This module will enable students to understand the fundamental aspects of the hydrological cycle and its relevance to the provision of a sustainable water supply. Students will be taught about the methods used for the collection of a raw water supply from groundwater and surface water sources, in addition to the infrastructure used for its transport, storage and distribution. The module examines potential sources of contamination, which may impact on raw water quality at catchment level. Particular emphasis will be placed on the importance of compliance with water quality legislation and relevant guidelines in order to protect the water resource.

1. Explain the hydrological cycle and its relevance to a holistic approach to sustainable water supply.
2. Outline typical methods/approaches for the abstraction of raw water from groundwater and surface water sources, in addition to its regulation.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the main infrastructure used for the transport, storage and distribution of water to domestic properties and businesses.
4. Define key characteristics (chemical, physical and microbiological) of satisfactory raw water quality, especially for the protection of human health.

5. Outline the importance of compliance with key legislation for the protection of drinking water quality, groundwater and surface water.

This Module informs the learner about the function and operation criteria of a drinking water treatment plant and its main elements. It describes the treatment stages that transform a typical raw water source (surface water or ground water) to one that is fit for human consumption and meets the required drinking water legislation. The module will explore the factors that influence the design and operation of a water treatment plant. It will also explore the importance of monitoring key parameters within a system to minimise operational problems and optimise treatment efficiency. The learner will gain an understanding of water quality parameters and parametric values, legal requirements of drinking water treatment and customer expectations and gain an understanding of water safety planning. The module also introduces "risk" and "barrier" approach to achieving safe drinking water and monitoring requirements. Also introduced in the module are loss and wastage of water during treatment. The learner will also carry out lab testing for key water quality parameters measured routinely at plants.

1. Explain the function and operation criteria of drinking water treatment processes.

2. Differentiate between water treatment process steps and their application.

3. Perform calculations necessary for efficient plant operation and differentiate between measurement units used.

4. Describe the various disinfection processes and understand log credit and log removal in drinking water treatment

5. Define and describe water quality parameters, parametric values, methods of measurement and and carry out lab testing.

6. Analyse drinking water treatment plant performance, identify critical control points and understand mananging for loss/wastage of treated water

7. Identify and describe the \”risk\” and \”barrier\” approach to achieving safe drinking water, the main contaminants of water and their sources and drinking water safety planning.

This module covers production, treatment, handling and disposal of water treatment sludge and includes the following: The circular economy – (Design, Production, Consumption and Re-use). Drinking water treatment sludge characteristics. Traditional sludge treatment processes and new technologies. Sludge disposal methodologies and the decision process. Environmental impact and Regulatory Compliance building and understanding of the relevant Directive, Act Regulations applicable to Sludge management. Methodologies are employed to validate and optimise the sludge treatment processes.

1. Define sludge characteristics from water treatment plants, describe dewatering and other common treatment processes options and stabilization processes.
2. Calculate sludge volume reductions due to dewatering processes.
3. Select and recommend on appropriate sludge disposal methods.
4. Interpret the relevant legislation and describe the control standards, manuals and directives.
5. Explain how to develop national sludge management plans

This module presents a Quality Management Framework that is integrated with Water Safety Planning, Health and Safety Planning, Planned Preventative Maintenance, Emergency Planning and Plant Optimisation to minimise costs. The module includes the following topics: documentation (paper and/or electronic), drawings/schematics, standard operating procedures, operations and maintenance manuals, monitoring of processes, equipment/instrumentation calibration and the importance of effective communication.

1. Describe the main elements of a quality framework for the operation and maintenance of water treatment and distribution systems
2. Explain what a Water Safety Plan (WSP) is and the role of the Plant Operator in achieving the objectives of the WSP
3. Discuss the differences in approach to the work of a Plant Operator between Planned Preventative Maintenance and unplanned responses to breakdowns and/or emergency situations
4. Discuss the tasks involved in monitoring and maintenance of a water treatment plant and distribution system for source protection, raw water quality, process performance, treated water quality compliance, residuals treatment, asset condition and process efficiency
5. Discuss how the maintenance of water treatment plants and water distribution systems should be managed to achieve legal, environmental, technical and economic objectives.

This module provides the learner with the fundamental characteristics and operational processes for a range of Advanced Drinking Water Treatment Systems including ortho-P dosing for lead mitigation and removal, ultraviolet irradiation technology, advanced water filtration, activated carbon filtration, membrane technologies, taste and odour improvement, advanced oxidation technologies including ozonation, aeration, water softening, desalination, and pH adjustment.

1. Describe the range of advanced drinking water treatment processes and explain where and when they can be used effectively and efficiently.
2. Outline the potentially harmful and deleterious effects that various substances and micro-organisms may have on consumers of drinking water from both polluted and natural sources.
3. Describe the processes that would positively impact on the quality of drinking water produced from a number of sources and comparatively assess the relative costs and benefits of employing such technologies.
4. Sample, test and monitor the water quality from advanced drinking water treatment processes and provide an analysis of the success of such systems for various water sources and potential uses of the treated water.
5. Identify technologies to solve issues for drinking water supplies and determine the appropriate applications of such technologies to solve problems.

