The 1972 legislation known as the Clean Water Act set secondary treatment as the required level of treatment to be provided by domestic wastewater treatment plants in the U.S.

In this course curated by Dr. Bengtson, you'll learn about the basic processes used in primary and secondary wastewater treatment, processes used and contaminants removed by advanced treatment, treatment and disposal or beneficial reuse of biosolids (wastewater sludge), and the fundamentals of onsite wastewater treatment systems. This course is intended for civil, municipal, and environmental engineers, as well as anyone interested or involved in domestic wastewater treatment processes.

In this course, you'll need to review the study guide material in the USEPA document, EPA 823-R-03-001, “Primer for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems,” provided below. Upon completing your course review, please complete and submit the associated multiple-choice quiz consisting of fifteen (15) questions to earn 3 PDH credits.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the wastewater treatment requirements of the Clean Water Act and related legislation.
• Identify the types of pollutants typically present in domestic wastewater and their disinfection and removal processes.
• Determine the processes used in preliminary and primary wastewater treatment.
• Recognize the alternative processes of secondary and onsite wastewater treatment.
• Explain the disposal and beneficial reuse methods of wastewater biosolids.