‹ Back

*Click here to use the wasting calculator*

 

 

Building a Wasting Tool for the Plant

 

I thought it would be neat to build a tool that could take in the key plant data...things like flow rates, MLSS, time of year..and spit out a good wasting number for our plant. I soon realized there are quite a few moving parts when it comes to getting a reliable wasting figure.

 

And then there was one more problem: I don’t know how to code. So naturally, that meant learning a bit of programming and leaning heavily on AI to fill in the gaps. This project was definitely "vibe" coded.

 

The Build Process

 

It started as a simple form that calculated how much to waste based on MLSS, flow, and a few other numbers. From there I started improving it step by step.

 

• Two sides (East and West): I separated the calculations since each side of the plant operates differently.
• Temperature-based logic: Added a seasonal suggestion so the target SRT changes with temperature.
• Dynamic clarifier setup: Accounted for when clarifiers are offline or only handling RAS instead of WAS.
• Shared effluent TSS: Since our effluent TSS is taken after the UV where both sides combine, I simplified it into one global reading.
• Auto-sum reactor volumes: Added checkboxes so the tool can calculate total aeration volume based on which bioreactors are online.
• Cleaner interface: Removed unnecessary clutter and made sure the output was big, bold, and easy to read for daily use.

 

Where It Stands Now

 

Now the tool gives live WAS recommendations for each side, based on whatever conditions we plug in. It even saves our last entries, so we can come back the next day and pick up where we left off.