Basic Math Concepts for

Water and Wastewater Operators

Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.

Topics
Hierarchy of operations
Manipulating equations
Unit/dimensional analysis and conversion factors
Electricity
Temperature
Geometry
Flow hydraulics and pressure
Detention time
Mass, concentration, and chlorine demand
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References
• Basic Math Concepts for Water and Wastewater
Plant Operators, Joanne Kirkpatrick Price, Technomic
Publishing Co., Inc., 1991.

• Applied Math for Water/Wastewater Plant Operators

& Workbook, Texts and Workbooks, Joanne
Kirkpatrick Price, Technomic Publishing Co., Inc.,
1991.

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Words and Symbols
Hierarchy of Operations - PEMDAS
MATH OPERATION SYMBOL EXAMPLE

X
Multiplication Q=VxA
.
Multiplication Q = V.A

Multiplication No space Q = VA

Multiplication ()() Q = (V) (A)

Division ÷ r=D÷2

Division — r=D
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Word Problems
• Word problems are a series of expressions that fit
into an equation. An equation is a combination of
math expressions.
• Suggestions:
– Read the problem entirely and get a feel for the
whole problem.
– Draw a diagram to describe the problem
statement.

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Word Problems
• Suggestions (cont.):
– List information and the variables you identify
Attach units of measure to the variables (gallons,
miles, inches, etc.).
– Define what answer you need, as well as its units
of measure.
– Set up equation(s), solve for variable, populate
with data.
– Work in an organized manner. Working clearly will
help you think clearly.
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Word Problems
• Suggestions (cont.):
– Draw and label all graphs and pictures clearly.
– Note or explain each step of your process;
this will help you track variables and remember
their meanings.
– Look for the "key" words. Certain words indicate
certain mathematical operations.

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Application of Percent - Efficiency
Two typical situations:

Removal capabilities of a process unit or the entire

plant

The efficiency of a pump or motor

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Application of Percent - Efficiency
Removal efficiency
Calculated on the basis of the influent concentration to
the unit process or the plant, expressed as percent (%)
% removal = {(influent - effluent)/influent} x 100%

Influent (In) Effluent (Out)

Removed
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Application of Percent - Efficiency
Pump or motor efficiency
motor or wire HP, MHP = electrical energy in horsepower (HP)
supplied to motor; motor efficiency determines brake HP
brake HP, BHP = mechanical energy in HP supplied to pump shaft
from motor; pump efficiency determines water HP
water HP, WHP = mechanical energy in HP transferred to water
by pump

MHP Motor, BHP Pump, WHP

% efficiency % efficiency
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Units – The Fundamentals
• Expressing 1 dimension
• Expressing 2 dimensions
• Expressing 3 dimensions
• What is the fourth dimension?
– Stand-alone
– As denominator

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Common Equivalents
• Linear Measurements
– 1 inch = 2.54 cm
– 1 foot = 30.5 cm
– 1 meter = 100 cm = 3.281 ft = 39.4 inches
– 1 acre = 43,560 ft2
– 1 yard = 3 feet
• Volume
– 1 gal = 3.78 liters
– 1 ft³ = 7.48 gal
– 1 liter = 1,000 mL
– 1 acre foot = 43,560 ft³
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Common Equivalents (cont.)

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Examples
• Example #1
Question: How many feet are in 18 inches?
Known: 1 foot = 12 inches
• Example #2
Question: How many gallons are in 3,291 ft3?
Known: 1 ft3 = 7.48 gallons
• Example #3
Question: How many feet are in ¼ mile?
Known: 1 mile = 5,280 ft

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Examples (cont.)
• Example #4
Question: Convert 3,920 ft3 to yd3
Known: 1 yd3 = 27 ft3
• Example #5
Question: Convert 3,211,000 gpd to mgd
Known: 1 mgd = 1,000,000 gpd

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The Ohm’s Law Pie Chart

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The Ohm’s Law Pie Chart
Shortcut Calculations

E P
I R E I
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Current, I (Amps)
“Flow” of electricity defined as 1 Coulomb per second
(6.24(10)19 electrons)

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Voltage, V (Volts)
• Defined as electromotive force, or EMF
• Similar to pressure in a water system

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Resistance, R (Ohms)
• The unit of resistance to current flow – similar to
headloss in a water system.
• An ohm is the amount of resistance that allows
1 amp of current to flow when the applied voltage is
1 volt.

