The Evaluation of the Performance of Stabilization Ponds in the Wastewater Treatment Plant of Olang Mashhad, 2011‐2012

Industrial developments and urban sprawl have led to the production of huge proportions of wastewater. Wastewater is potentially harmful for humans and it has remarkably adverse effects on the natural environment. With regard to the importance of preserving health and protecting the natural resources against pollution, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of wastewater stabilization ponds in the wastewater treatment plant of Olang, Mashhad. This cross‐sectional study examined the raw wastewater and effluent of Olang treatment plant from 2011 to 2012. Weekly sampling as well as BOD5, COD and TSS tests were conducted according to the standard methods. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software, one‐way ANOVA and one‐sample t‐test at a significance level of 0.05. In 2011, the average concentration of BOD5, COD and TSS in the effluent was 75±30.67, 145±19.46 and 86±13.28 mg/L, respectively. In addition, their treatment efficacy was 79.79±10.77%,82.53±4.57% and 77.17±3.92%, respectively. The figures were respectively 83±14.08, 146±23.72 and 109±14.73 mg/L and 82.7±5.11%, 82.82±3.82% and 78.46±3.93% in 2012. The effluent could be used for agricultural irrigation since its features are compatible with the standard parameters.