Analysis of Wastewater Land Treatment Systems in the Phoenix Urban Area

Abstract

As a part of the ongoing Phoenix Urban Study, Federal legislation mandates that land treatment of wastewater be seriously considered as a treatment option. Land treatment is a particularly viable alternative in the Phoenix area because in this arid desert climate, all water is a scarce and valuable resource and land treatment offers a positive opportunity for the conservation of this resource. In addition, land treatment systems are generally less expensive and have lower energy requirements than other conventional treatment processes while resulting in comparable treatment. The analysis of wastewater treatment systems for populated urban areas necessitates the preliminary investigation and comparison of a large number of alternatives to allow for a realistic engineering and economic evaluation. The site specific nature of land application adds additional variables that must be considered. A preliminary systems approach indicated that to minimize the effect of a human judgement factor between sites and yet maximize the depth of the initial analysis, computer techniques should be utilized for analysis and data storage. A summary of this analysis with appropriate cost, power usage, land requirements and other pertinent factors will be presented.