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Handling Peaks and Lows: Managing Variable Wastewater Loads in Hospitality, Leisure, and Tourism

By: Steve Holt on Oct 15, 2024

Why managing variable loads matters

If you have an off mains wastewater treatment system operating at a hospitality, leisure, or tourism property, it is crucial to plan for variable loads and times of peak demand.

This will ensure that your system is environmentally compliant and futureproofed for maximum capacity without having to worry about sewage failures.

Ensuring the best guest experience

Proper management of an off main wastewater treatment system ensures that it operates smoothly, reducing the likelihood of service disruptions and avoiding disturbances like odours or noise that could negatively impact guests.

A robust system that handles fluctuating loads ensures seamless operations, contributing to guest satisfaction and experience while at your property or site.

What is loading in wastewater treatment?

In an off main wastewater treatment system, ‘loading’ refers to the amount of pollutants or contaminants entering the treatment system. It is often measured in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrogen, phosphorus, or flow rate.

The loading determines the design, operation, and efficiency of the treatment process, as it influences the capacity of the system to effectively treat the incoming wastewater. High loading can overload the system, reducing treatment performance, while low loading may lead to inefficient use of the systems and the resources needed to operate it.

Proper management of loading is crucial to ensure optimal wastewater treatment and regulatory compliance.

When can loading vary?

Hospitality, leisure, and tourism sectors experience significant variations in wastewater loading for a variety of reasons. Understanding these changes is essential for designing systems that can cope with demand surges while still operating efficiently during off-peak times.

Seasonal fluctuations

Many in the hospitality, leisure, and tourism sector would agree that summertime is the peak season, with many sites such as campsites and seaside restaurants seeing back-to-back occupation for months. High visitor numbers during peak seasons create surges in wastewater and systems need to manage these surges without failure.

Off season

As with the height of use during peak periods, some sites may experience off-season fluctuations where there is little to no use for months at a time. The wastewater treatment system’s functionality must be protected during winter frosts or adverse weather conditions that off-season and colder months can bring.

Daily fluctuations

If your site or property frequently hosts events such as weddings, parties, or festivals, there will be certain days where there will be an increased load. Potentially, these will be after a period of time when the treatment system has had little to no use at all.

It is important that the system can be adaptable and handle this ‘zero to one hundred’ use surge with ease and consistency of treatment quality without disruptions or worrying if the system will be able to cope or not.

Future growth

As the popularity of a hospitality, leisure, or tourism site grows, so does the strain on its sewage treatment facilities. When specifying a system, it's crucial to consider current needs and potential future growth. This foresight ensures the system won't become obsolete as visitor numbers increase, safeguarding your investment and ensuring continuous compliance with effluent standards.

British Water’s Best Practice Guide to Flows and Loads provides a table of loadings, which allows the total daily wastewater load from different kinds of sites to be calculated. It is recommended that all designers use this table when sizing and designing an off mains wastewater treatment system.

How to protect your wastewater system against variable loads

Planning and sizing correctly

Working closely with planners and manufacturers will ensure the sizing of wastewater treatment systems is done correctly and will be capable of handling peak loads but doesn’t lose efficiency during lower demand periods.

If the system receives 10% of its load in quiet periods oversizing is not so much of an issue. However, undersizing can be an issue if the load increases at peak times as it can flood the unit and cause failures.

Ensuring compliance

Meeting environmental standards consistently, regardless of loads, is necessary to avoid regulatory fines or environmental harm. Systems designed for maximum capacity minimise the risk of overflows, protecting both the environment and business reputation.

Many hospitality, leisure, and tourism sites are in rural areas, often near Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSIs), Nutrient Neutrality spots, or protected watercourses. High effluent standards are non-negotiable in such sensitive environments, and the risk of fines and reputational damage from polluting activity is high. Therefore, site managers need to be aware of discharge requirements, these may include gaining permissions to discharge treated effluent from the Environment Agency and meeting the general binding rules for small sewage discharges (SSDs) that took effect on 2 October 2023.

Choosing an appropriate off mains wastewater treatment system

The HiPAF® packaged sewage treatment plant from WCSEE is an ideal solution for rural and remote areas where mains drainage is unavailable. It can be accurately sized to accommodate variable and peak loads, making it perfect for hospitality, leisure, and tourism sites with fluctuating wastewater demands.

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Topics: Wastewater Treatment

Steve Holt

Written by Steve Holt

Steve is the Engineering Technical Manager at WCS Environmental Engineering, specialising in off-mains sewage solutions. With extensive experience ranging from domestic to large-scale commercial applications, Steve works on custom designed sewage treatment systems tailored to site-specific needs. He collaborates closely with architects and engineering firms, leveraging his strong mechanical and electrical engineering background and experience with multinational companies to deliver cost efficient treatment.

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