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TCEQ Wastewater License Exam Questions and Answers, Exams of Water and Wastewater Engineering

A comprehensive set of questions and answers related to the tceq wastewater license exam. It covers various aspects of wastewater treatment, including the water use cycle, wastewater characteristics, treatment processes, regulations, and safety precautions. A valuable resource for individuals preparing for the tceq wastewater license exam.

Typology: Exams

2024/2025

Available from 12/09/2024

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Download TCEQ Wastewater License Exam Questions and Answers and more Exams Water and Wastewater Engineering in PDF only on Docsity!

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What are the steps of the Water Use Cycle? - - - correct answer ✅Environment --> Water Treatment --> Water Distribution System --> Customer Use --> Wastewater Collection System --> Wastewater Treatment --> Environment What are the benefits of the collection system? - - - correct answer ✅- Removal of health hazards

  • Prevention of odors and flies
  • Cleanliness and appearance
  • Comfort and convenience Septic vs. Fresh wastewater? - - - correct answer ✅Septic wastewater doesn't contain dissolved oxygen and is difficult to treat. Fresh wastewater contains dissolved oxygen and is easier to treat, which results in higher quality effluent Inflow - - - correct answer ✅Surface runoff that enters the collection system Infiltration - - - correct answer ✅Groundwater that enters the collection system through holes, cracks, etc.

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What is the average domestic contribution to the collection system? (Per person/day) - - - correct answer ✅100 gallons per day What are the four wastewater characteristics? - - - correct answer ✅Physical, Chemical, Bacteriological, and Radiological Domestic wastewater is ___% water and ___% solids - - - correct answer ✅99.9% water, 0.1% solids Settleable solids - - - correct answer ✅Suspended solids that will settle when wastewater flow is still or slow moving What is the pH scale range? - - - correct answer ✅0 (most acidic) to 14 (most basic), 7 is neutral Does septic or freshwater have a lower pH? Why? - - - correct answer ✅Septic has lower pH due to volatile acids formed from wastewater decomposition

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What is Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)? When does it occur? - - - correct answer ✅A colorless, toxic, and flammable gas that resembles the smell of rotten eggs. It results from the bacterial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. It is heavier than air. What is Methane? (CH4) What percentage of methane is in digester gas? - - - correct answer ✅A colorless, odorless, and highly flammable gas. Methane is an asphyxiant and is lighter than air. Digester gas contains 65% methane and is used for heating fuel or operating equipment. What is carbon dioxide? (CO2) - - - correct answer ✅A colorless, odorless gas that has a suffocating effect. When inhaled at higher than normal concentrations, it can produce a sour taste in the mouth and a stinging sensation in the nose and throat. What is carbon monoxide? (CO) - - - correct answer ✅A colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

Why is oil and grease a concern if present in wastewater? - - - correct answer ✅It may cause explosions, fires, line blockages, and odor What are chlorides and why are excessive chlorides in wastewater bad? - - - correct answer ✅Excessive chlorides interfere with treatment processes, especially trickling filters. They also affect laboratory tests. What does the BOD test measure? - - - correct answer ✅It measures wastewater strength and the oxygen depleting effect of wastewater effluent on the receiving stream. Specifically, it indicates the amount of organic matter that can be oxidized by biological and chemical action in five days at 20 degrees Celsius. What are pathogens? What are two viral diseases that could be carried in wastewater? - - - correct answer ✅Polio and infectious hepatitis What are precautions individuals can take to protect against pathogens in the collection system? How do communities overall

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

prevent waterborne disease? - - - correct answer ✅- Wear cut-resistant gloves

  • Wash after contacting wastewater
  • Do not eat or smoke around wastewater
  • Disinfect equipment with bleach
  • Well-maintained water system
  • Sanitary collection system
  • Well-operated wastewater treatment plant What is the purpose of wastewater treatment? - - - correct answer ✅- Dispose of solids
  • Destroy pathogens
  • Eliminate nuisances
  • Protect downstream users What is the state law regulating water pollution control in Texas?

correct answer ✅The Texas Water Code

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

Who is the primary state agency having authority for water pollution control in Texas? - - - correct answer ✅The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) How did the state get its authority to control water pollution? - - - correct answer ✅The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delegated that authority to the individual states. What is the EPA's primary wastewater legislation? - - - correct answer ✅The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972. As amended in 1977, this law commonly became known as the Clean Water Act What did the Clean Water Act do? - - - correct answer ✅- Created pollution control programs

