The Quality of Sewage Flows and Sediment in Dundee

Abstract

Inter-related studies are underway in Dundee to investigate the nature, origins, disposition and movements of sewer sediments and associated pollutants. These studies, funded mainly by the Water Research Centre, have provided support for a proposed subjective classification system for combined sewer sediments based on visual appearance, occurrence and polluting strength. Data obtained from samples of suspended sediments at either end of a 175m length of the main Dundee sewer during dry weather and storm flows have been used to carry out a mass balance for the length over a one month period and, despite the obvious limitations, the results compare surprisingly well with the observed changes in the volume of bed deposits along the length for the same period.