elongated Pond

Symbology
W= 2w w w w w
Influent

Influent
Effluent
Interconnection

L=6w
Flow direction

Dikes

Effluent
Partitions W = 2w w w w w

Primary Facultative Pond (L/W=3; W=2w)

Elongated Facultative Pond (L/W=24; W=w)

All ponds have a depth of 1.50 m (Z)

____________________________________________________________________________________
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2) CRITERIA FOR THE DESIGN OF THE PROPOSED PONDS SYSTEM

An important consideration in stabilization ponds design is that the pond’s actual retention
time is shorter than the theoretical retention time V/Q, where V is the pond volume, and Q
is the sewage rate of flow. In the design of stabilization ponds it is necessary to take into
consideration that the upper layers of the pond’s water (in a longitudinal cross section)
moves at a velocity 3/2 the average; in addition, the central layers of pond’s water (seen in
a horizontal plan) moves also at a velocity 3/2 the average. The actual or real retention time
of the pond (t) is affected by this characteristic as well as by “dead” volumes and short
circuits, if the hydraulic design of the ponds is poor. It has been mathematically
demonstrated that in the upper central part of the pond the water velocity is 9/4 the
average (laminar flow characteristic) (2),(3). That means that this part of the water will
leave the ponds in a time 4/9 (0.44) the average retention time. This value has been called
Hydraulic Correction Factor (HCF). Consequently, t = (V/Q) HCF.

The square pond’s system presented in Figure 1 includes: 1) a primary facultative pond
where initial sewage treatment is achieved and the sedimentable solids are retained (this
pond (L/W=3) has 1/3 of the system area), and 2) the elongated pond (L/W=24) has 2/3 of
the system area. Actually, the elongated pond consists of four ponds in series each one with
a relation L/W=6. Thanks to the interconnections (trough pipes) between the ponds in
order to get the mixing of the water traveling at a faster rate of flow with the water flowing
slowly. The result is the increase of the HCF to a higher value of the order of 0.50. This
is very important because the HCF will impact on the efficiency of the elongated pond
(4,5,6,7) that is determined by the Chick’s law equation:

V V
−( HCF ( ) Kb ) −( 0.50 ( ) Kb )
N = N o e −tKb = N 0 e Q
= N 0e Q

Where No is the initial bacterial concentration, N is the bacterial concentration after a time
t, and Kb is the bacteria decay constant (in 1/days)
The value of Kb has been found to be temperature dependent:

V = L W Z = volume in m3
L = length of the pond in the direction of flow in m
W = wide of the pond in m
Z = depth of the pond in m = 1.50 m
Q = rate of flow in m3/day = P q /1000
P = connected population (in persons)
q = wastewater production in L/person/day

K b = K b 20 1.06 (T − 20 )
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Where Kb is the bacteria decay constant at any temperature (T in oC), and Kb20 is the same
constant at 20 oC (Kb20 = 0.75 1/day).

3) DESIGN OF THE PONDS SYSTEM

Design of the Primary Facultative Pond

See Figure 1
Area = A = 6 w 2 w = 12 w2
Per capita wastewater production = q
q = 200 L/person/day
Population = P in persons
Rate of flow = Q = P q/1000
Q in cubic meters/day
Permissible BOD load intensity = i20 = 300 kg/hectare/day at 20 o C
Temperature correction =iT = i20 1.06(T-20)
Per capita organic Load (BOD)= y = 50 gr/person/day
Organic load = yo = y P/1000 in kg/day
Area at 20oC =A20 =( yo/i20 )10000 in square meters
Area at a temp. T=AT = ( yo/iT)10000 in square meters

Making equal the first and last equations (area equations), it is possible to calculate "w"for
any temperature

12w2 = ( yo/it)10000

w2 = (10000/12) (yo/iT)

w = ((10000/12 )(yo/iT))(1/2)

w=((10000/12 )((y P/1000 )/(i201.06)(T-20))))(1/2) = ((10/12)((y P)/(i201.06)(T-20))))(1/2)

w = (y P/(1.2 i20 1.06(T-20)))(1/2)

Design Table
For:
q = 200 L/person/day
i20 = 300 kg/hectare/day; 1.2 i20 = 360
y = BOD =50gr/person/day

w= (50*P/(360 • 1.06(T-20)))(1/2)

This equation was used to calculate Table 1.