  • Made it unlawful to discharge a point source into navigable waters without a permit
  • Funded construction of wastewater treatment plants When can TCEQ revoke an operator's permit? - - - correct answer ✅If the operator:
  • violates the permit

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

  • falsifies records
  • states misleading information on the licensing application
  • or causes other violations What is an accidental discharge? When must TCEQ be notified about it? - - - correct answer ✅An act or omission through which waste or other substances are inadvertently discharged into water in the state. TCEQ must be notified within 24 hours if one occurs. What is an unauthorized discharge? - - - correct answer ✅Any discharge of wastewater into or adjacent to waters in the state at a location not permitted as an outfall. Ex: SSO At what population does a city may have to establish a water pollution control and abatement program? - - - correct answer ✅10,000 or more Lift stations are built when wastewater is: - - - correct answer ✅- Raised to a higher elevation
  • Pumped over a hill
  • Lifted at a plant for gravity flow

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

TCEQ's goals regarding water pollution control are: - - - correct answer ✅- To maintain state water quality

  • To promote wastewater collection and disposal systems
  • To use all reasonable methods to implement the state water plan The TCEQ may assess administrative penalties up to $______ per day for each violation - - - correct answer ✅$25, Required records, such as flow and effluent quality, must be kept for ___ years. Sludge records must be kept ___ years. - - - correct answer ✅3, 5 Reports, including Discharge Monitoring Reports and Monthly Effluent Reports, are to be submitted to the TCEQ no later than the __ of the _____ month. - - - correct answer ✅20th, following About ___ pounds of BOD are contributed daily by each person (The BOD population equivalent) - - - correct answer ✅0.

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

Any plant with a design flow above ___ MGD is required to install instrumentation for continuous flow totalizing - - - correct answer ✅0.5 MGD What does preliminary treatment do? - - - correct answer ✅It protects the treatment system from large obstructions in the raw influent, unnecessary wear on process equipment, and fluctuations of flow and pollutant strength What does primary treatment do? It should remove what percentage of settleable solids, suspended solids, BOD, and total organic matter? - - - correct answer ✅Primary treatment is the removal of settleable solids from the raw wastewater It should remove:

  • 90-95% of settleable solids
  • 50-70% of suspended solids
  • 35% of BOD
  • 20-30% of total organic matter What are the essential requirements of life? - - - correct answer ✅- energy

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

  • oxygen
  • carbon
  • nitrogen -phosphorus
  • water
  • sulfur What are the different bacteria classifications? - - - correct answer ✅Shape, oxygen needs, temperature, and metabolism Types of ponds used in treatment are: - - - correct answer ✅- aerated (mechanic aeration to mix oxygen, organics, and microorganisms)
  • facultative (two zones of treatment - aerobic and anaerobic)
  • anaerobic
  • hyacinth Wastewater ponds will effectively reduce ___ - - - correct answer ✅BOD and bacteria

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

The ideal orientation of a wastewater stabilization pond would be: -

correct answer ✅parallel with prevailing winds What is the activated sludge process? - - - correct answer ✅Uses living organisms in an oxygen-rich environment to remove organic wastes from wastewater What is the oxygen rate in an activated sludge system? - - - correct answer ✅2- What is the purpose of Return Activated Sludge (RAS)? - - - correct answer ✅Pumps continuously send RAS to the aeration tank, which reseeds the biological reaction in the aeration tank and removes accumulating sludge from the clarifier What is F/M? - - - correct answer ✅The ratio of the amount of food applied per day to the microorganisms in the aeration tanks What is Gould Sludge Age? - - - correct answer ✅How long, in days, a pound of solids stays in the aerator

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What is Mean Cell Residence Time? - - - correct answer ✅Estimates how long the living cells are kept in the plant What are the five important controls for activated sludge plants? - -

correct answer ✅- Dissolved Oxygen

  • Aerator solids levels
  • Solids quality
  • Rate of return sludge
  • Wasting rate What would be the cause of rising sludge and gas bubbles in the final clarifier? - - - correct answer ✅Denitrification (This one is opposite) A = Influent B = Aeration Tank C = Clarifier

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

D = Waste Activated Sludge E = Return Activated Sludge - - - correct answer ✅What does A-F represent? What is a trickling filter? - - - correct answer ✅A fixed film process where wastewater trickles over media, usually rock or plastic. Wastes are then consumed by layers of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and other organisms that live on the media. What are the five basic parts in a trickling filter? - - - correct answer ✅- Filter floor

