CHAPTER 4 SAMPLING

4.1 Wastewater samples

Wastewater samples of different concentrations and constituents were required in the

analysis of the attenuation of contaminants down the sand columns of different
hydraulic conductivity . Therefore, the samples were taken from a sewage treatment
plant at each stage of treatment. Thorngrove sewage treatment plant was chosen for
the study.

4.2 Thorngrove Sewage Treatment Works

Thorngrove sewage treatment works was established in 1959.It is located in

Thorngrove Township which is about 5km from the city centre. It is a very small
treatment plant receiving sewage from the western areas of Bulawayo and the
surrounding industrial areas. It has an average daily load of about 5000m³/day .Unlike
the other treatment plants in the city of Bulawayo which dispose of their treated
effluent in surface water bodies, the effluent from Thorngrove is reused to water city
council grounds, public parks, primary school play grounds and golf courses in
Bulawayo.Similar treatment works are available at Luveve and Waterford.
4.3 Sample Point A

Primary Clarifier
At this point the water would have come from the screens and the coarse debris will
have been removed. The primary clarifier is designed to remove settleable solids from
wastewater before biologically treating it for dissolved solids.

4.3.1 Collection of Sample

- The sample was collected on 19 February 2008

- The sample was collected from the clarifier using a plastic jar and poured
into 2litre plastic bottles.
- 8litres of sample A was collected in 4 – 2litre bottles
- The temperature of the sample was 22.5ºC.

4.4 Sample Point B

Spliter- box 1
At this point the wastewater would have gone through filtration.
4.4.1 Collection of Sample B
- The sample was collected on 5 March 2008
- The sample was collected using a small plastic jar and poured into 2litre
bottles.
- 8litres of sample B was collected in 4 – 2litre plastic bottles
- The sample measured a temperature of 20.7 ºC

4.5 Sample Point C

Sample C was collected after the wastewater had gone through aerobic biological
treatment. Aerobic biological treatment occurs at the trickling filters .Wastewater is
sprayed over a rock bed at intermittent application basis. Bacteria attach and grow on
the media and are aerated by natural air currents. The sample was collected in the
collection tank at the bottom of the filters before the water is channelled to the second
super filter
4.5.1 Collection of sample C
- Sample was collected on April 4 2008
- The sample was collected using a plastic bucket fetching directly from the
tank.
- The sample was placed in 4- 2litre plastic bottles making 8liters of sample
collected
- The sample had a temperature of 20.3 ºC , measured soon after collection.

4.6 Sample Point D

Sample point D is the reservoir. The recycled water is distributed from the reservoir
of the treatment plant to the receiving areas. The water in the reservoir would have
undergone all treatment including chlorination. The sample was collected ay an outlet
tap on 14 April .
4.7 Handling of the Samples

- The samples were placed in clean plastic bottles; plastic bottles were used
because they are inert and non-reactive.
- Latex gloves had to be worn during the sampling as a health precaution.
- Extraction of the samples from the various chambers within the treatment
plant was done by the treatment plant workers as a safety regulation
imposed by the City of Bulawayo.

4.8 Transportation and Storage of the Samples

- The samples were collected in the 2litre bottles and were transported in an
empty 20litre bucket
- The samples were kept incubated in the university lab refrigerator when
they were not being used
- Each sample was kept a maximum of 2 days then it was discarded.
 - The bottle tops of the plastic bottles containing the sample had to be
tightly closed at all times except when the sample was being taken for
testing to prevent spilling.

4.9 Soil Samples

Soil samples were collected at different places within the city of Bulawayo.

4.9.1 Sample 1

The sample was collected in Selborne Brooke construction site which is 7km away
from the city centre. The sample had to be taken up to a depth of 1.5m ,the depth to
which the analysis was being done which is equal to the height of the sand columns.
The sample had to be collected in such a manner which would allow it to be packed in
the sand column in a way similar to the way it was arranged in the ground. The
collection of the sample was done as described in 4.9.2 and the digging was done by
the trench diggers of Bulawayo Allied Glass; a construction company whilst they
were in the process of digging a sewer manhole.

4.9.2 Sample collection

- A hole is dug up to a depth of about 0.5m,measuring with a tape measure

available at the construction site and the soil excavated placed in a single
pile
- The hole was further dug to a depth of about 1m with the excavated
material being placed in a pile separate from the first pile.
- It was dug further from 1m to about 1.5m and the soil excavated was
placed in a pile separate from the first two.
- The soil in each pile is placed into separate, large clean plastic bags. Each
plastic bag carrying about 10kg of sample, meaning roughly 30kg of
sample was collected.
- The plastic bags were marked as following;
 Plastic bag containing sample extracted from 0 - 0.5m was marked 1A
Plastic bag containing sample extracted from 0.5 - 1m was marked 1B
Plastic bag containing sample extracted from 1 - 1.5m was marked 1C

- The plastic bags were transported to the laboratory in a large plastic

buckets.
- In the laboratory the soil sample was packed accordingly in sand column 1
and the remainder of the sample was kept sealed in the respective plastic
bags in a dry place.

4.10 Sample 2

The second sample was collected from Thorngrove farm which is directly behind the
Thorngrove treatment works and is city council property.
The sample collection procedure described in section 4.9.2 is used in collecting
sample 2 and the collecting plastic bags holding the sample were marked as follows :
Plastic bag containing sample extracted from 0 - 0.5m was marked 2A
Plastic bag containing sample extracted from 0.5 - 1m was marked 2B
Plastic bag containing sample extracted from 1 - 1.5m was marked 2C

- The plastic bags were transported to the laboratory in plastic buckets.

- In the laboratory the soil sample was packed accordingly in sand column 2
and the remainder of the sample was kept sealed in the respective plastic
bags and kept in a dry place.

4.11 Sample 3

The third sample is common river sand collected from a construction site in
Pardonhurst residential area.
The sample was packed in three plastic bags and a total of about 30kg of sample was
collected.
The plastic bags containing sample were transported in large plastic buckets.
The sample was packed un-stratified in sand-column 3