Evaluating field performance of a pre-engineered land based effluent dispersal system under wide range of soil and site conditions found in Virginia
Conference Paper
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
Use of individual home wastewater treatment and disposal systems will be a part of any future wastewater infrastructure. While tremendous progress has been made for developing small-scale aerobic treatment systems as an alternative to a septic tank treatment, progress in design and evaluation of dispersal systems for aerobic effluent is limited. It is strongly believed that one can not pre-engineer an effluent dispersal system to work under a wide range of soil and site conditions. Even for an individual home system, conducting a detailed soil evaluation for determining (or estimating) soil properties and site conditions is considered as a minimum regulatory requirement for obtaining a permit. At the same time, it is widely accepted that soil characteristics are so highly variable that no two soil borings on a lot may indicate the same profile. A question raised within the onsite industry is that if soil properties are so highly variable and unpredictable, is it necessary to gather detailed soil and site information for "designing" an effluent dispersal system for individual homes? This paper presents a concept of a pre-engineered effluent dispersal system, theoretical basis for the conceptual design, and methods for assessing validity of such a system in field. This paper also includes suggestions for developing a regulatory program that will allow use of pre-engineered onsite wastewater treatment and effluent dispersal systems using a combination of prescriptive and performance standards.
