The effects of soil properties on the turbidity of catchment soils from the Yongdam dam basin in Korea

Environmental concerns have been raised that suspended solids in turbid water adversely affect human health, and that their removal increases in the cost of water treatment. The Yongdam dam reservoir, located in the southwestern region of Korea, is severely affected by inflowing turbid water after storms. In this study, soil samples were collected from 37 sites in the Yongdam upstream basin to investigate mineralogical and environmental factors associated with the turbidity potential of soils in water environments. Turbidity potential was estimated by measuring the turbidity of soil-suspension solutions after settling for 24 h. The mineralogy of the soils was dominated by four minerals—quartz, microcline, albite, and muscovite—with lesser amounts of hornblende, chlorite, kaolinite, illite, and mixed layer illite. The quartz content was the most variable of the soil mineralogy among the collected samples. Principal-components analysis (PCA) was used to examine relationships between turbidity potential and other soil properties. The variables considered in the PCA included turbidity potential, quartz content, albite content, mean size of soil particles, clay content, clay mineral content, zeta potential, conductivity, and pH of the soil-suspension solution. The first two components of the PCA explained 52% of the overall variation of the selected variables. The first component was possibly explained by physical properties such as the size of the soil particles; the second was correlated with chemical properties of the soils, for example dissolution and extent of weathering. Closer examination of the PCA results revealed that the quartz content of the soils was negatively correlated with their turbidity potential. A linear correlation (r = 0.63) was obtained between measured turbidity potential and that predicted using multiple regression analysis based on the content of clay-sized particles, clay minerals, and quartz, and the conductivity of the soil-suspension solution.     

Settling basin design in a constructed wetland using TSS removal efficiency and hydraulic retention time

Using total suspended solid （TSS） removal efficiency and hydraulic retention time （HRT） as design parameters a design guideline of a settling basin in a constructed wetland （CW） was suggested; as well as management of sediment and particle in the settling basin. The CW was desiEned to treat the piggery wastewater effluent from a wastewater treatment plant during dry days and stonnwater runoff from the surrounding paved area during wet days. The first settling basin （FSB） in the CVV was theoretically designed with a total storage volume （TSV） of 453 ms and HRT of 5.5 hr. The amount of sediment and particles settled at the FSB was high due to the sedimentation and interception of plants in the CVV. Dredging of sediments was performed when the retention rate at the FSB decreased to approximately 80%. Findings showed that the mean flow rate was 21.8 m3/hr less than the designed flow rate of 82.8 m3/hr indicating that the FSB was oversize and operated with longer HRT （20.7 hr） compared to the design HRT. An empirical model to estimate the length of the settling basin in the CW was developed as a function of HRT and desired TSS removal efficiency. Using the minimum tolerable TSS removal efficiency of 30%, the length of the FSB was estimated to be 31.2 m with 11.8 hr HRT.