Water Stabilization Pond

Rehabilitation and Expansion
Municipality of Villanueva, Cortes,
Honduras Report

Sustainable Engineering and

Environmental Health for Development (SEEHD)

Student Group
Department of Civil Engineering
California State University, Chico

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Lead Author: Alyssa Stutz

Collaborating Authors:
(in Alphabetacle Order)
Paul Anderson
Tim Arnold
Francis Booth
Brendan Finn
Kystle Galindo
Lisa Hall
Nicholas Mcgann
Frank O´Connell
Shane Salvador

Editors:
(in Alphabetacle Order)
Tim Arnold
Stewart Oakley

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright © 2010 SEEHD

 Table of Contents

Executive  Summary ..................................................................................................................................1  

Table 1: Summary of Findings ....................................................................................... 3  
Population  Estimates ...............................................................................................................................4  
Figure 1: Population estimates plotted on a yearly basis................................................ 4  
Average  Daily  Flow  Estimates ..............................................................................................................4  
Loading  Estimates .....................................................................................................................................5  
Table 2: Loading Estimates ............................................................................................ 5  
Volume  of  2.5  ha  Lagoon.........................................................................................................................5  
Cost  of  Construction  of  2.5  ha  Lagoon ..............................................................................................5  
Table 3: Breakdown of Cost of Construction of 2.5 ha Lagoon..................................... 6  
Volume  of  Sludge  to  be  Removed........................................................................................................6  
Cost  of  Desludging .....................................................................................................................................6  
Table 4: Breakdown of Cost for Desludging .................................................................. 6  
System  Analysis ..........................................................................................................................................7  
System  Configuration...............................................................................................................................8  
Figure 2: Two Pond Anaerobic System Configuration .................................................. 8  
Sludge  Accumulation ................................................................................................................................9  
Table 5: Sludge Accumulation ....................................................................................... 9  
Valorization  of  Wastewater  Effluent .................................................................................................9  
References.................................................................................................................................................. 10  
Appendix  A:  Pond  Volume  and  Cost  Calculations ..................................................................... 11  
Appendix  B:  Loading  Calculations ................................................................................................... 12  
Appendix  C:  Sludge  Accumulation  and  Valorization  Calculations..................................... 13  
Appendix  D:  System  Configuration  Analysis............................................................................... 14  
Executive Summary
Introduction
The pond system at Villanueva was constructed in 1993 and inundated by Hurricane
Mitch in 1998; it was rehabilitated in 1999 with funds from USAID and had been in
continuous operation until May 2010 when a highway construction contractor broke the
trunk line feeding the system. The primary lagoons are drying, offering an excellent
opportunity to implement a desludging operation.
The system has deteriorated over the years due to hydraulic and organic overloading as
evidenced by color changes indicating anaerobic conditions in both primary and
secondary ponds.
Ing. Ramón Jiménez, Director of Public Works for the Municipality of Villanueva, is
requesting immediate technical assistance for rehabilitation and expansion of
Villanueva’s wastewater stabilization pond system, which is on the verge of collapse due
to system overloading and excessive sludge buildup in the primary ponds. Ing. Jiménez
has requested that a preliminary design be provided that valorizes the treated effluent
through irrigation of sugarcane, thus making the system economically sustainable. Ing.
Jiménez has indicated that there are 2.5 ha adjacent to the system owned by the
municipality that can be used for system expansion pending funding of construction
costs. In order to request funding from the Fondo Hondureño de Inversión Social (FHIS)
he also urgently needs cost estimates for i) desludging the two primary ponds and ii)
construction of a new 2.5 ha facultative pond. The following report regarding the
Wastewater Stabilization Pond Rehabilitation and Expansion Municipality of Villanueva,
Cortes, Honduras Project (hereinafter “Project”) will attempt to address these requests.
Population Estimates
The population estimates for the years 2011 and 2016 are 54,580 and 60,330,
respectively.
Pond Volume
The 2.5 hectare pond excavation volume is approximately 54,300 cubic meters. The
volume of the pond up to the water level will be approximately 41,500 cubic meters. The
amount of sludge to be removed from the two primary ponds is around 9,000 cubic
meters.
Cost of Construction and Desludging
The cost of construction for the 2.5 hectare pond is roughly $90,130. The cost to desludge
the two current primary ponds is roughly $22,550. This makes the total cost for the
project $112,680.
System Configuration
The system configuration used in this report is a two pond anaerobic system with a 2.5
hectare maturation pond with 12 baffles.

