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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 1
TITLE 5 SOIL
EVALUATOR
CERTIFICATION
TRAINING
Prepared for: Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection
In conjunction with the
New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
ON-SITE SYSTEM BASICS
PAUL SPINA, NEIWPCC
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• 25% of population served
• 33% of new construction
• Small communities: 11%
• > 50% in suburbs or cities
Onsite/Decentralized Treatment
is Important Nationally
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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WHERE SEPTIC SYSTEMS ARE USED
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 2
WHY DO WE TREAT SEWAGE?
Protect
• Public Health
• Environment
Key issues evaluated while assuring
protection
• Good treatment
• Economical
• Sustainable
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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PUBLIC HEALTH
Making people sick
Good systems are the
KEY to protection
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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SEPTIC TANK & SOIL TREATMENT AREA
Evolving goal:
• Disposal: effluent goes away…. versus
• Dispersal: TREATMENT
Public health AND environmental issues addressed
Management:
• Disposal: often none at all… versus
• Dispersal: System management is critical
Groundwater
Well
Aerobic soil
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 3
DISPOSAL
Goal: limit human
contact
Keep wastewater below
ground
Disposal options
Public health
• “Disposing” of pathogens
• Treatment?
Management: Install,
flush and forget
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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GOAL: TREATMENT AND DISPERSAL
Starting to address environmental concerns in addition to public health concerns
Technological advancements allow removal of:• Pathogens
• Solids
• Nutrients
System management is vital to treatment
Goal is now DISPERSAL• Hydrologic cycle is a key component of this
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Impermeable Layer
Ground Water
StreamWater Table
Septic System
Wastewater
InputRunoff
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
Evaporation &
Transpiration
Precipitation (rain, snow, etc.)
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 4
ALL WASTEWATER MUST BE TREATED
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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WASTEWATER SOURCES
User
• Domestic
• Commercial
• Industrial
Do you
mind?
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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DOMESTIC WASTEWATER
Average domestic water
use ranges from 45 to
60 gallons/day/person
Composition varies from
person to person, family
to family, and system to
system
Toilet, 26.7%
18.5 gpp/d
Shower, 16.8%
11.6 gpp/d
Bath, 1.7%1.2 gpp/d
Washing Machine,
21.7%15 gpp/d
Dishwasher, 1.4%
1 gpp/d
Faucets, 15.7%
10.9 gpp/d
Leaks, 13.7%
9.5 gpp/d
Other, 2.3%1.6 gpp/d
After Mayer et al. 1999
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 5
THE PROBLEM BIOLOGY - PATHOGENS
Bacteria
• Cholera
• Typhoid
• Salmonella
• Shigella
• Water-borne diseases
Fecal coliform• Used as an Indicator
Virus• Hepatitis A
• Acute gastroenteritis
• Polio
Parasites• Protozoa
o Amoebiasis
o Giardia
o Cryptosporidiosis
• Roundworm
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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LEVEL OF RISK
It depends:
• On how well the system was designed, installed, and maintained
• Is wastewater draining to or surfacing in the yard?
• Installed in an area with high groundwater levels?
• Close to a drinking water well?
• Are effluent screens maintained (cleaned)?
If system is designed, installed, and maintained properly, risk to an ordinary individual is minimal
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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WHAT IS AN ONSITE WASTEWATER
TREATMENT SYSTEM?
1. Wastewater Source
2. Collection and Storage
3. Pretreatment components
4. Final Treatment and Dispersal components
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 6
SYSTEM BASICS
Source
Septic
Tank
Drain field
Soil
Distribution
Box
CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM COMPONENTS
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HOW DOES A SEPTIC SYSTEM WORK?
What takes place in the septic tank?
