Oxygen Absorption in Streams

Information on the rate of absorption of oxygen in sewers is needed for calculations of biological oxidation in sewers and for an understanding of sulfide buildup in sewers. Published equations for stream aeration are at variance with one another, and in any case do not provide a basis for needed predictions of reaeration rates in sewers. Measurements of oxygen uptake were made in twelve functioning sewers. By viewing all of the data and prior mathematical treatments synoptically, a general predictive equation was devised. Reaeration rates for sewage streams can now be predicted with an expected standard error of ±10%. The general equation coefficient for predicting reaeration in streams of pure water is not yet known with similar accuracy, but could be determined by precision experiments. The rates in sewage streams are apparently about a third as great as in pure water.