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Table 1

Values of “w” in meters for different values of “P” and “T”

Population Temperature, T o C, average of the year’s coldest month of the year

(persons)
5 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

100 5.77 5.60 5.29 4.99 4.70 4.44 4.19 3.95 3.73
250 9.12 8.86 8.36 7.89 7.44 7.02 6.62 6.25 5.89
500 12.90 12.53 11.82 11.15 10.52 9.93 9.36 8.83 8.33
1,000 18.24 17.72 16.72 15.77 14.88 14.04 13.24 12.49 11.79
2,000 25.80 25.06 23.64 22.30 21.04 19.85 18.73 17.67 16.67
5,000 40.80 39.62 37.38 35.27 44.52 31.39 29.61 27.93 26.35
10,000 57.69 56.04 52.87 49.87 47.05 44.39 41.87 39.50 37.27
15,000 70.66 68.63 64.75 61.08 57.62 54.36 51.29 48.38 45.64
20,000 81.59 79.25 74.76 70.53 66.54 62.77 59.22 55.87 52.70
25,000 91.22 88.60 83.59 78.86 74.39 70.18 66.21 62.46 58.93

Design of the Elongated Pond

After the design of the primary pond has been completed, the elongated pond has also been
designed, because it will have a width of "w" and a length of 24w, with interconnections
every 6w. See Figure 1.

Area Requirements
The area of the pond’s surface is approximately equal to 36 w2. The value of w refers to
the wide at the average depth of the pond. Taking into consideration the dike’s slopes
(1vert/3horiz.) and a free border of 0.50 m, and a 3 m width dike surface, the required area
is equal to (6w + 24 )2. Considering that an ecological belt around the ponds should be
establish, an additional 40% of land should be purchased. Consequently, the required area
that has to be purchased for the pond site (Ap) is:

Ap = 1.4(6w + 24)2
Where w is in meters (from table 1), and Ap is in square meters. With the use of this
equation Table 2 has been calculated:
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Table 2
Area Requirements in Hectares

Temperature, T o C, average of the year’s coldest month of the year

5 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Population
(persons)

100 0.48 0.46 0.43 0.41 0.38 0.36 0.34 0.32 0.30
250 0.87 0.83 0.77 0.71 0.66 0.61 0.57 0.53 0.49
500 1.44 1.38 1.26 1.16 1.06 0.98 0.90 0.83 0.77
1000 2.49 2.38 2.16 1.97 1.80 1.64 1.50 1.37 1.26
2000 4.48 4.26 3.85 3.49 3.16 2.87 2.60 2.37 2.15
5000 10.11 9.59 8.63 7.77 11.87 6.31 5.69 5.14 4.64
10000 19.18 18.17 16.30 14.63 13.13 11.80 10.61 9.54 8.58
15000 28.09 26.59 23.82 21.35 19.14 17.17 15.40 13.83 12.42
20000 36.92 34.93 31.27 28.00 25.08 22.47 20.14 18.06 16.21
25000 45.70 43.22 38.66 34.60 30.97 27.73 24.84 22.26 19.96

4) EVALUATION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF THE POND’S SYSTEM

Primary Pond:
The efficiency of the primary pond is in the order of 70% for BOD removal, and 90% for
fecal coliform removal.

Elongated Pond:
Because it is an elongated pond, piston flow conditions are assumed. For bacterial (N)
decay the Chick”s law previously discussed will rule.

V V
−( HCF ( ) Kb ) −( 0.50 ( ) Kb )
N = N o e −tKb = N 0 e Q
= N 0e Q

For BOD decay, the first order BOD reaction will rule:
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V V
− ( HCF ( )K ) − ( 0.50 ( )K )
BOD = BODoe − tK = BOD0e Q
= BOD0e Q

Where:
Kb = Bacteria decay constant in 1/day = 0.75 • 1.06(T-20) in 1/day
K = BOD decay constant = 0.25 • 1.06(T-20) in 1/day
T = average temperature of the coldest month in the year in oC
V= pond volume= w Z 24 w = 24 Z w2
Q = Rate of flow = P q/1000

If Z=1,50 m and q = 200 L/person/day

t = 0.5 (24 • 1.50w2)/(P200/1000)

t= (90w2)/P

N % out = 100(N/No) =100 e-(0.75 • 1.06^(T-20)) (90w^2)/P)

BOD % out= 100(y/yo) + IAF =100e -(0.25 • 1.06^(T-20) (90w^2)/P) + IAF

Where IAF is the Intrinsic Algal Factor.

The intrinsic algal factor (IAF) takes into consideration the BOD originated by algal
decay and its endogenous respiration in the pond. Because of the presence of this
phenomenon (IAF), it is not possible to reach very high efficiencies for BOD removal in
stabilization ponds. It has been found the IAF value is in the range 5%-15 %, the lower
values correspond to primary ponds.

