Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Biochemical Oxygen Demand in the United States

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in Environmental Law

The measurement used by scientists to determine the effect of pollutants discharged into water bodies.

Aquatic life requires oxygen, but some pollutants encourage the growth of microorganisms and bacteria that deplete the amount of oxygen available for larger creatures. The Clean Water Act establishes a permitting program, called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, under which dischargers are issued permits with limits on the types of effluent released into surface waters.

One frequent parameter within such permits is biochemical oxygen demand. BOD is a calculated number that results from multiplying fats, proteins, and carbohydrates by specified numbers, or the permittee may rely on generally accepted published values. The numbers reflect the amount of dissolved oxygen used over a five-day period to break down the material. Because of the five-day span, the parameter listed on a permit is often called BOD5. The permit will establish a limit on the amount of pollutants with biochemical oxygen demand so the dissolved oxygen does not reach critical levels.

Pollutants that demand and use dissolved oxygen are organic materials. They may be materials discharged by food canning operations, for example. However, the most commonly released pollutant with a high biochemical oxygen demand is sewage. See also water pollution control technology.
Based on “Environment and the Law. A Dictionary”.


Posted

in

, ,

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *