Thermal Pollution Control
Temperature affects nearly every physical property of concerm in water quality management, including density, viscosity, vapor pressure, surface tension, gas solubility,
and gas diffusion. The solubility of oxygen is probably the most important of these parameters, inasmuch as dissolved oxygen in water is necessary to maintain many forms
of aquatic life. This potential damage to the aquatic environment by changes in temperature, the reduction in the assimilative capacity of organic wastes due to increased
temperature, and the federal enactment of more stringent water temperature standards
has led design engineers to investigate various offstream cooling systems to handle
thermal discharges from processes and plants. Cooling towers are most often considered for this service, followed by cooling ponds and spray ponds in that order.