An IAF of 10% has been assumed for the elongated pond.

With the two previous equations, the efficiency for each of the Table 1 designs can be
estimated. Bigger values for w can be used until reaching the desired efficiency. No
smaller values of w must be used, because w has been calculated to get the minimum
primary pond size to avoid anoxic conditions.

Example:

Calculate the efficiencies for the first and last w values of Table 1.
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First Last
w= 5.77 58.93
P= 100 25000
T= 5 20
N % out = 100 * (N/No) = 0.008464 0.00847
BOD % out = 100 * (y/yo) + IAF = 16.7572 14.3916
Efficiency N % =100 - N % out 99.99154 99.9915
Efficiency BOD % = 100 - BOD % out 83.2428 85.6084

Total Efficiency:

The total efficiency of the pond's system will be the combined efficiency of the primary and
the elongated pond.

First Last
N BOD N BOD
Primary Pond Efficiency = PRIM % = 90 70 90 70
Elongated Pond Efficiency = EL % = 99.99154 83.243 99.99153 856084
System N % out =
(100 – PRIM N %) /100 • N % out = 0.000846 0.000847
System Efficiency N % =
100 - System FC % out = 99.99915 99.99915
System BOD % out =
(100-PRIM BOD%) x BOD % out = 24.973 25.6825
System Efficiency BOD % =
100 - System BOD % out 75.027 74.3175

5) FINAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE PROPOSED PONDS SYSTEM

The proposed ponds system has an efficiency in the order of five logarithms for the
removal of bacteria. With that efficiency it is possible to reduce an effluent with a
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concentration of bacteria of 100,000.000 CF/100 mL to a concentration of 1000 CF/100

mL. (WHO guidelines for irrestrict reuse)(1). This efficiency can be improved
incrementing the depth “Z”, or the value of ”w” for a specific design.

If a lower efficiency in the removal of bacteria is required, it is possible to reduce the pond
depth “Z” (to values no lower than 1 meter). It is not recommended to reduce the value of
“w” because the primary pond becomes anoxic.

The principal disadvantage of the design proposed in this paper is the big area required to
build the ponds. Smaller areas are required using primary anaerobic ponds, as proposed in
(3). But anaerobic ponds, which work very well in the tropics, do not work so well in cold
countries (where there are prolonged temperatures below 15 oC.) Pretreatment in Up flow
Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactors (UASB) can be used to reduce the required area for the
stabilization ponds in cold areas.

Information about stabilization ponds theory, design and construction, including inlet,
outlet and ponds interconnection structures are presented in references (4) and (7).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author wishes to acknowledge the valuable comments and contribution to the edition of
this paper to Carmen Isabel Saenz, MSIE, and Acuasan Projects staff.

REFERENCES

1. WHO: “Health guidelines for the use of wastewater in agriculture and aquaculture.”
Report of a WHO Scientific Group. Technical Report Series 778. World Health
Organization, Geneva. 1989.*
2. Sáenz F. Rodolfo. Hidráulica Básica para Ingenieros Sanitarios”. Serie
DTIAPA/BID/OPS/OMS. Manual C-1. CEPIS. Lima, Peru. 1984.*
3. Saenz F. Rodolfo. “Stabilization Ponds in the Tropics: Promotion of the Sanitary
Reuse of Water”. Bulletin of PAHO 27(3), 1993. PAHO, Washington DC.*
4. Saenz F. Rodolfo. “Lagunas de Estabilizacion y otros Metodos Simplificados para
el Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales.” Serie DTIAPA/BID/OPS/OMS. Manual C-
14. CEPIS. Lima, Peru. 1985.*
5. Saenz F. Rodolfo. “Prediction of Stabilization Pond Effluent Quality.” Tenth
Symposium on Wastewater Treatment. Environment Canada - Gouvenement du
Quebec/Min. De l’Environment. Montreal, Quebec. October 1987. *
6. Polprasert, CH, & Bhattarai, K. “Dispersion Model for Waste Stabilization Ponds.”
Journal of the Environmental Engineering Division, ASCE., 111 (N1) 12. 1985.
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7. PAHO/CEPIS/REPIDISCA: Red Panamericana de Informacion en Ingenieria

Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente. “REPINDEX sobre Lagunas de Estabilizacion.
No 42.” Lima, Peru. Junio 1992.*

* http://www.cepis.org.pe

Filename:POND0105.wpd
DECEMBER 19, 2000 - RSF/CIS