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Power, P (Watts or HP)
• A function of both voltage and amps:
– Volts x Amps = Watts
• Wattage is a measure of work
– 1,000 watts = 1 KW = 1.34 HP, or
– 1 HP = 746 watts = 0.746 KW
– (FYI) RPM = (2 x Freq, Hz x 60)/# of poles

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Temperature Conversion
• Two scales used to report temperature:
– Fahrenheit (°F) = English scale
– Celsius (°C) = metric scale
• °C = 5/9 (°F - 32°) or
• °C = 0.55 (°F - 32°) or
• °C = (°F - 32°) ÷ 1.8
• °F = (9/5 x °C) + 32° or
• °F = (1.8 x °C) + 32°

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 Operator Math
Areas and Volumes, Detention Time,
Dosage, Flow, Pressure and
Pump Problems

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Geometry
Fundamental units:
distance = length = L
area = diminsion 1 x dimension 2 = length2 = L2
volume = dim 1 x dim 2 x dim 3 = length3 = L3

How do we incorporate time?

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Geometry
Square or cube with each
side length, L = 1 foot Area of any face
= L x L = L2
= 1 ft x 1 ft = 1 ft2

Volume of cube
= L x L x L = L3
Important Fact:
1 cubic foot (ft3)
= 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 ft
= 7.48 gallons = 1 ft3

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 Geometry
Rectangular with side lengths, L1, L2, and L3

Surface Area of top = L1 x L2 top

Area of either face = L2 x L3

face
Area of either end = L1 x L3

Volume = L1 x L2 x L3 end

Remember that side wall height and fluid depth may be different.

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Geometry Example
Calculate the volume of a tank 10 feet wide, 5 feet
high, and 20 feet long:
Tank Volume, feet3 = L x W x H
Tank Volume = 20 ft x 10 ft x 5 ft
Tank Volume = 1,000 ft3
In gallons, tank volume = 1,000 ft3 x 7.48 gal/ft3
= 7,480 gallons

Height, 5 ft
Width, 10 ft

Length, 20 ft
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Geometry
Circle with diameter D and radius r = D/2

Perimeter or circumference, C
= π x D = π x 2r
Radius, r

Diameter, D Area, A = π X r2 = π/4 X D2

= 0.785 x D2

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Geometry Example
Circle with diameter D and radius r = D/2

Perimeter or circumference, C
= π x D = π x 2r
Radius, r = 5 ft = π x 10 ft = π x 2(5 ft)
= 31.4 ft
Diameter, D = 10 ft Area, A = π x r2 = π/4 x D2 = 0.785 x D2
= π x (5 ft)2 = π/4 x (10 ft)2
= 0.785 x (10 ft)2
= 78.5 ft2
π, or “pi” = 3.141569…,
usually rounded to 3.14
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Question: Calculate the area of this circle.

5 ft diameter

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Question: A circular clarifier has a diameter of 40 ft.
What is the surface area of the clarifier?

40 ft

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Circumference of a Circle
• The circumference of a circle is the length or distance
around the edge of the circle.
• Circumference = π or (3.14) x (diameter)
diameter

radius

circumference

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Question: The bottom inside of a cylindrical storage
tank needs to be painted. The diameter of the tank is
30 ft. If 1 gallon of paint will cover 250 square feet, how
many gallons of paint will be needed to paint the
bottom of the tank?

30 ft
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Volume Calculation
• Volume measurements define the amount of
space that an object occupies.
• Some U.S. units of volume:
– Cubic inches = in³
– Cubic feet = ft³
– Cubic yards = yds³
– 1 ft3 = 7.48 gallons
• Cylinder volume = 0.7854 x (d²) x (3rd dimension)
• Cylinder volume = 3.14 x (r²) x (3rd dimension)

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Geometry
diameter
diameter
Height, H

Length, L

Tank Volume = Area x Height Pipe Volume = Area x Length

Area = π x r2 = π/4 x D2 Area = π x r2 = π/4 x D2
Volume = π x r2 x H = π/4 x D2 x H Volume = π x r2 x L = π/4 x D2 x L

If r or D and H or L are in feet, then volume will be in cubic feet.

Convert to gallons using 7.48 gallons per cubic foot.
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Question: What is the volume of a tank that has a
diameter of 10 ft and a height of 12 ft?
Hint: The 3rd dimension is the height of the tank.
10 ft

12 ft

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Question: What is the volume of a 1-mile-long 12-inch-
diameter pipe?

1 mile

12 in.

