NPCA Webinar

Brief Outline
Ensuring Your Decentralized Wastewater
Treatment Program Produces Effective and
Sustainable Infrastructure
Presented by: A. Robert Rubin, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor,
NC State University and
Claude Goguen, P.E., LEED AP, NPCA
• Short history – We have come a long way
• Roles and responsibilities for onsite
professionals
• Site and soil issues impact system
selection
• Our future – how do we insure the
sustainability of onsite systems

History and background Roles and Responsibilities

• Is there a reason we are • Environmental Health
commanded to return Professionals
that which comes from • Designers and
us to the land? Engineers
– Health? • Installers
– Resource recovery?
• Service providers
– Treatment and
Assimilative capacity of • System owner
environment
– All of the above

Responsibilities “15A NCAC 18A .1938”

Regulators and Designers
• REHS/Environmental • Designers and
Health
– Initial review
– Site assessment services
may be provided
– Basic design
– Permit/authorization
• (d) Any wastewater system which meets one or more of the following conditions shall be designed by a
registered professional engineer if required by G.S. 89C:
Engineers
– Review
– Specific design services
based on site conditions
– Plans, specifications,
certification
– (d)
– (1) The system is designed to handle over 3,000 gallons per day, as determined in Rule .1949(a) or (b) of this Section, except where the
system is limited to an individual septic tank system serving an individual dwelling unit or several individual septic tank systems, each
serving an individual dwelling unit.
– (2) The system requires pretreatment before disposal, other than by a conventional septic or other system approved under Rule .1957
or .1969 of this Section.
– (3) The system requires use of sewage pumps prior to the septic tank or other pretreatment system, except for systems subject to the
North Carolina Plumbing code or which consist of grinder pumps and associated pump basins that are approved and listed in
accordance with standards adopted by the National Sanitation Foundation.
–
–
(4) The individual system is required by Rule .1952 of this Section to use more than one pump or siphon in a single pump tank.
(5) The system includes a collection sewer, prior to the septic tank or other pretreatment system, which serves two or more buildings,
except for systems subject to the North Carolina Plumbing Code.
– (6) The system includes structures which have not been pre-engineered.
– (7) The system is designed for the collection, treatment and disposal of industrial process wastewater, except under the following
circumstances:
• (A) the State has determined that the wastewater generated by the proposed facility has a pollutant strength which is lower than or equal to domestic sewage, and does not require specialized
pretreatment or management, or
• (B) the State has pre-approved a predesigned pretreatment system or process and management method proposed by the facility owner which shall enable the industrial process wastewater to have a
pollutant strength which is lower than or equal to domestic sewage.

– (8) Any other system serving a business or multi-family dwelling so specified by the local health department.

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Installers/service providers System Owner

• Installer • Service provider • Retain competent,
– Site preparation and – Monitor, maintain, certified professionals
component acquisition repair, report • Pay the bill
and installation IAW – Coordination with
plans and specifications regulators, designers,
– O and M installers and owners

Design Issues: Wastewater, Site, Soil and Design Issues: Wastewater, Site, Soil,
Receiving Environment Receiving Environment
• Wastewater • Site • Soil • Receiving Environment
– Depth – Groundwater depth and flow
– Color patterns – Adjacent surface water
– Texture resources
– Structure
– Consistence
– Permeability and LTAR

Design for Site and Soil Limitations Soil – Initial receiver

Soil in field at high and low
Site and Soil elevation
• Proper design addresses most limiting of the
site and soil limitations and allows • Soil
– Depth, color, texture,
assimilation of all constituents on intended structure, consistence
receiver site – Recommendations from Soils – Permeability and LTAR
Consultants, agronomists, hydrogeologists, • Slope
and farm/land manager • Distance to water
– Hydraulic – Groundwater
– Surface water
– Nutrient
– Organic and Inorganic

