Chun G. Yoon

Modeling the effects of constructed wetland on nonpoint source pollution control and reservoir water quality improvement

This article describes the integrated modeling approach for planning the size and the operation of constructed wetlands for maximizing retention of nonpoint source pollutant loads and reservoir water-quality improvement at a catchment scale. The experimental field-scale wetland systems (four sets, 0.88 ha each) have been in operation since 2002, where water depth was maintained at 30-50 cm and hydraulic loading rate was at 6.3-18.8 cm/day. The wetland system was found to be adequate for treating polluted stream water with stable removal efficiency even during the winter. The integrated modeling system (modified-BASINS) was applied to the Seokmoon estuarine reservoir watershed and calibrated with monitoring data from constructed wetland, stream, and reservoir. The calibrated integrated modeling system estimated that constructing wetlands on 0.5% (about 114 ha) of the watershed area at the mouth of reservoir could reduce 11.61% and 13.49% of total external nitrogen and phosphorus loads, respectively. It also might improve the nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of the reservoir by 9.69% and 16.48%, respectively. The study suggested that about 0.1%-1.0% of the watershed area should be allocated for constructed wetland to meet specified water-quality standards for the estuarine reservoir at the polder area where land use planning is relatively less complicated.

Performance of a small on‐site wastewater treatment system using absorbent biofilter for korean rural community

Abstract The feasibility of an absorbent biofilter system was examined for rural wastewater treatment in Korea. Hydraulic loading rates varied from 50 to 250 cm/day. Effluent of the septic tank was fed into the absorbent biofilter, and small ventilation fan was provided to supply air at the rate of 250 L/min to aerate the biofilter. The biofilter system demonstrated high removal rates for BOD5 and TSS at the loading rate of 150 cm/day, generally meeting the Korean effluent water quality standard of 20 mg/L applicable to both. The nutrient removal was less satisfactory than the results of BOD5 and TSS, but it was within the expected range of biological treatment processes. Considering the abnormally high influent concentration of nutrients during the experiment, better performance results could have been obtained if ordinary domestic wastewater was used. The treatment efficiency decreased during low temperature period in winter, thus enhancement of the system applicable to all seasonal temperature ranges is recommended. The system performance was not significantly affected by the hydraulic loading up to 150 cm/day, which is far more than the loading limit of the sand filter systems. Maintenance requirement was minimal, and no problems with noise, odor, flies or sludge arose. Since the biofilter system can be operated at a distance, operation in remote rural area and multi‐system connected to one control office might be advantageous to the rural area. Overall, considering the cost‐effectiveness, stable performance, and minimum maintenance, the biofilter system was thought to be a competitive alternative to treat wastewater in Korean rural communities.

Feasibility Study of UV Disinfection for Agricultural Reuse of Secondary Level Effluent in Korea

Abstract A pilot study was performed to examine the feasibility of UV disinfection for agricultural reuse of reclaimed water. The effluent from the bio-filter of a 16-unit apartment was used as input to the flow-through type UV disinfection system, with average suspended solid (SS) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) concentrations of 3.4 and 5.9 mg/L, respectively, and a mean level of total coliforms in the range of 1.5 × 104 MPN/100 mL. UV disinfection was found to be effective, in that it reduced mean concentration of indicator microorganisms (total coliform [TC], fecal coliform [FC], and E. coli) to less than 100 MPN/100 mL within 60 s exposure using 17, 25, and 40 W lamps. The microorganisms often exceeded 200 MPN/100 mL with 17 and 25 W lamps, but were completely removed with 40 W lamp in one cylindrical chamber. Disinfection with two chambers in series demonstrated complete removal for all the experiments. About 30 mW·s/cm2 was thought to be adequate for the disinfection of secondary effluent to keep the suggested bacterial standards of 100 MPN FC/100 mL for agricultural reuse. Water quality effect on the UV efficiency was not apparent within the experimental conditions. Statistical analysis showed that the removal rates of TC, FC, and E. coli did not significantly vary with turbidity, dissolved organic matter (DOM), or SS concentrations (p = 0.05). Photo-reactivation problems after UV disinfection might be a lesser concern in agricultural reuse than for other uses, due to exposure of water to solar radiation and resulting inactivation. Overall, UV disinfection of effluent from secondary level wastewater treatment plants in Korea was thought to be an effective and feasible alternative for agricultural reuse, and thus it is strongly recommended.

