The Wastewater Quality Nexus — From Treatment Plant to River
This two-day course traces wastewater from the treatment works to the receiving river, linking plant performance, effluent compliance, and downstream river health into a single chain of evidence. With the 2025 Green Drop Report placing 47% of South Africa's wastewater works in a critical state — and no KwaZulu-Natal system reaching certification — it equips engineers to read the data from the outfall to the river, and to act on what it shows.
Learning outcomes
- Plan and run a sampling programme that connects WWTW effluent to receiving-water quality, using both field kits and laboratory methods.
- Interpret nutrient, microbial, and physico-chemical results against discharge standards and Green Drop criteria.
- Diagnose the treatment-train and sludge-handling factors behind non-compliant effluent, and judge their consequences for river health.
Who should attend
Municipal and water-utility engineers responsible for treatment and discharge, the process controllers and technical staff who run the plants, and consultants working on WWTW design, upgrades, or compliance. Equally suited to environmental practitioners and postgraduates working on water quality.