Evaluation of the performance of a rural municipal wastewater treatment plant in Nacogdoches, East Texas (USA)

Abstract

The performance of a rural wastewater treatment facility, Nacogdoches Wastewater Treatment Plant (NWWTP), in East Texas, USA, was assessed from January 2013 through June 2014. The elemental concentrations (Na, Mg, Ca, Ni, Pb, Mn, Cr, Mo, and Cu, Al, As, B, Ba, Ag, Cd, Fe, Hg, K, Se, Zn, Co, P, and S) were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The anion concentrations (Br⁻, , F⁻, Cl⁻, and ) were measured by ion chromatography. In general, the NWWTP was found efficient in removal to ≥ 96% for metals. The removal efficiency for anions was in the range 33–100% (33% for Cl⁻, 39% for F⁻, 84% for , and >96% for ). The mean concentrations for Cl⁻, were in the range 0–172.5, 0.0–0.4, 0.0–18.6, 0.0–98.0, 0.0–0.9, and 4.0–89.4 mg/L, respectively. The concentrations for most metals and anion concentrations, with the exception of phosphates, were found below USEPA maximum contaminant limits.

Keywords:

• wastewater treatment
• water quality
• activated sludge
• Nacogdoches
• ion chromatography
• inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES)

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to Professor Leon Young and Mr Wayne Weatherford of the Water, Soil and Plant Analysis Lab (SFASU). Thanks to the Nacogdoches Wastewater Treatment Plant facility personnel, Jill Bolin, Brian Phillips, and Russell Grubbs (facility Manager). Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and, therefore, no official endorsement should be inferred.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at doi:10.1080/02757540.2015.1029463.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support from Stephen F. Austin State University Faculty Research Grants (ORSP # 107552, and Research mini-grants) and Robert A. Welch Foundation Grant Number AN-0008 are acknowledged. S.A.S. was supported through the SFASU Chemistry Department.