This module introduces the learner to the key principles, concepts and systems that relate to municipal wastewater treatment processes, and provides an overview of wastewater characteristics, quantities, flow variation and treatment options for various population equivalents. It also includes an introduction to wastewater sampling and testing, and plant operation and monitoring. The module also highlights the potential contribution of wastewater discharges to the pollution of receiving water bodies. In addition, this module informs the learner of the function and design criteria of secondary biological wastewater treatment. The module describes the micro-organisms that mediate the transformation of typical water pollutants and how they may be used in different plant configurations to reduce the pollutant load associated with municipal wastewater. This module will also explore the factors that influence the growth and behaviour of these micro-organisms together with the importance of monitoring key parameters within the system to minimise operational problems and optimise treatment efficiency.

1. Demonstrate current knowledge of the characteristics, concentrations and varying quantities of wastewater influent from various population equivalents to municipal wastewater treatment plants.

2. Report effectively on the typical systems, processes, stages and options suitable for the treatment of wastewater collected from municipal sources for various population equivalents, including the ability to explain the function and design criteria of biological secondary treatment processes.

3. Describe and perform sampling, testing, and monitoring protocols relating to the efficient and sustainable operation of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Identify and differentiate between the different micro-organisms responsible for biological wastewater treatmentand understand the factors that influence their growth and behaviour.

4. Be familiar with and differentiate between key terms and abbreviations used in secondary wastewater treatment.

5. Perform calculations necessary for efficient plant operation and differentiate between different measurement units. Interpret results from the monitoring of a waste water treatment plant and recommend corrective action to remedy operational problems

6. Appreciate the potential impact of wastewater discharges on receiving water quality and to meet compliance requirements, and understand thelicencing and certification and authorisation process for public and private wastewater treatment plants.

7. Determine methods of optimising and enhancing treatment plant performance to meet effluent discharge limits and achieve sustainable operation.

Preliminary and Primary Wastewater Treatment.

1. Define and interpret the scientific and engineering concepts as they relate to sewer systems and preliminary and primary wastewater treatment systems.
2. Select and evaluate a range of laboratory experimental tests and design techniques, critically report on the findings

3. Analyse and Design various methods of dealing with storm overflow strategies
4. Understand and categorise sewage, storm water and industrial effluents

5. Appraise techniques in the removal of Fats, Oils and Grease from effluent

This module explains the nature, sources, characteristics and nuisance issues associated with wastewater sludges and biosolids; the importance of the reduction of moisture content and volatile solids content; the various processes used to treat and dewater sludge, and the legal and technical requirements to convert wastewater sludge to biosolids and to recycle biosolids to land. The module also explains the practical issues arising in relation to the operation, maintenance and monitoring of sludge thickening, treatment and dewatering facilities.

1. List and describe the critical characteristics of biosolids and wastewater sludges from various sources.
2. Estimate the mass and volumes of sludge generated by various wastewater treatment processes
3. Explain why chemicals are used to assist in the thickening and dewatering of sludges and how these processes should be operated and monitored
4. Discuss the critical features of a range of sludge dewatering and sludge treatment technologies
5. Demonstrate how sludge facilities should be operated, monitored, trouble-shooted and managed to achieve legal, environmental and economic objectives.

This module will provide the learner with the essential practical skills and knowledge relating to wastewater treatment plant process operation, maintenance schedules, and pumping, motor and electrical aspects of plant systems. The module shall also address chemical storage, dosing and overall safety issues for wastewater treatment plant processes.

1. Identify and describe the key wastewater treatment plant maintenance and operational processes.

2. Compile and apply maintenance schedules appropriate to municipal wastewater treatment plant processes and efficient plant operation.
3. Apply knowledge of motor, drive and pump operation and potential electrical, mechanical and pumping issues to prevent and solve operational problems with wastewater treatment plant process equipment and develop good maintenance practices.
4. Outline and explain the key characteristics and application of key safety systems relating towastewater treatment plant processes, maintenance, chemical dosing and other operational practices.

5. Have knowledge of current asset management approaches to wastewater services maintenance and investment plans and be able to appreciate the use of technology readiness level fornew and emerging technologies for plant equipment upgrades or replacement.

This module explains the fundamental characteristics and operational processes for a range of advanced wastewater treatment processes for the additional removal of organic material, suspended solids and nutrients compared to conventional systems. Topics covered include replacement/upgrading of existing systems to address more stringent effluent requirements and/or drive greater efficiencies, the use of chemicals to remove phosphorus, enhanced biological removal of phosphorus and/or nitrogen, moving bed biofilm reactors, filtration, membrane, adsorption and advanced oxidation technologies.

1. Describe the range of advanced wastewater treatment processes and explain where and when they can be used effectively and efficiently
2. Illustrate how various enhanced biological systems for the reduction/removal of phosphorus and/or nitrogen can be integrated with conventional wastewater treatment systems
3. Outline how inorganic coagulants are used to remove phosphorus from wastewater, compute appropriate doses and explain how the system should be operated and monitored
4. Illustrate how tertiary filtration systems operate and explain how the system should be operated and monitored
5. Discuss how advanced wastewater treatment systems should be operated, monitored, trouble-shooted and managed to achieve legal, environmental and economic objectives.

The learners engage in an independent research project where they use the skills & competencies acquired in the program of study to research an area deemed appropriate by an academic superviser

1. Work independently on a work related project
2. Source literature relevant to the project
3. Become proficient at meeting deadlines within allocated timeframe
4. Interpret and evaluate their findings and make recommendations on this basis
5. Present their work and answer questions following their presentation