Temperature measurement in wastewater applications provides an important back up to measurements such as pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Suspended Solids and Turbidity.  In Final Effluent many discharge consents are waived when the temperature reaches a low level of around 4ºC and by using a verifiable temperature measurement device such as the WaterTechw² D062 the operator can avoid issues with regulators.

In activated sludge the ability of the process to treat the effluent is greatly effected by temperature, the bugs present in the process eat more and reproduce more when the temperature increases. It is estimated that every 10° C increase in temperature doubles the bug reproduction rate up to a limiting maximum, with optimum efficiency being between 10° and 40°. The more bugs that are present the more Dissolved Oxygen is required.