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Evaluation of Infiltration Discharge as a Strategy to Meet Effluent Temperature Limits
Recognizing that elevated stream temperatures can harm aquatic organisms, regulatory agencies have begun to enforce thermal total daily maximum load (TMDL) limits on wastewater discharges. Infiltration discharge, where treated wastewater is allowed to infiltrate into the soil and then percolate toward the stream or river, represents a potential method for meeting temperature requirements and for supplementing flow. This study combines observed and simulated temperature data to assess the efficacy of using infiltration discharge to meet effluent temperature limits. Observational data collected during operation of a 0.15-ha pilot-scale infiltration discharge system revealed the pattern of groundwater heating beneath the site by the wastewater, with the largest temperature increases occurring near the infiltration point. Numerical simulations used to examine the long-term groundwater response to operation of a 5.5-ha large-scale infiltration wetland system confirmed this trend and demonstrated how multiyear operation causes the heat to propagate outward from the infiltration point, primarily in the direction of the natural groundwater gradient. The numerical results also reveal how retention time can be an important factor in allowing heat to dissipate toward the surface and become removed from the system. To understand the ultimate fate of the wastewater heat, we formulated a set of nondimensional numbers computed using physical characteristics of the site and wastewater that compare hydraulic retention time with infiltration capacity and can be used to determine the potential of a site for infiltration discharge. We show the conditions under which infiltration discharge is a viable method for wastewater discharge within temperature limits.
Evaluation of Infiltration Discharge as a Strategy to Meet Effluent Temperature Limits
Recognizing that elevated stream temperatures can harm aquatic organisms, regulatory agencies have begun to enforce thermal total daily maximum load (TMDL) limits on wastewater discharges. Infiltration discharge, where treated wastewater is allowed to infiltrate into the soil and then percolate toward the stream or river, represents a potential method for meeting temperature requirements and for supplementing flow. This study combines observed and simulated temperature data to assess the efficacy of using infiltration discharge to meet effluent temperature limits. Observational data collected during operation of a 0.15-ha pilot-scale infiltration discharge system revealed the pattern of groundwater heating beneath the site by the wastewater, with the largest temperature increases occurring near the infiltration point. Numerical simulations used to examine the long-term groundwater response to operation of a 5.5-ha large-scale infiltration wetland system confirmed this trend and demonstrated how multiyear operation causes the heat to propagate outward from the infiltration point, primarily in the direction of the natural groundwater gradient. The numerical results also reveal how retention time can be an important factor in allowing heat to dissipate toward the surface and become removed from the system. To understand the ultimate fate of the wastewater heat, we formulated a set of nondimensional numbers computed using physical characteristics of the site and wastewater that compare hydraulic retention time with infiltration capacity and can be used to determine the potential of a site for infiltration discharge. We show the conditions under which infiltration discharge is a viable method for wastewater discharge within temperature limits.
Evaluation of Infiltration Discharge as a Strategy to Meet Effluent Temperature Limits
Stewart, Ryan D. (author) / Moreno, Daniel (author) / Gregory, Christopher T. (author) / Selker, John S. (author)
2016-11-08
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
Unknown
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