Gravity and physics take over…
• Heavy materials settle
• Light materials float
• Dissolved materials, colloidal particles and fine
suspended solids pass through and along to
next stage
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SEPTIC TANK: PRIMARY TREATMENT
Job of tank: catch the solids
Water tight tank, inlet, inlet baffle, inspection pipes,
manhole, outlet baffle, outlet pipe
Layers in tank
• Scum layer: floating soap, grease, toilet paper, etc
• Liquid layer: water, liquid, and suspended solids
• Sludge: heavy organic and inorganic materials in the
bottom of the tank
Anaerobic bacteria breakdown organic solids
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 7
SEPTIC TANK
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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SEPTIC TANK
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PARTIALLY TREATED EFFLUENT NEXT PASSES ON
TO THE DISTRIBUTION BOX (“D-BOX”)
A D-Box is designed and installed to
distribute partially treated sewage effluent
evenly across the SAS (Soil Absorption
System)
Effluent disperses into soil
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 8
DISTRIBUTION BOX (D-BOX)
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EFFLUENT FROM THE D-BOX NEXT GETS DISTRIBUTED
TO THE SOIL ABSORPTION SYSTEM (SAS)
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WHAT IS A SOIL TREATMENT AREA?
A soil treatment system:
• Safely treats, disperses and recycles
wastewater
• All the treatment and dispersal takes place
on site or close by
• Natural physical, chemical, and biological
processes occur primarily in the soil
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 9
Components of a typical on-site sewage
disposal system, utilizing trenches.
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HOW DOES A SAS WORK?
What happens in the drain field and in the
soil?
• Major source of treatment
• Filtering action
• Bacteria in soil
• Must be aerobic for maximum treatment
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CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM
TREATMENT AND DISPERSAL COMPONENT
High Groundwater or Bedrock
Vent &
Observation
Pipe
Minimum
Vertical
Separation
Finished Grade
4 Inch
Gravity
Distribution
Pipe
Observation
Tail-piece
Gravel or
Chamber
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 10
SOIL ABSORPTION FIELD
TSS* and BOD* strongly reduced:
Organic Matter + O2 CO2 + H2O + energy
High degree of treatment under aerobic
conditions
TSS and BOD reduced to background levels
* TSS = Total Suspended Solids
* BOD = Biological Oxygen Demand
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PROCESS WHEN WASTEWATER ENTERS SOIL
Biomat forms over time
Unsaturated conditions are ideal
Aerobic organisms treat the wastewater
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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AEROBIC ZONE
Groundwater
Well
Aerobic environment in soil
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 11
BIOMAT
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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GENERAL GRAPHIC OF ACTIVITY IN SOIL
Viruses
Bacteria
BOD
Groundwater
Well
TSS
Nutrients
Nutrients
Unsaturated
aerobic zone
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TREATMENT IN THE SOIL
Organisms that remove most contaminants work best when they:
• Are in an aerobic (oxygenated) environment
• Are in moist (unsaturated) but not wet (saturated) soil
• Are in a warmer environment
• Have surfaces on which to attach and live
• Have a consistent source of food
• Are not exposed to toxins
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 12
UNSATURATED SOILS
Pores are
filled with
Air &
water
along the
soil
particles
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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SATURATED SOILS
Pores are
filled with
water
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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TREATING PATHOGENS
They attach to the soil particles
They are attacked by soil organisms
The soil is a very effective treatment media
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 13
OTHER SYSTEMS
Pressure Distribution
Drip dispersal
Recirculating Sand Filter
Grey water systems
Shared systems
I/A Technology
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SEPTIC SYSTEM INCORPORATING
PRETREATMENT
Credit: NOWRA Onsite A to Z Course
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TITLE 5
310 CMR 15.000
The State environmental code: Standard Requirements
for siting, construction, inspection, upgrade and
expansion of on-site sewage treatment and disposal
systems and for the transport and disposal of septage.
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/water/wastewater/septic-systems-title-5.html
• Most recent major updates to Title 5 were done inJanuary, 2014
• Design flow changes made in Sept. 2016
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Soil Evaluator Course, Day 1, Presentation 3 - 3/27/2018
On-Site System Basics, page 14
A student
assessing soil
horizons and layers
in a soil test pit at a
SE cert. class field
session.
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SOIL IS A VERY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT MEDIA, AND
TREATMENT LEADING TO IMPROVED PUBLIC AND
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IS THE MAIN GOAL!
END… Thank You!
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