A statistical evaluation of wastewater treatment plant performance

An evaluation of the performance of a wastewater treatment plant using statistics is presented. Because it is difficult to visualize treatment plant performance from tabulated data, the development of graphs based on statistics can be used to monitor performance and to detect process upsets. Statistics can be used to assist an operator in: (a) monitoring the process, (b) estimating the condition of the process, and (c) improving the process continuously. In the past, statistics have been used to control, monitor and detect the shift in process performance in manufacturing and chemical industries. Although the comprehensive use of statistics is still fairly new in the field of environmental engineering, the application of statistics to monitor process control can be a valuable tool in controlling wastewater treatment processes. Furthermore, the use of statistical process control (SPC) charts is a simple type of on-line statistical process control procedure that can achieve the above objectives.