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Basic and Advanced Onsite
Wastewater Treatment
• Physical – solids removal
• Chemical – P removal
• Biological – BOD removal
• Aerobic/anaerobic
systems necessary for N removal
* Soil systems remain vital part of the
dispersal component
Basic Treatment
Septic Tank
• Equalize flow from facility
to treatment system
• Quiescent environment
• Primary treatment provided
• Separation into 3 zones:
1. settleable fraction,
2. floatable fraction
and 3. clarified fraction to
SAS
Advanced treatment
• Cost
– Equipment
– Energy
– Maintenance
• Benefit
– Significant Nutrient Removal Possible
– Soil “friendly”
NPCA
Soil Absorption System
• Assimilate partially treated
liquid into environment
• Recharge/Retain water in
watershed
NSF-ANSI Wastewater Standards
• NSF/ANSI 40 -2010 Residential wastewater treatment systems (1970)
• NSF/ANSI 41 -2011 Non-liquid saturated treatment systems (1978)
• NSF/ANSI 46 -2010 Evaluation of components and devices used in wastewater
(1997)
• NSF/ANSI 240 -2011 Drainfield trench product sizing for gravity dispersal onsite
•
wastewater treatment and dispersal systems (2011)
NSF/ANSI 245 -2010 Wastewater treatment systems – nitrogen reduction (2007)
• NSF/ANSI 350 -2011 Onsite residential and commercial water reuse treatment
systems (2011)
• NSF/ANSI 350-1 -2011 Onsite residential and commercial graywater treatment
systems for subsurface discharge (2011)
• NSF/ANSI 360 -2010 Wastewater treatment systems – field performance
verification (2010)
• More may be developed as needed
Basic Treatment-Tank and Screen
• 30-40% reduction of BOD
• 40-50% reduction of solids
• Typical residential effluent
– 150 mg/l BOD
– 80 mg/l TSS
– 60 mg/l TN (most ammonia)
– <10 mg/l TP
– <10 mg/l FOG
– >1,000,000 FC organisms/ 100ml
Advanced treatment
• Aerobic Treatment Units (ATU’s)
– Use air compressor and air diffusers to “inject”
oxygen into the effluent mix
• More oxygen = more rapid digestion of “organic” material=
less time and space
• Suspended growth…..organisms floating in liquid
– Air required as O2 supply and to maintain suspension,
– energy required to supply air and suspend organisms
• Fixed (attached) growth…structure provided for organisms
to attach
– Air supplied as liquid migrates into media,
– energy necessary only to pump
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Single Family all Types by Individual System

Advanced Wastewater Treatment Three or More Samples with Full Nitrogen Series (Barnstable
300 County)
•761 systems with 3 or more TN samples
Processes Pretreatment
• Process capabilities (BOD, TSS, Nutrients, 250 •569 of 761 (75%) with median TN <19 mg/l
Biologicals) Fixed Media
– NSF
200
– State Rules

Total Nitrogen (mg/l)

Parameter BOD TSS Coliform N
150

TS1 15 15 10000 10 NH4

100
TS2 10 10 1000 19 TN
Suspended
Reuse 5-10 5 -10 14 <19 TN media 50

0
Individual Systems

Single Family all Types by System Type

Three or More Samples with Full Nitrogen Series (Barnstable Dispersal (Not Disposal)
Co)
System Type Total with 3+ Total below Percentage • Gravity Based • Pressure or Pump dosed
Samples 19mg/l – Conventional media filled trench – Pump to conventional, gravity
All Types 761 569 75% • Gravel dosed option
Advantex 27 21 78% • EPS – LPD
Amphidrome 4 3 75% – Alternative trench design – Drip
Bioclere 43 32 74% • Chamber • Surface
FAST 442 355 80% – Bed • Subsurface
OMNI RSF 51 30 51% • Area bed – Spray irrigation
RSF (Generic) 16 9 56% – NPDES
RUCK 22 11 50%
Septitech 45 15 33%
Singulair 90 81 90%
Waterloo 11 7 64%

Polystyrene Aggregate Trench

Typical Gravity Dosed Trench
Products
• Gravity based • Placed on 9-foot
distribution to soil centers
– Gravel or EPS Trench • Ability to follow contour
– Chamber along sloped sites
– Area bed • Lightweight and no
need to transport gravel
• 10’ length Typical

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Chamber Trench Products Gravity Distribution

• Placed on 9-foot Tipping D-Box
centers
• Lightweight, stackable • Distributes effluent
• 4’, 5’, and 6’ lengths equally between 2 to
available 4 lines.
• Special care during • Once it fills with
installation with enough effluent it
smearing tips over to
distribute to
drainfield lines.

