The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

Overview

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur when flows exceed the hydraulic capacity of either the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) or the collection system that transports the combined flow of storm water and sanitary sewage to the WWTP. When an overflow occurs, the excess flows tend to be discharged into a receiving body of water. CSOs typically discharge a variable mixture of raw sewage, industrial/commercial wastewater, polluted runoff, and scoured materials that build up in the collection system during dry weather periods. These discharges contain a variety of pollutants that may adversely impact the receiving water body, including pathogenic microorganisms, viruses, cysts, and chemical and floatable materials.

Following solids reduction, most systems further reduce bacterial concentrations through disinfection. Chlorine has long been the disinfectant of choice for most disinfection systems. This course looks at alternatives to chlorine that have been developed and evaluated for continuous disinfection of wastewater discharges and treatment for CSOs.

In this course the student will learn of the alternative disinfection technologies being evaluated and what their advantaged and disadvantages are. The course is suitable for a student with basic wastewater treatment knowledge or for an advanced student that needs to evaluate alternative disinfection alternatives for CSO treatment.

The student is expected to read and review the material contained in the Combined Sewer Overflow Technology Fact Sheet, Alternative Disinfection Methods UPEPA, EPA 832-F-99-033.

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twelve (12) questions at the end of this course to earn PDH credits.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  · General requirements of the USEPA Clean Water Act
  · Water chemistry
  · Wastewater treatment technologies
  · Wastewater treatment terminology
  · Alternative disinfection technologies
  · Support information for choosing alternative technologies

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.