CE 370, Penn State

HW #4 (20 points)
Due: Tuesday, July 27, 2021, by 11:59pm ET

Topic: Drinking Water Treatment

1. Drinking Water Standards. (+2.2 total)

Type your answers to the following questions in your own words:
a. What is the difference between a primary and secondary drinking water standard?
b. What is the difference between a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) and a Maximum
Contaminant Goal (MCLG)?
c. Give an example of a contaminant that has an MCLG but not a numeric MCL.

2. Water Treatment Plant Configuration. (+3.4 total) Draw (by hand or using a computer, not cut
and paste from the notes) a schematic of a typical water treatment plant, and in your own words,
briefly describe the purpose of each of the unit processes (typed). Be sure to use arrows to indicate
the direction of water flow and the addition of any chemicals to the system.

3. Coagulation. (+1.7 total) A water treatment plant processing 0.3 m3s-1 uses a single rapid-mix tank
to add coagulant to the water with a hydraulic detention time of 22 seconds. What is the necessary
volume of the tank? Does this volume fall within typical design guidelines?
V = 6.6 m3; and verbal response.

4. Flocculation. (+1.5 total) Six flocculation basins running in parallel configuration are used to treat
the coagulated water from #3. If the volume of each basin is 50 m3, what is the detention time?
td = 16.7 min.

5. Sedimentation. (+2.7 total) How many sedimentation basins would be required to treat a total flow
rate of 18 MGD if the dimensions of each basin are 180 ft x 60 ft and the overflow rate is 14 m3 day-1
m-2?
n = 5 basins.

6. Filtration. (+2 total) A water treatment plant with a flow rate of 1.5 m3/s uses eight parallel sand filters
(each 3 m by 8 m). What hydraulic loading rate must be applied to maintain the total flow through the
plant?
v = 675 m/d.

7. Disinfection. (+1.5 total) Why is the presence of a residual important? In recent years, chloramine
has been replacing chlorine as the primary disinfectant in the U.S.A. Why? What are the advantages
and disadvantages of this? Type your responses in your own words.

8. Hardness. (+5 total) A chemical analysis of a groundwater sample yields the following data:

Ion Conc. (mg/L)

Ca2+ 48.5
Mg2+ 24.6
Na+ 17.4
K+ 1.9
Cl- 18.7
SO42- 21.8
HCO3- 262
pH 8.2

1
Calculate the following:

a. Total hardness as CaCO3. What would be the hardness classification of this water and why?
Would softening be recommended?
Hardness = 222.1 mg/L as CaCO3; and verbal responses
b. Carbonate hardness.
CH = 159.0 mg/L as CaCO3
c. Non-carbonate hardness.
NCH = 63.1 mg/L as CaCO3
d. Total dissolved solids.
TDS = 326.9 mg/L