  • Underdrain system
  • Walls
  • Filter media
  • Distribution arms What is the material that sloughs off the trickling filter that settles in the clarifier? - - - correct answer ✅Humus sludge

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What is super important about the distribution arms on a trickling filter? - - - correct answer ✅Orifices or nozzles on the rotating arms should be inspected daily for clogging and cleaned if necessary. There should be no trash or large debris through the filter. How do Rotating Biological Contactors spin? - - - correct answer ✅Each unit is driven either by a motor with a gear reducer or by air trapped in air cups In Rotating Biological Contactors, what is the biological growth like?


correct answer ✅The entire wetted surface area of the disc becomes covered by a 0.05-0.1 inch film of gray to brown biological growth. It contains approximately 50,000 mg/L of solids What can advanced treatment processes do that secondary treatment can't? - - - correct answer ✅Advanced treatment processes strive to provide a higher removal level of specific compounds, suspended solids, and oxygen-demanding materials that cannot be achieved through secondary treatment alone.

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

In advanced treatment processes, what is the most important factor affecting filter performance? - - - correct answer ✅the quality of the secondary effluent being applied to the filter - low in solids In advanced treatment, a filtration process should remove about ____ of the TSS applied - - - correct answer ✅70%-90% What is adsorption? - - - correct answer ✅When a material clings to the surface of a second material, usually a solid What is primary sludge and its moisture content? - - - correct answer ✅Suspended solids that have been settled out in primary sedimentation tanks or primary clarifiers. The moisture content is 94-96% moisture (4-6% solids) What is the gas composition in a well-run digester? - - - correct answer ✅65-75% methane, and 25-35% carbon dioxide

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What does disinfection do and what are the different types? - - - correct answer ✅Disinfection is the primary mechanism for inactivating and destroying pathogenic organisms in wastewater.

  • chlorine
  • ozonation
  • ultraviolet radiation Is BOD or COD test better for process control? - - - correct answer ✅COD because it has a shorter testing time, which means faster feedback regarding the treatment process What are the purposes of laboratory tests in a wastewater treatment plant? - - - correct answer ✅- To determine the overall efficiency of the plant
  • To determine the effect of the discharge of the receiving stream
  • To determine the characteristics of the waste being treated What parameters must be tested from a grab sample at a wastewater treatment plant and analyzed immediately? - - - correct answer ✅pH, chlorine residual, and dissolved oxygen

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

BOD analysis should begin no later than after __ hours of sampling (after being refrigerated to __C) to be assured of representative results - - - correct answer ✅6 hours, 6 degrees Celsius What is the holding time for TSS after being collected in a wastewater treatment plant? - - - correct answer ✅7 days What is the definition of a flow-weighted composite sample? - - - correct answer ✅A combination of portions of samples collected at regular intervals and combined according to flow The Sludge Volume Index (SVI) should range from ________. What does being out of this range mean? - - - correct answer ✅70 to 150. Under 70 = sludge is settling so rapidly that poor clarification will result. Over 150 = there becomes a tendency for the sludge to begin bulking and solids sent over the weir of the final clarifier What is the preferred Guild Sludge Age (GSA) for activated sludge? -

correct answer ✅5-10 days for conventional and complete mix plants,

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

25 days for extended aeration plant Operators should be concerned with what four types of microorganisms? - - - correct answer ✅Amoeboids, flagellates, ciliates, and rotifers Name the presence of the four different microorganisms in good quality sludge with good settling in order from most prominent to least prominent - - - correct answer ✅1. Free swimming ciliates

  1. Stalked ciliates
  2. Flagellates
  3. Rotifers
  4. Amoeboids At what percentage of exposure can hydrogen sulfide begin to harm you? - - - correct answer ✅Exposure for 2-15 minutes at 0.01% impairs the sense of smell. Exposure to amounts of 0.07-0.1% rapidly causes acute poisoning, paralyzing the lungs

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What is the most common reason for large amounts of sand, gravel, and grit entering the plant? - - - correct answer ✅Storm events What is the relationship between water temperature and capability to hold dissolved oxygen? - - - correct answer ✅An inverse relationship. As the water gets colder, it is capable of holding more dissolved oxygen. As it gets warmer, the ability to hold dissolved oxygen decreases The Clean Water Act requires WWTPs to achieve greater than or equal to __% removal of TSS and BOD - - - correct answer ✅85% What is the imhoff cone used to measure? - - - correct answer ✅Settleable solids What are different types of preliminary treatment? - - - correct answer ✅racks, screens, grinders, grit channels What is grit and why is it removed during preliminary treatment? - -