Multiple segmented reaches per subwatershed modeling approach for improving HSPF-Paddy water quality simulation

Reach segmentation influences predicted water quality concentrations in water quality modeling. Many lumped or semi-distributed watershed models, including Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF), simulate stream/river water quality with a single segmented reach per subwatershed (SSRS) modeling approach. A multiple-segmented reaches per subwatershed (MSRS) modeling approach was developed, and simulated BOD5 concentrations for this approach were compared with results from the SSRS modeling approach using the HSPF-Paddy model. The SSRS modeling approach has potential systemic errors for predicting BOD5 concentration even when the model is well calibrated. When the point source was loaded at the most upstream location with the same decay rate, the predicted BOD5 concentration using the SSRS modeling approach was higher compared with results for the MSRS modeling approach, and the difference between two methods increases with increasing load and decay rate. When BOD5 was loaded more downstream, BOD5 concentration using the SSRS modeling approach was lower compared with results for MSRS modeling. For a case study, simulated streamflow and BOD5 concentration for the SSRS and MSRS modeling approaches demonstrated good agreement with observed data. However, the estimated decay rate for the SSRS modeling approach was smaller than that for the MSRS modeling approach because BOD decays through total volume in the SSRS modeling approach, although BOD may be loaded anywhere in the reach. The MSRS modeling approach can minimize systematic errors and provide more detailed variation of water quality concentrations along a river length. The MSRS modeling approach does not always need to be applied to all subwatersheds but is recommended for reaches significantly polluted by point source pollution.

FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A CONSTRUCTED WETLAND FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT IN A KOREAN RURAL COMMUNITY

A pilot study was performed to examine the feasibility of using a constructed wetland system for treatment of sewage in a Korean rural community. The treatment system was a subsurface flow wetland with a loading rate and hydraulic residence time of 6.3 cm/day and 3.5 days, respectively. The wetland system was highly effective in treating the sewage; median removal efficiencies of BOD5 (biological oxygen demand) and TSS (total suspended solids) were about 70.0%, with median effluent concentrations of 24 and 13 mg/L, respectively, for these constituents. However, BOD5 and TSS did often exceed the effluent water quality standards of 20mg/L. Removal of TN (total nitrogen) and TP (total phosphorus) was relatively less effective and median effluent concentrations were approximately 81 and 8 mg/L, respectively. The treatment system did not experience any clogging or accumulation of organic and inorganic solids during the study, and during winter a substantial amount of removal of BOD5 and TSS continued to occur. Overall, the constructed wetland was judged to be an effective sewage treatment system, but not sufficient by itself to attain regional water quality standards. Therefore, treatment of rural sewage by a wetland system should be followed by another process such as use of the effluent for irrigation of agricultural crops (e.g., rice).

Analysis of Stream Water Quality Improvement Using Surface-flow Wetland

Wetland systems are widely accepted natural water purification systems around the world in nonpoint sources pollution control. Constructed wetlands have become a popular technology for treating contaminated surface and wastewater. In this study, the field experiment to reduce nonpoint source pollution loadings from polluted stream waters using wetland system was performed from June 2002 to March 2004, including winter performance using four newly constructed wetlands. The Dangjin stream water flowing into Seokmun estuarine lake was pumped into wetlands, and inflow and hydraulic residence time of the system was days respectively. After 3 years operation plant-coverage was about from zero at initial stage even with no plantation. Average water quality of the influent in growing season was , TSS 22.98 mg/L, T-N 3.29 mg/L, T-P 0.30 mg/L. The average removal rate of four wetlands for in growing season was , , , and , respectively. And average water quality of the influent in winter season was 4.92 mg/L, TSS 12.47 mg/L, T-N 5.54 mg/L, and T-P 0.32 mg/L, respectively. The average removal rate of four wetlands for them was . , , and , respectively. The reason of higher BOD_{5} effluent concentration in winter season might be that low temperature restrained microorganism activity and a organic body from the withered plant and algae was flown out. Except the result of , the effectiveness of water quality improvement in winter season was satisfactory for treating polluted stream waters, and variation was within the range of background concentration. Performance of the experimental system was compared with existing data base (NADB), and it was within the range of general system performance. Overall, the wetland system was found to be satisfactory for NPS control such as improvement of polluted stream water.

HSPF-Paddy Development for Simulating Pollutant Loadings from Paddy Fields

The Hydrological Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF) was modified to simulate nonpoint pollutant loadings from paddy fields using a field experimental data collected during 2001-2002. The concept of a `dike height` was added in a modified HSPF code, named HSPF-Paddy, to consider the function of retaining water by a weir at the field outlet. The effect of fertilization on the variances of nutrients on the soil surface and shallow soil layer was described mathematically with a Dirac delta function (or first-order kinetics). As confirmed through model verification, the HSPF-Paddy modifications were shown to represent the function of retaining water, varied ponded water, and surface runoff by forced drain during both rainy and non-rainy seasons and reasonably predicted the water balance and nutrients behavior in paddy fields. It is a distributed watershed model which, with the paddy modifications, can now simulate nonpoint pollutant loadings where paddy fields are dominant, and it can be used to evaluate the effects of paddy fields on the water quality at a basin scale, and assess the impacts of proposed BMPs applied to paddy fields.