To achieve a fairly uniform discharge, a 25,000-gallon waste storage tank should release wastewater at what rate over a 12-hour period?

To determine the required discharge rate for a 25,000-gallon waste storage tank over a 12-hour period, it is essential to first convert the time period into a common unit that aligns with the discharge rates provided in the choices, which are given in gallons per minute (g.p.m).

1. Total Gallons: The tank holds 25,000 gallons.

2. Total Time: 12 hours is the equivalent of 720 minutes (since 12 hours × 60 minutes/hour = 720 minutes).

3. Discharge Rate Calculation: To find the gallons per minute needed to achieve this discharge evenly over the 12 hours, divide the total volume of the tank by the total minutes:

[

\text{Discharge Rate} = \frac{25,000 \text{ gallons}}{720 \text{ minutes}} \approx 34.72 \text{ g.p.m.}

]

Rounding this value gives a discharge rate of about 35 gallons per minute. This means that to release all the wastewater uniformly over 12 hours, the tank needs to discharge at a rate close to 35 g.p.m.

Thus, the correct answer is