AWWA ACE61806

This paper is part of an ongoing study to evaluate how wastewater-derived disinfection byproducts(DBPs) and their precursors contribute to DBPs in drinking water. Specifically, this paper presents a field surveyof many different types of wastewater treatment plants which documents that they are sources ofhalogenated DBPs, if chlorine disinfection is practiced, and DBP precursors in all cases.Because the level of ammonia in treated wastewater usually is high, the addition of chlorinetypically forms combined chlorine (chloramines), which minimizes the instantaneous formationof most halogenated DBPs. However, nitrosamines (e.g, N-nitrosodimethylamine [NDMA])often are formed.Treated wastewater contains residual drinking water natural organic matter (NOM).Although the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of the effluent organic matter(EfOM) is relatively high compared to drinking water, the humic content of the EfOM (basedon specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA))is relatively low. Waters low in SUVA tend to beless reactive with chlorine and typically form less trihalomethanes (THMs) and other DBPs perunit DOC. The presence of THM precursors and, in some cases, haloacetic acid precursorscorrelates best with SUVA. Preliminary data suggest that the formation of certain nitrogenousDBPs (e.g., haloacetonitriles and nitrosamines) or the presence of their precursors in treatedwastewater is significant. The presence of precursors for some nitrogenous DBPs correlates withthe level of dissolved organic nitrogen. Includes 32 references, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

06/17/2005

Number of Pages:

19

File Size:

1 file , 1.6 MB