A settling basin, settling pond or decant pond is an earthen or concrete structure using sedimentation to remove settleable matter and turbidity from wastewater. The basins are used to control water pollution in diverse industries such as agriculture,[1] aquaculture,[2] and mining.[3][4] Turbidity is an optical property of water caused by scattering of light by material suspended in that water. Although turbidity often varies directly with weight or volumetric measurements of settleable matter, correlation is complicated by variations in size, shape, refractive index, and specific gravity of suspended matter.[5] Settling ponds may be ineffective at reducing turbidity caused by small particles with specific gravity low enough to be suspended by Brownian motion.[6]
- ^ Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District. Sunnyside, WA. "Settling Basins." Accessed 2009-10-02.
- ^ Western Regional Aquaculture Center, University of Washington. Seattle, WA (2001). "Settling Basin Design." Archived 2009-01-16 at the Wayback Machine WRAC Publication No. 106.
- ^ Government of British Columbia. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Products. Victoria, BC (2002). "Settling Pond." Archived 2005-04-06 at the Wayback Machine Aggregate Operators Best Management Practices Handbook for British Columbia. Archived 2009-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Chapter 7: Best Management Practices. April 2002.
- ^ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Seattle, WA (2003). "EPA and Hardrock Mining: A Source Book for Industry in the Northwest and Alaska. Appendix E: Wastewater Treatment." January 2003.
- ^ Franson, Mary Ann Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater 14th edition (1975) APHA, AWWA & WPCF ISBN 0-87553-078-8 p.131
- ^ Goldman, Jackson & Bursztynsky p.8.16