Pump-to-Conventional Pump-to-Conventional
• Why pump? • Pressure Manifold
– To move liquid to a higher
elevation
– To pressurize a distribution
system
– Unequal length lines
– Crossing a stream, road, etc.
– Overcome shallow
watertable limitations Dr. David Lindbo, NCSU

Large Diameter Pipe Installation Low-Pressure Pipe Systems (LPP)

• Pressurized distribution
of wastewater
throughout network of
pipes, improving
distribution
• Allows for use of small
and oddly shaped soil
areas
• Periodic dosing and
resting cycles enhance
and encourage aerobic
conditions in the soil
Photo: Dr. David Lindbo, NCSU

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Subsurface Drip Systems How Drip Works

• Allows for periodic
• Timed dosing with predetermined volume for each zone
dosing of precise
• Laterals fill, reach set pressure, slowly emits wastewater as
amounts of drip
wastewater, with • Alternating zones allow soil rest time, and minimizes pump
very low requirements
instantaneous • Automatically flushes filters and zone laterals at pre-set
number of cycles
flowrates.
• Flush water is returned to septic tank for more treatment

TBL approach may help address

Sustainable Infrastructure
sustainable business challenges
Motivation Activity Technical/Management
• Onsite is part of sustainable wastewater Innovation
management Finance (economy) Resource recovery, material
conversion, value added products
Industrial innovation, new treatment
technology, irrigation, nutrient
recovery, biomass, algae

• System management and program Operational efficiency Asset management, EMS,

management necessary Energy recovery and use Fuel cell, anaerobic digestion,

Sustainability (environment) Watershed assessment Distributed systems

Energy optimization Energy recovery, improved efficiency

(VSD pump),
Green Infrastructure Green roof, porous paver, local
management
Social issues, EJ, Community well- Planning Targeted improvements
being
Greening Managed distributed systems

Partnering Bio-resource recovery

Your EPA Web Site US EPA resources at

www.epa/gov/owm/septic

• Design guidance
• Management guidelines
• Case studies
• Technology fact sheets
• State and local examples
• Research, demonstration
projects, and other tools

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Federal (EPA) Perspective

Federal Funding Sources
• “Adequately managed decentralized wastewater systems are
a cost-effective and long-term option for meeting public Funding Decentralized • www.epa.gov/cwsrf
health and water quality goals” (U.S. EPA, 1997 Report to
Congress) Wastewater • www.usda.rus
• Four pillars of sustainable infrastructure for water and Treatment Systems
wastewater: • Funding for
– Better management of water and wastewater utilities, with the Clean Water individual systems or
– Rates that reflect the full-cost pricing of services,
– Efficient water use, and State Revolving Fund establishing
– Watershed approaches to protection. or USDA management
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Green
Project Reserve (GPR) includes decentralized wastewater programs
treatment solutions under “Environmentally Innovative
Projects” heading

USEPA Management Guidelines Operation & Maintenance

• Measure sludge and scum layers Valve adjustment
• Check and clean filters
• Examine drainfield for signs of
5. RME Ownership surfacing effluent
4. RME Operation • Manually adjust floats and alarms Pressure Check
and Maintenance
3. Operating Permits for proper operation
2. Maintenance
Contracts • Measure system pressures
1. Homeowner awareness

• Measure pump system flowrates

wastewater characteristics

Effluent Sampling
environmental sensitivity
Increasing Risks

treatment complexity
public health

Risk Factors Management Models

Operation and Maintenance

Requirements You are the future of a SUSTAINABLE onsite wastewater program -

• Operator • Some help from some and technology

• Evolving rules and regulations
– Type I: Owner • Competent people to:
– Type II: Owner – assess sites,
– Type III: Owner – design appropriate systems,
– permit those systems,
– Type IV: Certified Operator (ATU and pressure
– monitor, inspect and maintain systems, and
dispersal
– manage local and state programs
– Type V: Certified Operator (large systems) • To include the public who benefit from these efforts

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Needs for tomorrow Conclusions

• Finance - funds for sustaining operations • History – we have come a long way and
essential systems are performing well
• Rules - enable and evolve
• Site and soil issues will continue to influence
• Planning - goals and targets
design, operation and management
• Organization – defined tasks and responsibilities
• Assistance from agencies and professionals
• Communicate Performance Measures –
– how do we report our success? • The future appears sustainable
– to whom?

Sustainable and Effective Decentralized Tank is the Heart of the System

Wastewater Systems

What do we expect from a precast

Importance of Septic Tank
concrete tank?
• Watertight
The performance and success of a properly sized tank • Strong
relies on its structurally-adequate, watertight design
and construction. If these simple criteria are not met, • Durable
infiltration or exfiltration will compromise the entire • Made to Specifications
system
• Functions effectively

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Riser and Riser and

Access Access
Horizontal joint

Pipe
Connections

Concrete itself

RISER
The lower section of the riser assembly should be:
(A) cast into the tank lid; or
(B) sealed to the top of the tank with butyl sealant
meeting ASTM C 990-09 to provide a watertight seal.
Horizontal joint

What Makes Precast Concrete Structures Watertight? Joint Sealant

Joint Configurations

Must conform to ASTM C990 – Standard Specification for Joints

for Concrete Pipe, Manholes, and Precast Box Sections Using
Preformed Flexible Joint Sealants

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Proper Sealant Placement Proper Sealant Placement

Proper Sealant Placement Proper Sealant Placement

Proper Sealant Placement Proper Sealant Placement

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What Makes Precast Concrete Structures Watertight? What Makes Precast Concrete Structures Watertight?