correct answer ✅Grit consists of non-biodegradable particles

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

including sand, , rocks, coffee grounds, etc. It is removed to remove the heavy, inorganic waste that doesn't break down during treatment and to prevent equipment damage. What are coagulants? What is flocculation? - - - correct answer ✅Coagulants are chemicals that cause very fine particles to clump together into larger particles Flocculation is the gathering together of fine particles after coagulation to form larger particles What are colloidal particles? What can be used to get rid of them? -

correct answer ✅Very small particles that carry an electric charge which makes it very difficult for them to flocculate and settle. Coagulants can be used to neutralize the charge and enable them to flock together. What are the two main parameters an operator should use to ensure proper settling occurs in the primary clarifier? What are the definitions of each? - - - correct answer ✅1. Surface overflow rate: The representation of the flow rate as it relates to the surface area of the clarifier. It is used to determine if clarifiers are hydraulically over or under loaded

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

  1. Hydraulic retention time: How long it takes for the water to pass through the tank What is the detention time of a clarifier? - - - correct answer ✅2 hours What is "ponding" in a trickling filter? - - - correct answer ✅a condition that occurs when the hollow spaces between the media become plugged so much that water passage through the filter is inadequate. It occurs due to excessive slime growths, trash, or media breakdown What happens if recirculation rates in a trickling filter are too low? -

correct answer ✅it can lead to reduced BOD removal, ponding, and filter fly reproduction What factor determines chlorine dosage? - - - correct answer ✅Allowed bacteria level in the plant effluent

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What is chlorine demand? - - - correct answer ✅The difference between the dose and the residual concentration What is free chlorine? - - - correct answer ✅The combination of dissolved chlorine gas, hypochlorous acid, and hypochlorite ion How can a chlorine leak be located or detected? - - - correct answer ✅Using an ammonia soaked rag or spray bottle What are the names of cold, medium, and hot temperature bacteria, respectively? - - - correct answer ✅Psychrophilic, mesophilic, and thermophilic Solids remain in an anaerobic digester for ___ days - - - correct answer ✅15-20 days. Each time sludge is pumped into a digester, an equal volume of sludge is transferred to the secondary digester What are four methods of dewatering stabilized sludge? - - - correct answer ✅belt press, centrifuge, plate and frame press, drying beds and lagoons

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What can an operator do to reduce the effluent BOD of a Trickling Filter? - - - correct answer ✅Raise recirculation rate. What do evaporators in the chlorine feed system do? - - - correct answer ✅Convert liquid chlorine to gaseous chlorine for use by chlorinators What is the purpose of recirculating trickling filter effluent? - - - correct answer ✅To keep a constant hydraulic load on the trickling filter The Clean Water Act (CWA) defines secondary treatment as a wastewater treatment plant that consistently produces an effluent that contains no more than _____BOD and ______ Suspended Solids based on a _____day average - - - correct answer ✅30 mg/L, 30 mg/L, and 30 day average What is the best chemical to use for pond odor control? - - - correct answer ✅Sodium Nitrate

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

When operating a Rotating Biological Contactor plant to nitrify incoming ammonia, the DO levels in the nitrification stage should be maintained in the range of: - - - correct answer ✅2.0 - 3.5 mg/L. Wastewater flowing through a grit channel should ideally flow at a velocity of: - - - correct answer ✅1 fps. Each stage of the RBC process should have sufficient volume to provide for a contact time of about: - - - correct answer ✅1 hour When might surface aerators be necessary when operating a pond?


correct answer ✅During night, during periods of organic overload, and during cold seasons What should an operator do if an anaerobic digester is noticing that the volatile acid/alkalinity ratio is increasing? - - - correct answer ✅To cure a souring digester, the operator should reduce the sludge feed and removal rate from the digester and ensure adequate mixing is occurring

Questions And Answers 100% Pass

What does the outlet baffle do on a pond? - - - correct answer ✅Prevents surface debris from leaving the pond. Floatable scum is usually removed from wastewater in the: - - - correct answer ✅Primary clarifier What must be considered when designing a No Discharge pond system? - - - correct answer ✅percolation rates and evaporation rates How can the operator control the scum blanket in an anaerobic digester? - - - correct answer ✅proper mixing and heat control What adverse condition may be created if the pressure relief or the air relief operates on an anaerobic digester? - - - correct answer ✅an explosive condition can be created by the mixture of methane and air. What problem is indicated by organic material in removed grit? - - - correct answer ✅that flow velocities are too low in the grit channel.