Industrial Sewer Demand Modeling: Applications and Limitations
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INDUSTRIAL SEWER DEMAND MODELING: APPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS Alastair Moore BSc., University of British Columbia, 1990 RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT in the School of Resource and Environrnentd Management Report No. 247 O Alastair Moore 1999 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY August 1999 Al1 rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 ,,nada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellingîon Street 395. rue Wellington OnawaON K1A ûN4 OcrawaON K1A Wb4 canada canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/lfilm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract Rapid population growth in the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (GVS&DD) means that industrial customers are placing increased pressure upon limited sewer system capacity. GVS&DD managers must satisfy fùture industrial demand wi thout ignoring public concems over local air and water quality, transportation, and burdensome municipal taxes. Long-term comprehensive wastewater management and planning, including a reliable industrial sewer demand forecast, are needed. This paper develops and then evaluates potential applications and limitations of an industrial sewer demand forecasting mode1 for the Vancouver area. Although relatively small in volume, industrial wastewater discharges cmoAen account for significant, and oftentimes variable, flow and pollutant loadings at district wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). A survey of other North Amencan jurisdictions indicates that industrial sewer demand forecasts are not comrnon. The benefits of a more robust forecast of sewer demand are nevertheless becorning more evident; the cost of misreading the friture include environmental damage and social welfare and economic losses. The model relies on the assumption that industrial employment and industrial wastewater discharges are correlated. From this assumption, baseline forecasts are produced through 2021 for industrial flow, biochemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids for each of the region's five wastewater treatment plants. However, a lack of industrial employment and output data produces forecast uncertainty and prevents model verification. Forecast uncertainty means that the model can only be used to sirnulate relative impacts of policies, regulations, or changes in economic conditions on industrial flow and loadings. Additional data are needed before the forecasts can be considered accurate. Consequently, the report recommends that additional industrial employment and output data be collected if the benefits of such an undertaking are estimated to exceed the costs. In memory of my mother Acknowledgements This project was made possible by the support of many people. First, 1 would like to thank the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD)for their financial support. Specifically, 1 am very gratefiil for the encouragement, data, and reviews that were offered by my former GVRD colleagues; Hew McConnell, Cristina Jacob, Jeff Gogol, Paul Kadota, Ralph Perkins, and the staffat Source Control. Dr. Chad Day and Dr. Michael Bradford comprised my supervisos. committee and deserve my heartfelt gratitude for their guidance and encouragement. In addition to the formal help provided by my committee, I received endless encouragement from my fdlow students and staff members in the School of Resource and Environmental Management. For their friendship and support 1 am very thankful. 1 would also like to thank Maria, Bogue, Anne, and my father Bryan, for their boundless encouragement and support over the years. This work was also inspired by my mother who's memory serves as a constant reminder of what life is al1 about. Finally, 1 reserve my most special thanks for Dominica-my fellow student, colleague, and wife. What it would have been like to complete this work without you, 1 care not to imagine. With you by my side however, this project has been nothing short of a pleasure! ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... .......................................... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....... ...................................................... ...................................................... V TABLES ................. .......rr......................... ........................................................... VUI FIGURES ............................ ................................... ................................................. IX ACROrYYMS ...................... ........................... ............................................... ............ ..................... X CHAPTER 1 .INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................................................ 1 Challenges Facing Wastewater Utilities............................................................................................... 1 STUDYCONTEXT ...................................................................................................................................... 6 PROBLEMSTATEMENT ................................................................................................................................ 7 IMPORTANCE OF AN INDUSTRIALSEWER DEMAND MODEL ........................................................................ 8 PURPOSEAND OBJECTIVES....................................................................................................................... 12 SIGNIFICANCEOF RESEARCH .................................................................................................................... 13 STUDYMETHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................ 14 Literature Revïew ......................................... .... .......................................... 14 Strrvey of North Amencan Jurisdictions ............................................................................................. 14 Data Collecrion .....*............ ......... ...................................... 14 Model Development and Evaluation ................................................................................................... 15 SCOPE....................................................................................................................................................... 15 REPORTORGANIZATION ........................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 2 .MUNICIPAL WASTE WATER ................................................... ................................ 17 SEWERDEVELOPMMT IN NORTHAMERICA ............... ... .................................................................... 17 Treaiment Levels ................................................................................................ .. ............ 19 Treabnent Process by-Products .......................................................................................................... -7 -7 P rinciple Wastewater Contponents ..................................................................................................... 23 SEWERDEVELOPMMT IN GVRD ............................................................................................................. 24 MUNICIPALEFFLUENT AND THE ENVIRONMENTIN THE GVRD ............................................................... 26 Wastewater Treatment Plants ............................................................................................................. 27 Regulations ......................................................................................................................................... 32 Cost Drivers ............................ ... ..................................................................................................... 36 Impacts of Municipal Efluent on the Environment ............................................................................. 37 INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER...................................................................................................................... 38 Potential to Disrupt Trearment Procas ................... .. ..................................................................... 39 Industrial Flow and Loadings in G VS& DD .......... ....... ........................................................... 40 Industrial Wasrewarer by IVWTP .....................................................................................................