Laboratory
Responsibilities
The main responsibility of the Laboratory is to analyze wastewater for chemical, physical, and biological parameters that indicate properly treated wastewater, meeting all discharge permit limitations, is being sent back into the environment.
The Sidney Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory also works closely with the Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) in monitoring and analyzing industrial discharges to the city's sewers and plant to insure compliance with the city's sewer use ordinance. This program also protects the plant from receiving slug loads of process inhibiting substances and conditions such as pH extremes, oil and grease, temperature extremes, biological inhibitors, and excess solids.
Tested Parameters
The Sidney Wastewater Treatment Laboratory performs 600 to 800 analyses per month. The following parameters are tested in the laboratory:
- Ammonia Nitrogen
- Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand (CBOD)
- Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
- Fecal Coliform by Membrane Filtration
- Microscopic Examination of Activated Sludge
- pH
- Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
- Total Solids (TS)
- Total Volatile Solids (TVS)
- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
- Total Residual Chlorine (TRC)