Urban Drainage Water Quality Modeling on the SWMM Software, Northeastern Sector, Santa Inés District, Tunja

Abstract

Objective: This research aimed to design a drainage quality hydrodynamic model of the northeastern sector of Tunja (Santa Inés neighborhood), Boyacá, Colombia, which was validated and calibrated by means of the mean square error method, where a comparison between the values observed in the field and the simulation results in the model was determined in order to observe and analyze the effect of precipitation on pollutants before entering the treatment plant. Methodology: For this study, rainfall and water flow equipment were installed in the district. A validated and calibrated urban drainage model was created on the SWMM 5.1 software, which allowed a temporal hydrodynamic modeling of the system. In addition, samples were taken to determine the quality of the water arriving at the treatment plant and evaluate the transportation of pollutants, as well as the possibility of hydrogen sulfide generation in the study area. Results: The results obtained with the model show that all pollutants generate drag in their concentrations. An excess of these values is observed within the total flow, which demonstrates the relevance of accumulation, washing, and transport processes, in light of the pollutant remnants causing the flow to decrease before the pollutant load. Conclusions: Our sampling indicates that it is necessary to analyze the coliforms present in wastewater discharges, as well as the sulfate, nitrite, and nitrate values in the case of a specific discharge. The entity in charge of discharge control must be then informed.