Ecotoxicity of Wastewater in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The following article is intended as an introduction to ecotoxicology/wastewater toxicology, as this has currently become a widespread and highly discussed topic with scarce information available to date. With the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when disinfectants began to be used in larger quantities, problems also began at wastewater treatment plants. This situation was the reason for beginning to monitor the ecotoxicity/toxicity of the wastewater flowing into the studied wastewater treatment plant; the wastewater treatment plant entered a state of emergency and was unable to treat the inflowing wastewater. In this critical period, the following parameters were monitored at the inflow of the wastewater treatment plant—BOD5, CHSKCr, NL, N-NH4, N-inorg, N-total, P-total, RAS and pH. The effluent from the wastewater treatment plant was also monitored for BOD5, CHSKCr, NL, N-NH4, N-NO3, N-NO2, N-inorg, N-total, P-total and RAS. Ecotoxicity (fish, barnacles, algae) and toxicity (Vibrio fischeri) were monitored at the inflow and outflow.

Keywords

• ecotoxicity
• water quality indicators
• wastewater treatment plant
• operation
• maintenance
• design example