A conventional pollutant is a term used in the USA to describe a
water pollutant that is amenable to treatment by a municipal
sewage treatment plant. A basic list of conventional pollutants is defined in the U.S.
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...
. The list has been amended in regulations issued by the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
:
*
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
*
fecal coliform bacteria
* oil and grease
*
pH (exceeding regulatory limits)
*
total suspended solids (TSS).
The ''Secondary Treatment Regulation'' contains national discharge standards for BOD, pH and TSS, applicable to sewage treatment plants in the U.S.
[EPA. "Secondary treatment." ''Code of Federal Regulations'', . 1984-10-16.]
See also
*
Secondary treatment
*
Wastewater quality indicators
Wastewater quality indicators are laboratory test methodologies to assess suitability of wastewater for disposal, treatment or reuse. The main parameters in sewage that are measured to assess the sewage strength or quality as well as treatmen ...
*
Water quality
*
Criteria pollutants, a similar list of pollutants of air
References
Environmental engineering
Water pollution
Water quality indicators
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