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Solution
• Volume = 0.7854 x (d²) x (3rd dimension)
• Volume = 0.7854 x 1 ft x 1 ft x 5,280 ft
• Volume = 4,146.9 ft³

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Question: How many gallons can the pipe described in
Problem #5 hold if both ends were sealed?
Hint: 1 ft3 = 7.48 gallons

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Question: How many gallons of water will a storage
tank hold if it has a 27 ft diameter and 40 ft height?
27 ft

40 ft

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Question: How many gallons of water will be required
to fill a 950-ft-long , 18-inch-diameter pipe?

950 ft

18 in.

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Cone
• Calculate the volume of a cone with the dimensions
shown on the diagram.
Volume of a cone = ⅓ (volume of a cylinder)
= {(0.7854) (D²) (3rd dimension)} / 3
= {(0.7854) (2 ft) (2 ft) (3 ft)} / 3
= 3.14 ft3
3 ft

2 ft
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Question: If a spherical tank is 30 ft in diameter, how
many gallons of water are required to fill it?
Formula: (1/6) (3.14 x Diameter³ x 7.48 gal/ft3)

30 ft

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Question: How many gallons of water can this reservoir
hold if filled?
10 ft

30 ft
35 ft

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Question: How many cubic yards of backfill would be
required fill a 3,500 ft trench that is 4.5 ft wide and 6 ft
deep?
Hint: 27 ft³ = 1 yd3
Trench

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Question: How many cubic yards of backfill would be
required to fill a 5,500 ft long trench that is 6 ft wide and
8 ft in depth after a 36-inch-diameter water main pipe
has been laid in the trench?

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Calculating Detention Time (DT)
• Detention time is the amount of time that a fluid stays
in a container.
• Detention time is expressed in units of time. The most
common units are seconds, minutes, hours, and days.
• Calculation – divide the volume of the container by the
flow rate.
• Volume units are typically gallons or cubic feet.
• Time units will be whatever time units are used to
express the flow
(gpm = DT in minutes, gpd = DT in days).

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Detention Time (DT)
• DT = volume of tank / flow (vol/time)
• A chlorine contact chamber holds 5,000 gallons. It is
desired to have a contact time (CT) of 30 minutes in the
chamber. What is the maximum flow rate that can pass
through this chamber at this DT?
• 30 min = 5,000 gals / Q
• Rearrange the equation:
• Q = 5,000 gal / 30 min Flow out

Q = 166.66 gpm
Flow in 5,000
gallons

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• Find the detention time in a 50,000-gallon reservoir if the
flow rate is 100 gpm.
Convert minutes to hours
DT = 50,000 gallons / 100 gal/min
DT = 500 minutes (convert to hours)
500 min / 60 min/hr = 8.33 hours
Flow in
Flow out

50
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Question: A water reservoir that is 20 ft diameter with
a depth of 16 ft needs to be filled up. If the well is
pumping at 200 gpm, how long will it take to fill in
minutes? In hours?

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The Dosage Formula
Converts concentration to pounds: chlorine, fluoride,
copper sulfate, orthophosphate, nitrate, iron, etc.
lb or lb/day = Vol (Mgal) or Flow (MGD) x 8.34 #/gal x
concentration (mg/L)
Volume in million gallons (Mgal)
Flow in million gallons per day (MGD)
Concentration in milligrams per liter (mg/L) = ppm
8.34 = weight of water = 8.34 lb/gallon

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The Dosage Formula
lb = Vol (Mgal) x C (mg/L) x 8.34 #/gal, or
lb/day = Flow (MGD) x C (mg/L) x 8.34 #/gal
Example: A new water storage tank needs to be
disinfected prior to use. The new tank capacity is
15,000 gallons. How many gallons of 7% sodium
hypochlorite will be needed to disinfect the tank with a
0.5 mg/L chlorine residual?

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Milligrams per liter to Pounds per day
• Continuous feed for water supply
#/day = Q (MGD) x dose, mg/L x 8.34 lb/gal
• One-time feed for tank, pipe, well
# = Vol (Mgal) x dose, mg/L x 8.34 lb/gal

Question: The Cl2 dosage rate at a water treatment plant

is 1.5 mg/L. The flow rate is 1.5 mgd. How many pounds
per day of Cl2 are required?

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Question: A water supply has a flow of 750,000 gpd. If
sodium hypochlorite with 12% available Cl2 is used,
how many pounds of sodium hypochlorite is required
to maintain a dosage of 3 mg/L?

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The Dosage Formula
A water plant’s daily flow is 10,000 gallons. The
chlorine dose is 1.5 mg/L. How may pounds of chlorine
is being fed per day?
lb/day = Flow (MGD) x 8.34 #/gal x Dose (mg/L)

How many gallons of sodium hypochlorite is needed?