Recommended Practice

Connectors

Pipe to Tank Connections

Basic Function – Prevent Infiltration and Exfiltration
▪ Provide a permanent flexible connection between
pipe and tank.

Pipe ▪ Provide for angular deflection of pipe.

Connections ▪ Provide for shear deflection of pipe.

▪ Provide sure, simple connection for installer.

PASTE

AGGREGATES

Concrete itself

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Cement

PASTE
Cement
Water
AGGREGATES
SCMs
Admixtures

+ + =
gypsum

Aggregates Water
Comprises 60-75% of volume and 70-85% of mass
Water used must be
Fine Aggregate (Sand) potable
Clean Non-potable meeting
Hard
ASTM C1602
Strong
Gravel Crushed Stone
Durable
Free of impurities

Photo: Portland Cement Association

Admixtures Water and Cement

Chemical Admixtures

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Watertight Tanks Keys to Watertight Concrete

Porosity  Quality materials

•Pores are the remnants of mixing  Low water to cementitious ratio
water  High Strength
• w/c sufficient for proper hydration  Proper Curing
of cement
 Quality Control Program
• w/c > water remains in pockets
(pores)
• Pores do not carry load  more
pores means less strength

Installation Best Practices Avoids Forces on an underground structure

Costly Issues in the Future

 Bedding
 Tank is level
 Check inlet / outlet elevations
 Proper application of sealant
 Care when backfilling
• Pipe connections

Forces on an underground structure Forces on an underground structure

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Forces on an underground structure Forces on an underground structure

Forces on an underground structure Forces on an underground structure

Forces on an underground structure Forces on an underground structure

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Forces on an underground structure Forces on an underground structure

Forces on an underground structure Forces on an underground structure

Summary Quality Control Program

Five Essentials of Watertight Tanks
1. Quality Precast Concrete Precast concrete onsite wastewater structures
should be manufactured using a quality
control program

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Quality Control Program

Quality Control Program Example of something you’d find in a plant QC manual:

• Qualified and educated personnel
• Completeness of work orders and product drawings
• Quality of raw materials
• Quality of forms
• Fabrication and Positioning of Reinforcing Steel
• Concrete Quality
• Placement and consolidation of concrete
• Product dimensions
• Positioning of embedded items
• Curing of concrete
• Handling, storing and transporting products
• Recordkeeping
• Testing
Compressive strength (7- or 28-day age) of the concrete shall be tested a minimum of
every 150 cubic yards (115 cubic meters) of concrete of each mix or once per week,
whichever occurs first. Strength data shall be retained in the files for a minimum of
three (3) years.
Reinforcing steel shall be positioned as specified by the design and the concrete cover
must conform to product requirements. Unless otherwise required, the tolerance on
concrete cover shall be one-third of that specified but not more than ½ inch. Concrete
cover shall not be less than ½ inch, however concrete cover greater than ½ inch is
recommended.
In hot weather the temperature of concrete at the time of placing shall not exceed 90
degrees F (32 degrees C). In cold weather the temperature of concrete at the time of
placing shall not be less than 45 degrees F

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Testing NPCA Quality Control Program

Septic Tank Specific Requirements

Plants producing septic tanks shall document proof of conformance with

ASTM C1227 “Standard Specification for Precast Concrete Septic Tanks”,

Quality Control Program Testing

Two methods permitted by ASTM

C1227 - Standard Specification for
Precast Concrete Tanks

Vacuum Testing

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Testing

Two methods permitted by

ASTM C1227 - Standard
Specification for Precast
Concrete Tanks

Water-Pressure Testing

Summary Use NPCA as a resource

Five Essentials of Watertight Tanks
1. Quality Precast Concrete
2. Horizontal Joints Properly Sealed
3. Flexible and Watertight Pipe Connections
4. Riser Sections Sealed
5. Follow Recommended Installation Methods

Use NPCA as a resource

Ensuring Your Decentralized Wastewater

Treatment Program Produces Effective and
Sustainable Infrastructure
Presented by: A. Robert Rubin, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor,
NC State University and
Claude Goguen, P.E., LEED AP, NPCA

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