Onsite Treatment

SEPTIC TANKS
- buried, watertight receptacles
designed and constructed to receive
wastewater from the structure to be
served
- separates solids from the liquid,
provides limited digestion of organic
matter, stores solids, allows the
clarified liquid to discharge
SEPTIC TANKS
SEPTIC TANKS
SEPTIC TANKS
Septic Tank
Septic Tanks
Septic Tanks
Septic Tanks
Septic Tanks
Products of Septic Tanks

Scum: Substances lighter than water (oil,

grease, fats) float to the top,where they
form a scum layer.

Sludge: The "sinkable" solids (soil, grit,

bones, unconsumed food particles)settle to
the bottom of the tank and form a sludge
layer. Anaerobic bacteria works

Effluent: The clarified wastewater left over

after the scum has floated to the top and
the sludge has settled to the bottom. It
flows through the septic tank outlet into
the drain field.
 Septic Tanks
Parameters:

Effective volume: the liquid volume in the clear space

between the scum and sludge layers.

Retention time: time the water spends in the tank,

on its way from inlet to outlet.
- function of the effective volume and the
daily household wastewater flow rate

Retention Time (days) = Effective Volume (gal)/Flow

Rate (gal/day)
A common design rule is for a tank to provide a
minimum retention time of at least 24 hours, during
which one-half to two-thirds of the tank volume is
taken up by sludge and scum
Under ordinary conditions (i.e., with routine
maintenance pumping) a tank should be able to
provide 2 to 3 days of retention time.
Constructed Wetlands
- artificially created water bodies

- typically long, narrow trenches or

channels to promote the occurrence of
plug flow conditions

- typically a 1-m deep basin which is

sealed with clay or some other form of
lining to prevent percolation into
groundwater

-filled with soil in which reeds are then

planted.
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands

Phragmites

Bulrush

Cattail
Constructed Wetlands

Duckweeds

Canna Lily
Reeds
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
-can significantly remove BOD, TSS,
nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as
metals, trace organics and pathogens
-mosquito control and plant harvesting
are the two main operational
considerations

-septic tank, a primary settling basin or

an anaerobic reactor commonly
precedes constructed wetlands for
sewage treatment.
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
Two systems :
•Free water surface
systems with shallow
water depths
•Subsurface flow systems
with water flowing
laterally through the sand
or gravel.
Constructed Wetlands
Constructed Wetlands
Design Considerations
a. Detritus removal should be considered to prevent aging
of the wetland. Harvesting or burning are two options
available.
b. To provide the greatest potential for wildlife
enhancement, 25 to 35% of the artificial wetland surface
should be open water with a depth no greater than five
feet.
The emergent vegetation should comprise 65 to 75% of
the available surface area with a water depth of less than
two feet deep.
c. To prevent mosquito-production problems, the design
is such that the occurrence of hydraulically static areas is
minimized.
Constructed Wetlands
Lagoons
Facultative lagoon
Lagoons
-with the addition of an algal population
-Oxygen is supplied by natural reaeration from the
atmosphere and algal photosynthesis
-Degradation by bacteria releases carbon
dioxide and nutrients used by algae
-Higher life forms such as rotifers and protozoa
primarily as polishers of the effluent.
-Temperature has a significant effect on aerobic
pond operation.
Organic loading, pH, nutrients, sunlight, and degree
of mixing are major factors
Design Basis:
A. The total organic loading for the total
surface area shall not exceed 20 pounds of
BOD5 per acre per day.
B. The design average flow rate shall be
used to determine the volume required to
provide a minimum liquid retention of 180
days.
C. The minimum depth must be two (2) feet.
The maximum normal liquid depth should
not exceed 6 feet
Lagoons
Aerated Lagoon
•Dissolved Oxygen Requirements

Oxygen requirements generally will depend

on the BOD loading, the degree of treatment
and the concentration of suspended solids to
be maintained.

Aeration equipment shall be capable of

maintaining a minimum dissolved oxygen
level of 2 mg/l in the ponds at all times.
Lagoons