Integrated Wastewater Management for Health and Valorization: A Design Manual for Resource Challenged Cities

Adequate wastewater treatment in low to medium income cities worldwide has largely been a failure despite decades of funding. The still dominant end-of-pipe paradigm of treatment for surface water discharge, focusing principally on removal of organic matter, has not addressed the well-published problems of pathogen and nutrient release with continued contamination of surface waters.

This book incorporates the new paradigm of integrated wastewater management for valorization without surface water discharge using waste stabilization pond systems and wastewater reservoirs. In this paradigm the purpose of treatment is to protect health by reducing pathogens to produce an effluent that is valorized for its fertilizer and water value for agriculture and aquaculture. Methane production as a sustainable energy source is also considered for those applications where it is appropriate. Emphasis is on sustainable engineering solutions for low to medium income cities worldwide.

Chapters present the theory of design, followed by design procedures, example design problems, and case study examples with data, diagrams and photos of operating systems. Excel spreadsheets and the FAO program CLIMWAT/CROPWAT are included in examples throughout. Sections on engineering practice include technical training, operation and maintenance requirements, construction and sustainability. The book incorporates design and operating data and case studies from Africa, Australia, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand, and the US, including studies that have been published in French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

The book is designed for upper-division and graduate level engineering students, practicing engineers, regulatory professionals who help establish and enforce effluent standards, international development professionals, and policy stakeholders.

Preface

Chapter 1
Integrated wastewater management for reuse in agriculture

Chapter 2
Selection of natural systems for wastewater treatment with reuse in agriculture

Chapter 3
Wastewater flows, design flowrate, and flow measurement

Chapter 4
Preliminary treatment

Chapter 5
Theory and design of facultative ponds

Chapter 6
Theory and design of maturation ponds

Chapter 7
Wastewater reuse in agriculture: guidelines for pathogen reduction and physicochemical water quality

Chapter 8
Design of wastewater irrigation systems with valorization of nutrients

Chapter 9
Physical design and aspects of construction

Chapter 10 
operation and maintenance

References  

Index

"I have to begin by stating I have traveled in Bolivia and Guatemala with the book’s author working on water/sanitation projects. With this said, I am thankful there is a book that provides the correct blend of theory and field experience to support the many practitioners and students who want to design, construct, operate, and maintain an appropriate wastewater system in a low- or middle-income setting.

Two things stand out about this book. First, what makes the book so valuable is the decades of engineering experience that Professor Stewart Oakley brings to each chapter. The book is like a Lonely Planet Travel Guide for environmental health engineers based on decades of experience the author gained working in Africa, Latin America, Europe, Australia/New Zealand and the U.S. The book’s second important feature is that it is based on the paradigm of integrated wastewater management, where the purpose of treatment is to protect human health by reducing pathogens to produce an effluent that is valorized for its embedded fertilizer and water value for agriculture and aquaculture. Methane production as a sustainable energy source is also considered for those applications where it is appropriate.

The ten chapters are well organized and the text, tables, and figures make everything easy to follow. Important, there are numerous design and case study examples. Photos from the author’s extensive collection allow a reader to visualize what sanitation engineering looks like in the real world. Readers will find the theory is based on understandable engineering fundamentals. That theory then supports the book’s design components. Technologies covered include screening, grit removal, rock filters, and various types of waste stabilization ponds. Other items covered include sludge accumulation and removal, geotechnical investigations, and hydraulic conditions.

I read once that blending wines make the final product more complex. In the case of this book, the blending of theory, design, and Professor Oakley’s extensive experience turns a complex problem into something manageable. I say embrace this book and the author’s vision of integrative wastewater management. Then partner with others to help the world achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals related to providing improved sanitation while increasing water and food security."

Dr. James Mihelcic, AEESP Newsletter February 2023