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Loading Rates
The flow rate ranges from roughly 1,700 to 7,200 cubic meters per day. This means that
the BOD loading rate ranges from 340 to 1,450 kg/day. That equates to a loading rate of
26 to 113 g/m3-day for each of the two ponds.
Sludge Accumulation
The rate of sludge accumulation ranges from 1,200 to 2,400 cubic meters per year. This
means that it could be anywhere from 1.8 to 3.5 years before the ponds are 1/3 full of
sludge or 3.5 to 7.0 years before the ponds are 2/3 full.
Hydraulic Retention Time
Hydraulic retention times for the primary anaerobic ponds ranged from 7.6 to 1.8 days.
Hydraulic retention times for the 2.5 hectare facultative/maturation pond ranged from
24.6 to 5.7 days. This led to a total hydraulic retention time range from 32.2 to 7.5 days.
Log Removal
Using a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, log removal through the anaerobic ponds
ranged from 1.35 to 0.77 and log removal through the facultative/maturation pond ranged
from 2.59 to 1.03. Total log removal ranges from 3.93 to 1.81. The World Health
Organization (WHO) recommends 2-3 log removal, therefore, WHO guidelines are met.
Valorization
Using a BOD/Nitrogen/Phosphorus ratio of 100/5/1, the amount of nitrogen and
phosphorus accumulated in one day ranges from 17 to 72 kilograms and from 3 to 14
kilograms, respectively. This means that the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus
accumulated in one year ranges from 6,205 to 26,280 kilograms and from 1,095 to 5,110
kilograms, respectively.
This leads to value ranges for nitrogen of $24,670 to $105,700 (at $0.40/100 g) and value
ranges for phosphorus of $145,110 to $621,900 (at $58.84/500 g).
If the effluent is used for irrigation, the water value ranges from $92 - $396
($0.00015/m3).
Table 1: Summary of Findings

2016 Population: 60,330

2.5 ha pond excavation volume [m3]: 51,300
Cost of Construction: $90,130
Volume to Desludge [m3]: 9,000
Cost to Desludge: $22,550
Total Cost: $112,680

Range
3
Flow Rate [m /day]: 1,700 7,200
BOD loading per pond [g/m3-d] 26 113
Sludge Accumulation [m3/yr]: 1,200 2,400
Time interval for desludging [yrs]: 1.8 3.5
Hydraulic Retention Time [days]: 32.2 7.5
Log Removal 3.9 1.8
Nitrogen Value [$/yr] $24,660 $105,700
Phosphorus Value [$/yr] $145,110 $621,900
Water Value [$/yr] $92 $396
Population Estimates
The design period for the Project is from year 2011 to 2016. The initial estimate of the
population in Villanueva, Honduras is roughly 51,400 for the year 2008. (Wolfram 2010)
According to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, the population growth
rate in Honduras is 2.002%.
Using the following population growth equation:
= 0   where,
• N0 is the starting population
• N is the population after
• t is the time that has elapsed
• r is the growth rate
The population estimates for the years 2011 and 2016 are approximately 54,580 and
60,330, relatively.
Figure 1: Population estimates plotted on a yearly basis.

Average Daily Flow Estimates

Assumptions about per capita contributions can be in error by a factor of five or more.
Therefore, the average daily flow estimate will be given in a range based on the
population.
According to an article titled “Planning for the Future in Villanueva” it was said that 60%
of the city’s people now have access to potable water and sanitation services (USAID
2009). Therefore, the range used to compute the daily flow estimates will be from 50%
to 100% of the population of Villanueva for the year 2016.
Also, a water usage range was used for the design: 0.08 – 0.12 m3/person-day (Oakley
2005). Appendix B shows that the lowest flow estimate to the highest flow estimate
ranges from 1,700 to 7,200 cubic meters per day.
Loading Estimates
The total BOD5 and Total Suspended Solids loadings were calculated using an influent of
200 mg/L and 187 mg/L, respectively. The highest numbers from Lagoon 1 and 2
(instead of the averages) were taken from tables 2-5 and 2-6 of the “Lagunas de
estabilizacion en Honduras” manual by Dr. S. Oakley (Oakley 2005). Table 2
summarizes the calculated loading rates.
Table 2: Loading Estimates

Flow [m3/day]: 1,700 7,200

BOD Loadings [kg/day]: 340 1,450
BOD Loadings [g/m3-day]: 53 226
BOD Loadings per pond [g/m3-day]: 26 113
BOD Loadings per pond [kg/ha-day]: 400 1,700
TSS Loadings [kg/day]: 316 1,350

Volume of 2.5 ha Lagoon

The volume of the 2.5 hectare lagoon was calculated to be approximately 54,300 cubic
meters using the following equation (Oakley 2005):
= 6[ × + −2 ( −2 )+4 − − ] where,
• P is the depth of the lagoon in cubic meters
• l is the length of the lagoon in meters
• w is the width of the lagoon in meters
• i is the horizontal/vertical slope relationship and is normally 3/1

