Design of Sewerage System and Wastewater Treatment in a Rural Sector: A Case Study

Abstract

The accelerated growth of the population in recent years presents, as a great consequence, a significant increase in wastewater, which, on many occasions, is not discharged properly. This work aims to design a sewerage and wastewater treatment system in Las Mercedes commune in southern Ecuador based on geological, topographic, hydrological, geochemical and demographic parameters. All this focused on reducing pollution and complying with current national and international regulations, meeting the needs of the rural population studied. The methodology used consists of four phases: i) collection, inventory and processing of the base information ii) design of the sewerage system, ii) design of a wastewater treatment system and iv) environmental impact assessment and referential budget. The sewerage system consists of 3.2 km long PVC pipes that transport wastewater to a purification system of water pretreatment and facultative and maturation ponds. The designed system complies with a total purification of 636.27 MPN/100 ml of faecal coliforms (99.994%) and 35.30 mg/l of BOD5 (88%). The proposed design contributes to wastewater management and environmental education research, defining a combined model of a sewerage system with stabilisation ponds replicable in communities with similar conditions.