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© 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 
 

Asian Review of Environmental and Earth Sciences 
Vol. 7, No. 1, 55-60, 2020 

ISSN(E) 2313-8173 / ISSN(P) 2518-0134 
DOI:10.20448/journal.506.2020.71.55.60 

© 2020 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 

  
 

 
 
 
Design of a Wastewater Treatment Oxidation Pond 

 
Oyati E. N1 
Olotu Yahaya2 
Gimba I.N3 
Ibrahim Rasheed4 

 
 

( Corresponding Author) 
 
1Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. 

 
2,4Department of Agricultural and Bio-Envi. Engineering, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. 
3Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Engineering, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. 

 
Abstract 

The proposed site of the wastewater treatment pond is located in a terrain inside the Polytechnic Campus 
and the New Staff Quarters where the storm-runoff flow has on effect. The site possesses good soil 
characteristics which include a particle size distribution of sandy soil with little fine particles of gravel, a 
specific gravity of 2.77 and a soil moisture content of 7.26% indicating a high degree of permeability. The 

output of geotechnical analysis indicated that the proposed site has soil particle density (ρs) and dry bulk 

density (ρb) of 1.76 g/cm3 and 1.64g/cm3 respectively. Void ratio (e), porosity (ȵ) values of 0.87 and 0.46 
(46%) were determined. The atterbergs limits of 19.0%, 14.96% and 19.6% for shrinkage limit (SL), plastic 
limit (PL) and liquid limit (LL) were estimated with a computed plastic index (PI) of 3.04. The soil profile 
formation is highly sandy with a good lateritic layer to support the pond foundation. The proposed pond 
design volume (V) is 898.5 m3 and land areas of 718.8 m2 were estimated for the project. 

 
Keywords: Soil, Density, Limit, Pond, Permeability, Wastewater, Gravel, Atterbergs limit. 

 
Citation | Oyati E. N; Olotu Yahaya; Gimba I.N; Ibrahim Rasheed 
(2020). Design of a Wastewater Treatment Oxidation Pond. Asian 
Review of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 7(1): 55-60. 
History:  
Received: 10 February 2020 
Revised: 12 March 2020 
Accepted: 14 April 2020 
Published: 4 May 2020 
Licensed: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 

Attribution 3.0 License  
Publisher:  Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 
 

Acknowledgement: All authors contributed to the conception and design of 
the study. 
Funding: This study received no specific financial support. 
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of 
interests. 
Transparency: The authors confirm that the manuscript is an honest, 
accurate, and transparent account of the study was reported; that no vital 
features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the 
study as planned have been explained. 
Ethical: This study follows all ethical practices during writing.   

 

 

Contents 

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 56 
2. Materials and Methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 56 
3. Results and Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................... 59 
4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 
References .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 59 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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Contribution of this paper to the literature 
The proposed site of the wastewater treatment pond is located in a terrain inside the Polytechnic Campus 
and the New Staff Quarters where the storm-runoff flow has on effect. 

 
1. Introduction 

The treatment of wastewater using the interaction of bacteria, algae, and sunlight inside shallow confinement 
known as oxidation pond is one of the techniques of wastewater treatment. The essence of treating wastewater and 
effluent using the oxidation pond is basically structured to reduce and remove the pathogens and organic matters 
contained in wastewater. The wastewater stabilization pond has numerous advantages such as adequate treatment 
compartments, accurate balancing of temperature and other parameters as dissolved oxygen (DO), nutrient and 
organic matters [1-3]. Oxidation pond is made of a set of organisms associated together such as algae, fungi, 
viruses, and fungi. The biodegradable organic matter (BOD) is decomposed by the bacteria and carbon dioxide, 
nitrates and ammonia are released [4]. 

The oxidation pond could be designed to treat different categories of effluent ranges from industrial 
wastewater to municipal wastewater [5]. The naturally-based wastewater stabilization pond requires a large 
surface area for its construction. Oxidation pond is less scientifically-based with the design of 0.6 m to 1.6 m depth 
[2]. Effluents from oxidation are usually applied for irrigation and aquaculture agriculture. Also, stabilization 
ponds are commonly used in regions with warm to mild climate throughout the year [6].  

The removal of suspended solids (SS) and organic matter is the initial stage of treatment in the anaerobic, the 
secondary stage takes place in a facultative pond where the remaining organic matter is removed using the 
simulated heterotrophic and activated algae Mara and Pearson [4]. Erick, et al. [1] reported that aerobic ponds 
are suitable for high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal and ideal for areas where the cost of land is not 
expensive. 

The new staff quarters of Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi could adopt this mechanism for its wastewater treatment. 
It has been observed that most of the septic tanks and soak-away pits in the new staff quarters are no longer 
effective due to an increase in wastewater generation. Hence, the objective of the present study was to design a 
wastewater oxidation pond at Auchi Polytechnic, New Staff Quarters that will be useful to treat wastewater 
effluent; having considered the suitability factors such as the intensity of temperature and sunlight for removal 
processes. Oxidation ponds are also productive because it generates effluent that can be used for other applications 
such as fertilizer and pilet for arable and fish farming. 

