Water Science & Technology Vol 55 No 1-2 pp 375–386 © IWA Publishing 2007 doi:10.2166/wst.2007.003

Relationship of nutrient and residual chlorine concentration in treated wastewater with periphytic algae grown in a stream receiving treated wastewater

Y. Aratani, A. Tajima and M. Minamiyama

The ratio of the amount of treated wastewater to river water is increasing in urban areas due to the spread of sewage systems. Treated wastewater is also sometimes extensively used to create streams and other water environments in urban areas. Rivers, streams and other water environments provide valuable habitats for all kinds of aquatic species, but the relationship between such aquatic species and the quality of treated wastewater they inhabit is not clearly understood. This study was carried out to clarify the effect of the water quality of treated wastewater such as nutrients and residual chlorine on periphytic algae grown in a stream receiving treated wastewater using laboratory-scale experimental channels. The following results were obtained. (1) When the range of phosphate (PO₄-P) concentration was 0.04 to 0.09 mg/L, the higher the PO₄-P concentration, the higher the biomass of periphytic algae and the more dominant the Chlorophyceae. (2) When the range of total residual chlorine (TRC) concentration was 0.07 to 5.8 mg/L, the higher the TRC concentration, the lower the biomass of periphytic algae. When the range of TRC concentration was 0.93 to 5.8 mg/L, this tendency was more pronounced.

Keywords: Experimental channel; nutrient; periphytic algae; residual chlorine

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