Physical parameters for the estimation of the return coefficient in the sewer of the La Chivera watershed

Abstract

Estimating the amount of flow carried by the sanitary sewer system in a locality is essential for the design of new facilities. Having a record of the flow rates allows the adequate hydraulic design of a drainage system. The objective of this work is to determine the physical parameters for the estimation of the return coefficient that allows estimating the flow rates for the sanitary sewer of the La Chivera watershed, San José de Cúcuta, Colombia. In this sense, dry weather monitoring of the wastewater in the study area was carried out. The data collected in the field were used to construct the hourly flow variation curve or inflow hydrograph in the drainage system. The average hourly flow parameters were estimated with a value of 205.7 m3/h, a value recorded at the 11th hour of the day. Similarly, the average daily flow was determined with a value of 180.3 m3/h, while the maximum peak factor was 1.14. Finally, through the physical parameters of the sanitary sewer, the return coefficient was determined, which is 0.72, a value that represents the conditions of the study area.