Category: Urban Systems

Wastewater Treatment Plant Capacity Ratings

Wastewater Treatment Plant Capacity Ratings

Wastewater Treatment Plant Capacity Ratings

09/13/26

“Why is understanding a wastewater treatment plant’s capacity rating so important?”

Wastewater treatment plants are built to treat a certain capacity of wastewater inflow. A Wastewater Treatment Plant Capacity Rating describes the average daily permitted flow of wastewater the plant can treat. For example, a 1.5 million cubic meter per day treatment plant is designed to treat 1.5 million cubic meters in one day. Wastewater treatment plants can treat more than their stated capacity for a short time, but it’s not recommended.

The Las Vegas Wash

The Las Vegas Wash

The Las Vegas Wash

09/11/26

“How does Las Vegas use a 12-mile swampy stream to recycle its wastewater?”

Las Vegas sits in a difficult place for water. The metropolis sits in one of the driest and hottest parts of the U.S., and climate change is expected to bring even less rainfall. But it turns out Vegas has a secret card up its sleeve. The Las Vegas Valley channels its wastewater into a 12-mile swampy stream called The Las Vegas Wash for purification. The plants in the Las Vegas Wash remove contaminants from the (post-treatment plant) wastewater, and the end of the stream ends at Lake Mead to connect back into the water supply system. This advanced water-recycling technique will only become more important as the climate-change-driven drought intensifies.

Image credit: https://www.lvwash.org/

Alluvium

Alluvium

Alluvium

09/10/26

“What is loose sediment deposited by flowing water?”

Flowing water erodes sediment and turns it loose. The water will then deposit the sediment as Alluvium. Alluvium soil is typically mixed from a wide range of different grain sizes.

Rock Outlet Protection

Rock Outlet Protection

Rock Outlet Protection

09/08/26

“How can we prevent water from culverts from eroding nearby earth using rocks?”

Water streams through culverts are channelized and pick up speed. This extra speed can erode nearby earth soils. People can prevent this by installing collections of rocks outside of the culvert exit to dampen the flow. This Rock Outlet Protection is a simple but effective way to implement erosion and sediment control for culverts.

Image credit: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/

Artificial Reefs

Artificial Reefs

Artificial Reefs

09/06/26

“How can we make artificial reefs to provide homes for sea life?”

Reefs provide habitats for all kinds of sea life. But they don’t have to be natural. Artificial Reefs are human-made reefs designed to provide homes for ocean creatures. Common materials for artificial reefs include concrete, sunken ships, and even old subway cars! Artificial reefs also dissipate coastal wave energy, protecting coasts from storm surge and soil erosion.

Reefs

Reefs

Reefs

09/05/26

“Why are ridges of material beneath the ocean surface so important for marine biodiversity?”

Countless species live in the Earth’s oceans. Building multidimensional ecosystems can sometimes be tricky on the endless sands of the ocean floor. However, ridges of material called Reefs provide complex habitat for multiple communities of sea life, allowing for large-scale biodiversity to grow. Reefs are pivotal for ocean health and coastal storm surge protection. 

Dead Pool

Dead Pool

Dead Pool

09/02/26

“What happens when a reservoir’s water level becomes so low that it stops releasing water?”

Reservoirs store water. When a reservoir drops below the minimum release connection, the downstream river stops flowing, unleashing what people call Dead Pool conditions. Reservoirs that have reached dead pool status can stop providing power, irrigation, and drinking water to communities that depend on them. Dead pooled reservoirs are more vulnerable to sedimentation because extra sediment won’t get flushed out downstream.

Pore Water Pressure

Pore Water Pressure

Pore Water Pressure

09/01/26

“What’s special about the pressure exerted by water between tiny soil particles?”

Soil particles have empty pore spaces between them. Water inside these spaces will exert pressure between the soil particles called the Pore Water Pressure. The pore water pressure absorbs a portion of the total stress applied to the soil. A higher pore water pressure lowers total soil shear strength because it reduces friction between interlocking soil particles.

Lake Mead

Lake Mead

Lake Mead

08/31/26

“What’s so special about the reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam?”

The Hoover Dam is one of the most famous dams in the world. Nestled near Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam provides energy to over half a million homes, water to over 1.5 million acres of land and 25 million people (including some in Los Angeles and Mexico), and flood control for the region. The reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam is so large it’s been called Lake Mead. The creation of Lake Mead involved great devastation, including the submerging of Indigenous archeological sites and multiple towns. The water level at Lake Mead is an indicator of drought in the Southwest. As of writing, the water level in Lake Mead has dropped to nearly a quarter of its capacity, its lowest ever recorded level.