TCEQ Wastewater License Exam Questions with Answers Latest Update 2025, Exams of Nursing

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TCEQ Wastewater License Exam Questions with Answers Latest Update

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

• Prevention of odors and flies
• Cleanliness and appearance
• Comfort and convenience Septic vs. Fresh wastewater? - Correct AnswersSeptic 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 AnswersSurface runoff that enters the collection system Infiltration - Correct AnswersGroundwater that enters the collection system through holes, cracks, etc. What is the average domestic contribution to the collection system? (Per person/day) - Correct Answers100 gallons per day What are the four wastewater characteristics? - Correct AnswersPhysical, Chemical, Bacteriological, and Radiological Domestic wastewater is ___% water and ___% solids - Correct Answers99.9% water, 0.1% solids

Settleable solids - Correct AnswersSuspended solids that will settle when wastewater flow is still or slow moving What is the pH scale range? - Correct Answers0 (most acidic) to 14 (most basic), 7 is neutral Does septic or freshwater have a lower pH? Why? - Correct AnswersSeptic has lower pH due to volatile acids formed from wastewater decomposition What is Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)? When does it occur? - Correct AnswersA 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 AnswersA 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 AnswersA 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 AnswersA colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas Why is oil and grease a concern if present in wastewater? - Correct AnswersIt may cause explosions, fires, line blockages, and odor What are chlorides and why are excessive chlorides in wastewater bad? - Correct AnswersExcessive chlorides interfere with treatment processes, especially trickling filters. They also affect laboratory tests. What does the BOD test measure? - Correct AnswersIt 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 did the Clean Water Act do? - Correct Answers- 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 AnswersIf the operator:
• violates the permit
• 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 AnswersAn 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 AnswersAny 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 Answers10,000 or more Lift stations are built when wastewater is: - Correct Answers- Raised to a higher elevation
• Pumped over a hill
• Lifted at a plant for gravity flow TCEQ's goals regarding water pollution control are: - Correct Answers- 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 Answers$25, Required records, such as flow and effluent quality, must be kept for ___ years. Sludge records must be kept ___ years. - Correct Answers3, 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 Answers20th, following About ___ pounds of BOD are contributed daily by each person (The BOD population equivalent) - Correct Answers0. Any plant with a design flow above ___ MGD is required to install instrumentation for continuous flow totalizing - Correct Answers0.5 MGD What does preliminary treatment do? - Correct AnswersIt 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 AnswersPrimary 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 Answers- energy
• oxygen
• carbon

What is Mean Cell Residence Time? - Correct AnswersEstimates how long the living cells are kept in the plant What are the five important controls for activated sludge plants? - Correct Answers- 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 AnswersDenitrification (This one is opposite) A = Influent B = Aeration Tank C = Clarifier D = Waste Activated Sludge E = Return Activated Sludge - Correct AnswersWhat does A-F represent? What is a trickling filter? - Correct AnswersA 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 Answers- 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 AnswersHumus sludge What is super important about the distribution arms on a trickling filter? - Correct AnswersOrifices 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 AnswersEach 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 AnswersThe 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 50,0 00 mg/L of solids What can advanced treatment processes do that secondary treatment can't? - Correct AnswersAdvanced 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. In advanced treatment processes, what is the most important factor affecting filter performance? - Correct Answersthe 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 Answers70%-90% What is adsorption? - Correct AnswersWhen a material clings to the surface of a second material, usually a solid What is primary sludge and its moisture content? - Correct AnswersSuspended solids that have been settled out in primary sedimentation tanks or primary clarifiers. The moisture content is 94 - 96% moisture (4-6% solids)

The Sludge Volume Index (SVI) should range from ________. What does being out of this range mean? - Correct Answers70 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 Answers5- 10 days for conventional and complete mix plants,

25 days for extended aeration plant Operators should be concerned with what four types of microorganisms? - Correct AnswersAmoeboids, 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 Answers1. Free swimming ciliates

2. Stalked ciliates
3. Flagellates
4. Rotifers
5. Amoeboids At what percentage of exposure can hydrogen sulfide begin to harm you? - Correct AnswersExposure 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 What is the most common reason for large amounts of sand, gravel, and grit entering the plant? - Correct AnswersStorm events What is the relationship between water temperature and capability to hold dissolved oxygen? - Correct AnswersAn 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 Answers85% What is the imhoff cone used to measure? - Correct AnswersSettleable solids What are different types of preliminary treatment? - Correct Answersracks, screens, grinders, grit channels What is grit and why is it removed during preliminary treatment? - Correct AnswersGrit consists of non-biodegradable particles 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 AnswersCoagulants 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 AnswersVery 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 Answers1. 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

2. Hydraulic retention time: How long it takes for the water to pass through the tank What is the detention time of a clarifier? - Correct Answers2 hours What is "ponding" in a trickling filter? - Correct Answersa condition that occurs when the hollow spaces between the media become plugged so much that water passage through

What is the purpose of recirculating trickling filter effluent? - Correct AnswersTo 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 Answers30 mg/L, 30 mg/L, and 30 day average What is the best chemical to use for pond odor control? - Correct AnswersSodium Nitrate 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 Answers2.0 - 3.5 mg/L. Wastewater flowing through a grit channel should ideally flow at a velocity of: - Correct Answers1 fps. Each stage of the RBC process should have sufficient volume to provide for a contact time of about: - Correct Answers1 hour When might surface aerators be necessary when operating a pond? - Correct AnswersDuring 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 AnswersTo cure a souring digester, the operator should reduce the sludge feed and removal rate from the digester and ensure adequate mixing is occurring What does the outlet baffle do on a pond? - Correct AnswersPrevents surface debris from leaving the pond. Floatable scum is usually removed from wastewater in the: - Correct AnswersPrimary clarifier

What must be considered when designing a No Discharge pond system? - Correct Answerspercolation rates and evaporation rates How can the operator control the scum blanket in an anaerobic digester? - Correct Answersproper mixing and heat control What adverse condition may be created if the pressure relief or the air relief operates on an anaerobic digester? - Correct Answersan explosive condition can be created by the mixture of methane and air. What problem is indicated by organic material in removed grit? - Correct Answersthat flow velocities are too low in the grit channel.