New tools for assessment of wastewater quality. Case study, one rural region from Romania

Global population growth is associated with an increase in the amount of water used. A consequence of this increase is the high amount of wastewater volume resulted, which can affect ecosystems balance. For this reason, the authorities are forced to account and improve wastewater treatment processes to minimize environmental impact. The physical-chemical properties of the effluent are unique and depend on the origin of the leakage, the sewer system infrastructure, the level of development of the area, the climatic conditions, and hence the wastewater stream has a unique composition of organic and inorganic loads. For a quick and easy understanding of wastewater quality, two types of water quality indices were developed. This study presents the results of a complex analytical investigation of effluents discharged from six rural WWTP’s situated in southern part of Romania compared with a simplified interpretation of wastewater quality by using a pollution index (PI) and a wastewater quality index (WWQI). Data recorded with a monthly frequency between 2013 and 2017 were used. Regarding the WWQI values calculated in this study, all wastewater analysed from the six WWTP’s, fit to the ‘Marginal’ Designation.