 
2. Materials and Methods 
2.1. Design Considerations  

Four significant mechanisms (interception, gravity, advection and diffusion) are included in oxidation pond. 
The pond is designed to be at least 150 m from residential houses and the treated effluent would be constantly 
diluted of discharge. Soils and parent materials at site must be impermeable to pond waters as the waste solution 
can contaminate ground water if seepage occurs. The following considerations were made as follows: the aerobic 
pond should be sited in an open area for interception of solar radiation and wind; the storm water catchment needs 
to be kept to a minimum to increase the retention time of ponds; rainwater run-off from the roof building would be 
channeled away from the effluent system; technical pipeline laying system; and creation of accessibility for earth 
moving equipment. The designed ratio of width to length is 1:2. This process ensures that the effluent remains 
within the system for a required period of time. The oxidation stabilization width is designed for effective 
workability of excavators and desludging machinery, the design of 0.5 m for the freeboard is allowed for slurry and 
sedimentation. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the dimensional views of the designed oxidation pond, while Figure 3 
shows the oxidation operational system of wastewater treatment pond. Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the oxidation 
pond system and application of its by-product (Sludge) for cropland farming. 
 

 
Figure-1.  Front view of proposed oxidation pond. 

Source: Mara and Pearson [4]. 
 



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Figure-2.  Oxidation pond and processes. 
Source: Ramandan and Ponce [7]. 

 

 
Figure-3.  Wastewater treatment arrangement in oxidation pond. 

Source: Ramandan and Ponce [7]. 

 

 
Figure-4. Oxidation pond treatment system. 

 Source: Alexiou and Mara [8]. 

 

 
Figure-5. Application of fertilizer value of oxidation pond treatment system for cropland. 

      Source: Alexiou and Mara [8]. 

 
 



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2.2. Design Calculations 
The proposed oxidation pond was designed to achieve 65% removal of biodegradable organic matter at about 

20oC structured at 300 mg/l; temperature below 15oC causes the digestion processes to slow down with large 
sedimentation [4]. The chemical processes taking place in the anaerobic pond is represented in Equations 1-3: 

                                 (1) 

                             (2) 

                                                                                       (3) 

There is strong relationship between wastewater generation and population growth; therefore, population 
growth-projection and oxidation pond volume were calculated using Equation 4.     

                                                                                      (4) 

Where: 
V is the volume of the oxidation pond in cubic meter, the effluent flow rate is Q in m3/s, the biodegradable 

organic matter (BOD) is La, the pond temperature and temperature coefficient in T and ϴ; the sulfide oxygen, algal 
toxicity factor are represented as ff1 [9].  

Equation 5 was applied to project the population of the New Staff Quarters in Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi for the 
next 20-year  

                                                                                                   (5) 

 Where, 
 PO = Present Population = 250 people. 
 r = Growth rate = 2.8 %. 
 t = design period = 20 years. 
 Pt  = Projected population. 
 Pt = 250 (1 + 0.028)20. 
 Pt = 434.3 = 435 people. 

 The initial treatment stage in stabilization pond is by introducing high volumetric organic matter of 
biodegradable (BOD) higher than 100g of BOD5/m3. However, the volumetric loading is equated using Equation 6. 
as follows: 
 

                                      (6) 

Where: 
Influent of biodegradable organic matter (BOD), influent flow rate (Q) m3/d and the volume of oxidation pond 

(m3). Using the retention time, volumetric loading is computed from Equations 7-8. 

                                          (7) 
Where: 

                         (8) 

Maximum surface organic loading (MSOR) and ambient air temperature of the coldest period is equated using the 
expression in Equation 9: 

                            (9) 
Where:  

 s = surface organic loading, kg BOD5/ha.d 

 T = mean ambient air temperature of coldest month, °C. 
Archer [10] showed that the formula was designed for surface loading rate due to its suggestion of the 

agreement with available operating data, including a factor of safety of about 1.5, as represented in Equation 10. 

                                     (10) 
In the facultative pond, the hydraulic retention time (tf) is estimated using Equation 11 

                                             (11) 
Af is the area of the stabilization pond; and Df is the pond diameter. 
The following assumptions were considered in the design: 

i. BOD5 Conversion = 905. 

ii. BOD5 removal rate = 0.36/day at  200C. 

iii. Temperature Coefficient = 1.06 at  200C. 

iv. Pond Temperature; (a).Warmth 350C  ( b).   Cold 250C. 

v. Maximum Pond Depth = 1.25 m 

vi. Dispersion factor of ponds = 1.0 
 

2.2.1. Sewer Design 
The average generated sewage from the community is 87.0 m3/day estimated using the Equation 12.  

                                                                                                  (12) 

Where, Qd is generated sewage; Pt is the projected population; Pcd is water consumed and Sw is spent. When the 
sewer is flowing at 1/6 full-flow capacity, the velocity of flow (V) is estimated to be 0.3 m/s using manning formula 
as shown in Equation 13. Figure 6 indicates a partially filled section of a flow flowing in a circular pipe. D is the 
diameter of the pipe, while (h) depth of water in the pipe. 



