APPLYING THE QUALITY AND POLLUTION INDICES FOR EVALUATING THE WASTEWATER EFFLUENT QUALITY OF KUFRANJA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, JORDAN

Abstract

In Jordan, reclaimed wastewater has become a significant component of water resources due to acute water scarcity and increased water demand for different purposes. The vast majority of the reclaimed wastewater is used for restricted and unrestricted agriculture, with agriculture being one of the main economic activities in the country. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of the wastewater effluent from the Kufranja Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and its suitability for irrigation and discharge into streams, wadis, or water bodies using the water quality index (WQI) and the water pollution index (WPI). The WQI and WPI were calculated using 15 physiochemical and biological parameters in total. The results of WQI and WPI based on the Jordanian standards for the reuse of reclaimed wastewater showed that the wastewater effluent of Kufranja WWTP falls within the category of "good quality" for the irrigation of industrial crops, field crops, and forest trees, while it falls within the category of "unsuitable quality or highly polluted water" for other irrigation uses. Moreover, the Kufranja WWTP effluent is of "unsuitable quality or highly polluted water" for discharging into streams, wadis, or water bodies. The findings from this study show that the Kufranja WWTP performed well during the year of study, where the average removal efficiency (EFF%) for BOD5, COD, and TSS was 95.1%, 95.6%, and 96.0%, respectively. The WQI results in this study revealed that E. coli has the greatest contribution to the WQI values, followed by PO43-, pH, and SAR, implying that the previous parameters are to blame for the deterioration of the effluent quality of the Kufranja WWTP and its inappropriateness for most uses. Therefore, further advanced treatments are required to reduce the loading of these parameters.