Cost of Construction of 2.5 ha Lagoon

The 2.5 ha lagoon will be excavated with the surplus material left onsite. A midsize
excavator, a D6 track tractor, and two 10 cubic meter dump trucks will be available for
rent.
The total quantity of material to be excavated is approximately 54,300 cubic meters
(calculated in the previous section).
The excavator will be loading the two dump trucks and the tractor will be pushing
material toward the excavator and making the finishing touches once the lagoon side
slopes are formed. The tractor will need to be rented for a longer amount of time than the
excavator towards the end of construction.
For the excavator, a bucket size of 0.9 cubic meters and a cycle time of 30 seconds (0.5
min) were used (Caterpillar 1998).
Table 3: Breakdown of Cost of Construction of 2.5 ha Lagoon

Cost Time Required Total Cost Total Cost

Equipment (L/hr) (hr) (HNL) (USD)
322B Excavator: 1,500 503 754,134 39,859
D6 Bulldozer: 1,000 519 518,756 27,418
Dump truck: 400 503 201,102 10,629
Dump truck: 400 503 201,102 10,629
Laborers (2): 60 503 30,165 1,594
Total: 1,705,260 90,130

Volume of Sludge to be Removed

The total quantity of sludge to be removed from the two current primary ponds is
approximately 9,000 cubic meters. This is assuming that both of the primary ponds are
currently filled with sludge and once the water has been evaporated, the sludge will be
approximately 70% of the volume of the lagoon (Oakley 2003).

Cost of Desludging
The two current primary ponds will be desludged and the sludge will be stored onsite. A
midsize excavator, a D6 track tractor, and two 10 cubic meter dump trucks will be
available for rent.
The total quantity of sludge is approximately 9,000 cubic meters (as stated in the
previous section).
The excavator will be loading the two dump trucks and the tractor will be pushing
material toward the excavator and making the finishing touches once the lagoon side
slopes are formed. The tractor will need to be rented for a longer amount of time than the
excavator towards the end of construction.
For the excavator, a bucket size of 0.9 cubic meters and a cycle time of 45 seconds (0.75
min) were used (Caterpillar 1998).

Table 4: Breakdown of Cost for Desludging

Cost
Time Required Total Cost Total Cost
Equipment (L/hr)(hr) (HNL) (USD)
322B Excavator: 1,500125 186,900 9,878
D6 Bulldozer: 1,000133 132,600 7,008
Dump truck: 400 125 49,840 2,634
Dump truck: 400 125 49,840 2,634
Laborers (2): 60 125 7,476 395
Total: 426,656 22,551
TOTAL COST FOR WHOLE PROJECT: 2,131,916 112,681
System Analysis
Loading Rates
Research needed to be conducted to decide whether the original configuration of the
ponds needs to be changed based on the organic loading rates. Appendix D shows that
the original configuration does need to be changed. It was assumed that the influent fecal
coliform concentrations were the same as measured in Dr. Oakley’s monitoring study in
2003 – 5.64x107 coliforms/100 ml (Oakley 2005). The surface organic loading rates to
the two primary ponds in parallel are well above the maximum of 350 kg BOD/ha-day.
They range from 568 to 1,192 kg BOD/ha-day and average 905 kg BOD/ha-day.
To see if the range would fall below 350 kg BOD/ha-day, analysis was made to use all
four ponds as primary aerobic ponds. Still the loading rates were high, ranging from 284-
596 kg BOD/ha-day, with an average of 452 kg BOD/ha-day. Only 26% of the estimated
flow-rates fell below the 350 kg BOD/ha-day maximum.
This showed that perhaps an anaerobic system would be something to consider. So an
analysis was done for both two anaerobic and four anaerobic ponds. The final design
includes two anaerobic ponds instead of four. It was decided that two anaerobic ponds
would be used instead of four because there is a chance that four ponds could be under-
loaded. Also, while two of the primary anaerobic ponds are being used, the other two are
not, which allows for easy desludging in the future.
Hydraulic Retention Time
Appendix D also includes hydraulic retention times. Hydraulic retention times decreased
significantly when switching from four ponds to two ponds. Retention times for the two-
pond anaerobic system varied between 7.5 and 32.2 days.
Pathogen Removal and WHO Guidelines for Wastewater Reuse
Pathogen removal is also included in Table 5. Von Sperling’s method was used to
calculate the log removal (Mara 2003). The following equations were used:

Anaerobic Ponds:

Anaerobic Ponds:
Total log removal of fecal coliforms ranged from 1.8 to 3.9 with an average of 2.8. Log
removal in the two anaerobic ponds alone ranged from 0.8 to 1.3, and in the maturation
pond (with 12 baffles) 1.0 to 2.6. It is estimated that there is a 100% removal of helminth
eggs (Mara 2003).
It is planned that the wastewater will be used to irrigate the local sugarcane. The 2006
World Health Organization guidelines suggest a log removal of 3 for restricted irrigation
and highly mechanized harvesting (WHO 2006). Fortunately, using the two parallel
anaerobic ponds in parallel and the maturation pond in series gives a best-case scenario
log removal of 3.9, which exceeds the WHO guidelines.