Assume a 5% available chlorine solution.

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Question: How many pounds of Cl2 are required to
disinfect a 3,600 ft long by 10-inch-diameter C900 pipe if
50 mg/L is required?

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Question: A pump discharges 400 gpm. What chlorine
feed rate (pounds per day) is required to provide a
dosage of 2.5 mg/L?

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Question: How many lb/day of hypochlorite (70%
available Cl2) are required for disinfection in a plant
where the flow rate is 1.25 mgd and the chlorine
dosage is 2.5 mg/L?

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Flow Rates
• Flow is expressed in
– Gallons per minute (gpm)
– Cubic feet per second (cfs)
– Gallons per day (gpd)
– Million gallons per day (mgd)
• Conversion:
– 1 cfs = 448 gpm
– 1 gpm = 1,440 gpd
– mgd = gpd ÷ 1,000,000

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Flow Rates
• Flow in a pipeline, channel, or stream at a particular
moment depends on the cross-sectional area and the
velocity of water moving through it, and is found using
the equation:
Q=AxV
Q = flow rate (ft3 per time)
A = area (square feet)
V = velocity (feet per time)
• If a circular pipe is flowing full (most situations), the
resulting flow rate is expressed as
ft3/time = 0.7854 x D²(ft²) x ft/time
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Question: Find the flow in cfs in a 6-inch pipe if the
velocity is 2 feet per second.
•Don’t forget to convert inches to feet
•Also find the cross-sectional area of the pipe

6 in

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Question: A channel is 3 ft deep with water flowing at a
depth of 2 ft. The velocity in the channel is found to be
1.8 fps. What is the flow rate (in cfs) in the channel?

1.8 fps

2 ft

3 ft
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Pressure and Head Calculation
• Pressure is the weight per unit area
• Pounds per square inch (psi)
• Pounds per square foot (psf)
• Pressure on the bottom of a container is not related to
the volume of the container or the size of the bottom.
• Pressure is dependent on the height of the fluid in the
container.
• The height of the fluid in a container is referred to as
head. Head is a direct measurement in feet and is
directly related to pressure.
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Relationship between Feet and Head
• Weight of water is 62.4 pounds per ft3.
• 7.48 gal/ft3 x 8.34 lb/gal = 62.4 lb/ft3

1 ft

1 ft
1 ft

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Pressure and Head
• Imagine a cube of water 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 ft. The surface
area of any one side of the cube will be 144 in²
(12 in. x 12 in. = 144 in²). The cube will also contain
144 columns of water 1 foot tall and 1 inch square.
1 in.
Weight = 62.4 lb/144 in² 1 in.
= 0.433 lb/in2 = 0.433 psi
Therefore, 1 foot of head
= 1 ft ÷ 0.433 psi 12 in.
= 2.31 ft/psi
So, 1ft = 0.433 psi, and
1psi = 2.31 feet

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Question: Convert 40 psi to feet of head

• 40 psi ÷ 0.433 psi/ft = 92.37 feet of head, or

• 40 psi x 2.31 ft/psi = 92.4 feet

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• Convert a pressure of 45 psi to feet of head.

• Convert 12 psi to feet.

• Convert 85 psi to feet.

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Question: It is 112 feet in elevation between the top of
the reservoir and the watering point. What will the
static pressure (psi) be at the watering point?

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Question: A reservoir is 20 feet deep. What will the
pressure be at the bottom of the reservoir?

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Static Head
• Static discharge head is defined as the difference in
height between the pump centerline and the level of
the free water surface on the discharge side of the
pump.

• Total static head is the total height that the pump

must lift the water when moving it from one
reservoir to another reservoir.

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Static Head
• In a system where the reservoir feeding the pump is higher
than the pump, what is the difference in elevation between the
pump centerline and the free water surface of the reservoir
feeding the pump called? Static discharge head

Reservoir
2

Total static
head

Reservoir
1
(Static suction head)
Pump CL

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 Static Head
• In a system where the reservoir feeding the pump is lower than
the pump, what is the difference in elevation between the
centerline and the free water surface of the reservoir feeding the
pump called?

Total static head #2

Static discharge head
Static suction
lift

Pump CL

#1

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Question: Locate, label, and calculate the following
(in feet):
Static suction head
Static discharge head ( )

Total static head 927 ft Reservoir

2

( )

742 ft
Reservoir
1
( )
722 ft Pump CL

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