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Figure-6. Partially filled section of a flow flowing in a circular pipe. 

          Source: Ramandan and Ponce [7]. 

 

                                                                                                                    (13) 

Where, n ranges from 0.013-0.015. Therefore, the depth of flow from the circular channel was calculated using 
the expression in Equation 14. 

                                                                                                               (14) 

Q is the effluent flowrate; n is the manning coefficient of friction; h is depth of flow; S is the slope and D is 
diameter of conduit. The area of the pipe was determined using continuity equation as shown in Equation 15. 
Where V = 0.3m/s for a sewer flowing 1/6 full 

                                                                                                                  (15) 

Diameter of the effluent conveying PVC pipe was calculated using Equation 16. 

                                                                                                                                                      (16) 

 
3. Results and Discussion 

New Staff Quarters of Auchi Polytechnic is a residential compound in the Polytechnic within the Auchi 
community with an estimated population equal to 250 people and a projected population of 485 people. The 
detailed results of the designed oxidation pond variables, geotechnical parameters, and wastewater analysis were 
well-validated.  The projected population for New Staff Quarters for the next 20-year is 435 people. The soil is 

sandy with little fine particles of gravel. It has a bulk density (ρbulk) and particle dry density (ρdry) of 1.76g/cm3 

and 1.64 g/cm3. The degree of saturation (ȵ), void ratio (e), moisture content (M.C) and a specific gravity of 91.4%, 
0.87, 0.46 and 2.77 respectively. Oxidation surface pond area and volume of 723.8m3 and 898.5m3 were designed. 
Detention times (tan) at 25oC and 35oC were estimated to 6-day and 10.4 days respectively. Using the standard 
method, design load of less and not more than 350 BOD/m3d for the dry season. However, the design 
consideration of 120 BOD/m3d and temperature range of 10oC-13oC was applied to maintain odour challenges. The 
volumetric loading and sulfate concentration were applied using the procedure of Alexiou and Mara [8]. The 
effluent from municipal oxidation pond is designed to have BOD5 between 60 and 75 mg/l and this is in line with 
World Health Organization (WHO) standard. It is deduced from the study that COD design variables for 
stabilization pond could be applied to replaced BOD. The dilution would be in the order of 7:1, and the living algae 
continues contains in the effluent becomes very useful due to its photosynthetic processes. 
 

4. Conclusion 
The design apparatus has indicated that the oxidation pond would be very suitable for wastewater treatment at 

the New Staff Quarters at Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi due to its inexpensiveness in design and construction. Also, the 
climatic conditions in Auchi highly favored the development of the wastewater stabilization pond. The reuse of the 
treated effluent will subsequently reduce the water pressure. Conversely, temperature, retention time and 
volumetric loading greatly affect organic loading and efficiency in the oxidation pond. 
 

References 
[1] B. Erick, T. Young, and A. A. Mohammed, "Oxidation pond for municipal wastewater treatment," Appl Water Science, vol. 4, pp. 

440-445, 2015. 
[2] B. B. Hosetti and S. Frost, "A review of the sustainable value of effluents and sludges from wastewater stabilization ponds," 

Ecological Engineering, vol. 5, pp. 421-431, 1995. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/0925-8574(95)00005-4. 
[3] C. Amengual-Morro, G. M. Niell, and A. Martínez-Taberner, "Phytoplankton as bioindicator for waste stabilization ponds," 

Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 95, pp. S71-S76, 2012. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.07.008. 
[4] D. Mara and H. Pearson, Design manual for waste stabilization ponds in Mediterranean countries. Leeds: Lagoon Technology 

International Ltd, 1998. 
[5] D. G. Rose, Community-based technologies for domestic waste water treatment and reuse options for urban agriculture, (Cities Feeding People 

(CFP) Report Series 27). Ottawa: International Development Research Center Canada (IDRC), 1999. 
[6] M. I. Badawy, R. A. El-Wahaab, A. Moawad, and M. E. Ali, "Assessment of the performance of aerated oxidation ponds in the 

removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs): A case study," Desalination, vol. 251, pp. 29-33, 2010. Available at: 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2009.10.001. 

[7] M. Ramandan and V. M. Ponce, "Design and performance of waste stabilization pond," Historical Hyrological, vol. 2, pp. 13-42, 
1999. 

[8] G. Alexiou and D. Mara, "Anaerobic waste stabilization ponds," Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, vol. 109, pp. 241-252, 2003. 



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[9] B. A. Finney and E. J. Middlebrooks, "Facultative waste stabilization pond design," Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation), vol. 
23, pp. 134-147, 1980. 

[10] J. P. Archer, Notes on the design and operation of waste stabilization ponds in warm climates of developing countries. Washington: The 
World Bank, 2011. 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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