Land Application of Wastewater in the Chesapeake BayWatershed

The health of the Chesapeake Bay has deterioratedsubstantially because of nutrient pollution. Three main sources ofthe pollution are agriculture, air pollution, and sewage treatmentfacilities. This book focused on the nutrient pollution caused bysewage treatment facilities. In the Chesapeake Bay region, there areapproximately 300 significant publicly owned treatment facilitiesthat discharge over 0.5 MGD. It is estimated by the Chesapeake BayProgram that approximately 285 million pounds of nitrogen wasdischarged into the Bay in 2000, reducing DO levels, which in turnadversely affects the Bay ecosystem. Therefore, a study was conductedto determine the feasibility of using land application of treatedwastewater effluent to reduce the pollution of nitrogen andphosphorus. Using soil maps and state regulation documentation, wedetermined the potential of present POTWs to upgrade to utilizespray irrigation. Also, using planning equations, the amount of acresneeded for the treatmentprocess was estimated and the suitabilityof new treatment sites within a 5-mile radius of thewastewater facilities were evaluated.