STANDARDIZATION OF SMALL WASTE-WATER TREATMENT PLANTS FOR RAPID DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

Severn Trent Water was faced with the problem of rapidly implementing a massive capital investment programme to replace a large number of its small sewage treatment works. To meet the investment targets it was necessary to streamline the process of planning, design, construction and overall procurement of plant and equipment. Key elements in achieving these targets were seen as: 1 Standardisation of treatment processes and plant to reduce design times and construction periods and to guarantee performance. 2 Use of standard specifications and procurement practice to ensure rapid acquisition of plant to the required design standards. The Company's experience of operating a large number of different types of sewage treatment plant was used to standardise treatment processes for small works on the rotating biological contactor (RBC) and the reed bed.