Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020
Historically, Southern California’s four largest publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) were major sources of contaminants in the Southern California Bight (SCB), home to over 22 million residents and diverse marine life. This study conducted a fifty-year review (1971–2020) to assess these facilitie...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/3876 |
| _version_ | 1797457461523775488 |
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| author | Leah Lippman Leslie Perez Sonya R. Lopez |
| author_facet | Leah Lippman Leslie Perez Sonya R. Lopez |
| author_sort | Leah Lippman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Historically, Southern California’s four largest publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) were major sources of contaminants in the Southern California Bight (SCB), home to over 22 million residents and diverse marine life. This study conducted a fifty-year review (1971–2020) to assess these facilities’ performance in protecting human and aquatic life. We analyzed effluent discharge flow, total annual mass emissions into SCB, and the rate of change of mass emissions in five ten-year timeframes. Results show a significant decrease in contaminant concentrations (43% to 99%) from 1971 to 2020, with most reaching historically low levels. Despite a growing population, effluent volume decreased by 23%, reflecting successful local water conservation and recycling efforts. Some constituents experienced temporary increases that later decreased. Overall, the decline in mass emissions for all constituents over fifty years highlights the POTWs’ efforts to treat effluent and reduce their impact on the SCB’s ecosystem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:22:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3e0bee59eaac45448d35ba00f053dd25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:22:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-3e0bee59eaac45448d35ba00f053dd252023-11-24T15:11:06ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-11-011522387610.3390/w15223876Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020Leah Lippman0Leslie Perez1Sonya R. Lopez2Department of Civil Engineering, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USADepartment of Civil Engineering, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USADepartment of Civil Engineering, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USAHistorically, Southern California’s four largest publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) were major sources of contaminants in the Southern California Bight (SCB), home to over 22 million residents and diverse marine life. This study conducted a fifty-year review (1971–2020) to assess these facilities’ performance in protecting human and aquatic life. We analyzed effluent discharge flow, total annual mass emissions into SCB, and the rate of change of mass emissions in five ten-year timeframes. Results show a significant decrease in contaminant concentrations (43% to 99%) from 1971 to 2020, with most reaching historically low levels. Despite a growing population, effluent volume decreased by 23%, reflecting successful local water conservation and recycling efforts. Some constituents experienced temporary increases that later decreased. Overall, the decline in mass emissions for all constituents over fifty years highlights the POTWs’ efforts to treat effluent and reduce their impact on the SCB’s ecosystem.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/3876water qualitymass emissionsSouthern California Bightpublicly owned treatment workseffluent discharge |
| spellingShingle | Leah Lippman Leslie Perez Sonya R. Lopez Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020 Water water quality mass emissions Southern California Bight publicly owned treatment works effluent discharge |
| title | Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020 |
| title_full | Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020 |
| title_fullStr | Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020 |
| title_short | Fifty-Year Review of Effluent Discharge Trends to the Southern California Bight from Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities from 1971 to 2020 |
| title_sort | fifty year review of effluent discharge trends to the southern california bight from large municipal wastewater treatment facilities from 1971 to 2020 |
| topic | water quality mass emissions Southern California Bight publicly owned treatment works effluent discharge |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/3876 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leahlippman fiftyyearreviewofeffluentdischargetrendstothesoutherncaliforniabightfromlargemunicipalwastewatertreatmentfacilitiesfrom1971to2020 AT leslieperez fiftyyearreviewofeffluentdischargetrendstothesoutherncaliforniabightfromlargemunicipalwastewatertreatmentfacilitiesfrom1971to2020 AT sonyarlopez fiftyyearreviewofeffluentdischargetrendstothesoutherncaliforniabightfromlargemunicipalwastewatertreatmentfacilitiesfrom1971to2020 |