Impact of Climate Change on the Performance of Wastewater Treatment Plants

Abstract

According to the United Nations Population Fund, the human population has grown from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion people during the last century. As a conclusion, extensive consumption of fossil energy resources has associated with a significant increase in the mass of greenhouse gases. Besides the warming of earth`s surface, the water temperature is increasing day by day. It is clear that global warming is not only a CO2 issue but also a water issue. As further consequences of climate changes, extreme weather conditions, flooding, drying, runoff pollution, and erosion are predicted to become increasingly frequent. The potential future effects of global climate change will cause largely environmental and economic damage. Climate change has a huge potential to impact on urban infrastructure, including water supply, sewer and wastewater treatment systems, so potential adaptations must become a normal part of urban planning, including management and operational adaptations. The aim of this study is to assess relative impact of climate change with respect to the performance of wastewater plants. Based on the results of investigations, climate change effects on performance of urban infrastructure systems may vary considerably in different regions, but the highest impact is predicted for winter climate condition which is dominated by snowmelt. In addition, biological nitrogen removal and secondary clarification processes are considerably affected by the climate factors in wastewater treatment plants.