Instructor:         JoAnn Silverstein, Ph.D., P.E.

Professor, Dept. CEAE  

Richard Kuchenrither, Ph.D., P.E.

Senior Vice President, Black & Veatch and Adjunct Professor, Dept. CEAE

Office:                     ECOT 456, Office phone, (303) 492-7211, FAX: (303) 492-7317,

email: joann.silverstein@colorado.edu

email: Richard.D.Kuchenrither@colorado.edu 

Class Meets:         TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM, ECCR 116

Office Hours:       Silverstein: T. 10-12:30 PM, W. 10 AM-Noon and by appt

                                      Kuchenrither: TBA

Text:               None required. Recommended references

                       1.      Metcalf & Eddy (Tchobanoglous, Burton, and Stensel), Wastewater                                   Engineering, 4^th Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 2003.

2.      Grady, Daigger, Love, and Filipe, Biological Wastewater Treatment,       3^rd Ed., CRC Press, Ann Arbor, 2011.

3.      Water Environment Federation, Design of Municipal Wastewater               Treatment Plants, Manual of Practice 8, 5^th Ed., 2010.

4.      Additional readings and web links.

Web Site: http://ceae.colorado.edu/~silverst/ceae5534/

In 1972, the US Congress passed the Clean Water Act, (CWA, PL 92-500), a statute that by enabling federal regulation of wastewater discharges across the entire US, arguably has had the greatest impact on surface water quality in the US of any piece of environmental legislation before or since. After almost 40 years since its passage, there is still political controversy about the CWA – as recently as July 2011, the US House of Representatives voted to strike down most of the provisions of the law, adding a new aspect to the concept of sustainability: political sustainability. (That bill was defeated in the US Senate.)

In CVEN 5534, I expect that you will learn much about the science and engineering relevant to wastewater treatment – historical, current, and future challenges.  In addition, through your readings, discussions and assignments, you will come to understand the legacy of public provision, regulation, and management of services that protect human health, the environment, and, indeed, society’s prosperity.

CVEN 5534 Learning Objectives:

Application of basic sciences relevant to wastewater management:

1. Environmental sciences
2. Microbiology
3. Public health

Considering benefits, constraints, and costs

1. Historical health and environmental policies related to wastewater
2. Post 1972 regulatory framework, publicly owned treatment works (POTW)
3. Water quality and environmental impacts of wastewater discharges
4. Water reuse, nutrient recovery, biofuels

Apply engineering technology to wastewater system planning, analysis, design and operation

1. Treatment process theory: reaction analysis, mass balance methods
2. Treatment flow schematics and operations
3. Simulation software for process analysis and design

  Application to more sustainable wastewater management

1. Energy efficiency, greenhouse gases
2. Water reuse and resource recovery
3. Life cycle analysis of costs and benefits
4. Climate change impacts on wastewater treatment
5. Adaptability to changing performance demands
6. Costs and benefits of decentralized infrastructure

  Class lectures, discussion and assignments will enable students to:

• Formulate appropriate wastewater treatment goals, regulations and constraints on treatment and disposal
• Be familiar with the roles of the institutions, stakeholders, and other constituents who benefit from, pay for, and provide society’s oversight of wastewater treatment
• Analyze biological, chemical and physical processes for treating municipal wastewater, including unit process design and operations.
• Apply computational mass balance models to biological process design and operation
• Apply advanced approaches and methods for characterization, treatment, reuse and disposal of treatment process residuals (biosolids)
• Extend analytical approaches from conventional wastewater treatment process technology to new challenges, applications and technologies

TOPICS AND SCHEDULE

Assignments:

Homework.       Regular problem sets and writing assignments during the semester.

Projects.            Two case study projects incorporating process analysis with constraints and returns

  Grading

Assignments                                     30%

2 Projects                                         70%

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CU Policy Statements and Resources

All of CU’s Policy statements are important for this class.  Please become familiar with the CU policies at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/ and take particular note of those policies listed below.  Please do not hesitate to ask me for clarification about how any of these policies relate to our class.

Student Honor Code

The new Student Honor Code system has now been implemented in all schools and colleges.  Please see me if you have any questions as to what constitutes plagiarism.  Please view the policy at: http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/.

Classroom Behavior

A new classroom behavior policy and associated new procedures have been adopted.  Please view the policy at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html.

Disability Services

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services (DS) early in the semester so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303-492-8671, Willard 322, www.colorado.edu/sacs/disabilityservices)

Religious Observance Dates

I will be happy to make reasonable and appropriate accommodations for anyone who has conflicts between religious observance dates and course examinations or assignments.  The campus policy can be viewed at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html.