Comprehensive environmental impact assessment and irrigation wastewater suitability of the Arab El-Madabegh wastewater treatment plant, ASSIUT CITY, EGYPT

Abstract

The presence of a wastewater treatment plant in the Arab El-Madabegh region, which discharges excessive amounts of raw effluent toward the nearby farming fields, is the area’s main issue. Examining the harmful implications of raw effluent releases on groundwater quality, determining if treated wastewater effluent complies with regulations for discharge into the aquatic environment, and assessing irrigation appropriateness by the effluent are the main goals of this work. In order to accomplish these targets, twelve treated effluent samples from the Arab El-Madabegh wastewater treatment plant were gathered every two weeks starting in January 2012 and finishing in June 2012. They were tested to determine pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Temperature (Temp), Conductivity (EC), Turbidity (Turb.), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), NO3-, SO42-, Cl-, Ca2+, PO43-, HCO3-, Na+, Mg2+, and heavy metals such as (Fe, Mn, K+, Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, and Cd). The outcomes revealed that all Egyptian and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) standards for unrestricted irrigation were met by the treated effluents, except for COD, which exceeded than the Egyptian allowed limit. The evaluation indices of the effluent’s EC, SAR, PI, MR, and MH were in the low-risk category according to indicators of water quality for irrigation, nevertheless, The SSP and RSC both showed slightly higher values (67.9% and 2.76, respectively). As well, The average values of heavy metals in treated wastewater effluent were found to be below permitted limits, with the exception of lead and phosphate, which exceeded permissible limits in Egypt. The environmental sustainability (ecological friendliness) of reusing and recycling tertiary treated wastewater can be achieved in agriculture to reduce the adverse impacts on the aquatic environment.