System Configuration
Figure 2: Two Pond Anaerobic System Configuration

Anaerobic  Pond  
1A  

Anaerobic  
Pond  2A  

Anaerobic  
Pond  1B  

Anaerobic  
Pond  2B  

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Sludge Accumulation
Because the ponds are anaerobic, sludge will accumulate in them more rapidly than if
they were aerobic ponds. The rate for sludge accumulation in anaerobic ponds in warm
climates is 0.04 cubic meters per person per day (Mara 2003). It is said that rates could be
as low as 0.01 but the high is used in this case as a factor of safety. Table 4 shows rates
of sludge accumulation depending on the percentage of people connected to the sewer
system.
Table 5: Sludge Accumulation

% Connected to Sewer 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

2016 Pop. 30,164 36,197 42,230 48,262 54,295 60,328
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Sludge Accumulation [m /yr] 1,207 1,448 1,689 1,930 2,172 2,413
2 Ponds Years until ponds are 1/3 full 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8
4 Ponds Years until ponds are 1/3 full 7.1 5.9 5.1 4.4 3.9 3.5
2 Ponds Years until ponds are 2/3 full 7.1 5.9 5.1 4.4 3.9 3.5
4 Ponds Years until ponds are 2/3 full 14.2 11.8 10.1 8.9 7.9 7.1

Valorization of Wastewater Effluent

Using a BOD/Nitrogen/Phosphorus ratio of 100/5/1, the amount of nitrogen and
phosphorus accumulated in one day ranges from 17 to 72 kilograms and from 3 to 14
kilograms, respectively (Viessman, 2009). This means that the amount of nitrogen and
phosphorus accumulated in one year ranges from 6,170 to 26,420 kilograms and from
1,230 to 5,280 kilograms, respectively.
This leads to value ranges for nitrogen of $24,660 to $105,700 per year (at $0.40/100 g)
and value ranges for phosphorus of $145,110 to $621,900 per year (at $58.84/500 g)
(Nitrogen, 2010; Eni Generalic, 2003).
If the effluent is used for irrigation, the water value ranges from $92 - $396 per year
($0.00015/m3) (Hearne, 2004).
References
Caterpillar Performance Handbook. 29th ed. Peoria, IL: Caterpillar, Inc., 1998. Print. pp.
4-148, 4-152.

Eni Generalic. 2003. <http://www.ktf-split.hr/periodni/en/p.html>

Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater. Volume 2. Geneva,
Switzerland. World Health Organization, 2006. Print. pp. xvii.

Hearne, Robert. An Analysis of the Feasibility of Irrigation District Transfer in

Honduras. North Dakota State University. Aug 2004. pp 5 < http://ageconsearch
umn.edu/bitstream/20078/1/sp04he04.pdf>

Mara, Duncan. Domestic Treatment in Developing Countries. Sterling, VA: Earthscan.

2003. Print. pp. 105-112; 145-147.

Nitrogen. Chemicool Periodic Table. 9/15/2010 <http://www.chemicool.com

/elements/nitrogen.html>.

Oakley, Stewart M. “LAGUNAS DE ESTABILIZACIÓN EN HONDURAS: Manual de

Diseño, Construcción, Operación y Mantenimiento, Monitoreo y Sostenibilidad.”
Universidad Estatal de California. Junio 2005. Pp. 23, 28, 32, 189.

"Planning for the future in Villanueva." USAID. USAID, 16 Jul 2009. Web. 11 Sep 2010.
<http://www.usaid.gov/stories/honduras/cs_honduras_villanueva.html>.

Viessman, Warren, Mark Hammer, Elizabeth Perez, and Paul Chadik. Water Supply and
Pollution Control. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print.
pp. 521-522.

Wolfram|Alpha. 19 Jun 2010. Web. 12 Sep 2010. <http://www.wolframalpha.com/

entities/cities/villanueva_honduras/p8/bv/ct/>.

World Factbook, The. “Central Intelligence Agency.” 2010. Web. 9 Sep 2010.<https:
//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html>.

.
Appendix A: Pond Volume and Cost Calculations
Appendix B: Loading Calculations

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Appendix C: Sludge Accumulation and Valorization Calculations
Appendix D: System Configuration Analysis