National Environmental Health Association Onsite Wastewater Disposal Richard J. Perkins Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business First published 1989 by CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 Reissued 2018 by CRC Press © 1989 by LEWIS PUBLISHERS, INC. CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Catalog information available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 0-8493-7172-4 A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 89002534 Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact. ISBN 13: 978-1-315-89607-6 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-1-351-07517-6 (ebk) Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com Richard J. Perkins is a Water Resources Specialist with the New Mexico State Environmental Improvement Division in Santa Fe. Dr. Perkins received his PhD in Ecology from the University of Georgia in 1971. He also holds a BA in Biology from the University of Califor- nia and an MS in Zoology from the University of Georgia. In 1972, Dr. Perkins joined the faculty of the University of Kansas, where he taught courses on ecology and environmental quality, was instru- mental in the development of an environmental studies major pro- gram, and became chair of that program. In 1978, he moved to New Mexico and began working to increase the effectiveness of that state's septic tank control program. Dr. Perkins worked with septic tank installers in developing and imple- menting environmentally protective system designs for use in areas not suitable for standard systems, and developed a number of guid- ance manuals along with a training program for installers and enforcement personnel. He has initiated research on the effects of septic tanks on ground water and has published on that topic. Since 1984, he has expanded his interests and activities to include devel- opment of a broader range of ground water quality protection poli- cies and programs. iii stnemgdelwonkcA I would ekil tthoa nk engineers ,ffuD Rosenberger, ,nagaF ,eseerB and McGuiness rof developing which materials have enhanced the substance fo this book. ecaferP tuobA in one yreve ruof wen houses gnieb detcurtsnoc sekam esu fo an etisno citpes taert ot metsys and esopsid fo dlohesuoh -etsaw .retaw ooT ynam fo these smetsys ton od the do boj they tliub era ot do. eruliaF sekat the mrof fo unpleasant and health-threatening egawes on the ecafrus fo the ground. tI sekat the mrof fo egawes gnikcab up otni the edisni serutxif gnibmulp house. the tI sekat the mrof fo gnitullop the dnuorg retaw destined ot enter s'enoemos .llew deliaF etisno smetsys lasopsi dretawet sdalwohesuoh era -moceb gni an r emveolbor pgnisaercni hcum fo the yrtnuoc sa semoh era detcurtsnoc ni larur eslabeartaiusnu rof lanoitnevnoc etisno -sys .smet sdriht-owT fo the s'noitan land aera si elbatiusnu rof citpes noitallatsni metsys use. and ehT citpes knat rellatsni stcurtsnoc ohw a citpes etauqedani metsys rof these setis yam eb gniksa rof a lacitirc weiver fo sih .esnec isl'rotcartnoc ehT renwoemoh who puts ni an evisnepxe tub "elbisnopser yllatnemnorivne" metsys yam eb throw- gni yenom down the drain. ehT dna lrepoleved who s tso llnlies gnidi vtourophtiw s aeesreaht a gninraw ot sremusnoc yam spend emos emit ni .truoc ehT lraottnaelmungreervog ohw sevorppa smetsy setauqedani yam spend emos unpleasant emit in sih ro her s'rosivrepus ehT .eciffo noitamrofni herein si presented tn eovterp stros eseht fo sa smelborp llew sa ot dnapxe the dnal aera hcihw nac eb ylefas depoleved through the esu fo nredom citpes metsys .ygolonhcet nevE the tsom rellatsni decneirepxe fo smetsys citpes yam ton eb elba ot put in a lanoitcnuf metsys hcihw si tnereffid yltnacifingis in mrof and ecnatsbus morf those he has neeb gnillatsni lla sih ,efil ylralucitrap fi he si dedivorp ylno n anoitanalpxe fo the seiroeht gniylrednu the ws.eryneglollaotnshncIet tsum redi s,ngoncitis ,noitallatsni ,noitcurtsn o,cngised ,noitarepo and .ecnanetniam sihT koob methods easy-to-understand provides fo system proper septic secitcarp to suited a daorb range fo site ,snoitidnoc and reasons the rof using them. ,sme llbaoirtpnetoP both with the system -opmoc nents and the elpoep who etaluger c i,tspmeestsys era debircsed and laitnetop provided. solutions Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1 PART I: AN OVERVIEW OF ONSITE WASTEWATER DISPOSAL 2 Regulations and Processes 7 Codes and Regulations 7 The Treatment Process 8 The Disposal Process 11 3 Selection of Site and System 15 Site Evaluation 15 System Selection 33 System Location 38 PART II: SYSTEM DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE 4 Waste Process 43 Septic Tanks 43 Dosing Chambers 53 5 Conventional Waste Disposal Systems 65 Conventional Drain Fields 65 Deep Absorption Trenches 82 Seepage Pits 85 Cesspools 93 Absorption Beds 94 Leaching Chambers 96 6 Modifications of Conventional Systems 99 Alternating Drain Fields 99 vii Elevated Drain Fields 102 Sand Mounds 104 Land Application 133 Sand Filters 154 7 Low-Impact Systems 175 Evapotranspiration 175 Holding Tanks 193 Composting Toilets 196 Grey Water Systems 203 Disinfection 210 PART III: SYSTEM SUPPORT 8 Solving Problems 221 Toilet Won't Flush 221 Liquid Ponded Over Drain Field 223 Siting and System Problems 225 Infiltration Problems 226 9 Water Conservation 229 Leaks 229 Retrofits 230 Behavior 232 Appliances 233 10 Lot Evaluation 235 Appendix: Formulas 237 Bibliography 239 Index 249 VIII List of Figures 2.1 Typical septic tanks 9 2.2 Typical aerobic treatment unit 11 2.3 Drain field under construction 13 3.1 Typical plot plan 16 3.2 Determining number of people in household 17 3.3 Moist sand cast 19 3.4 Dry loam cast 20 3.5 Ribbon of moist loam 21 3.6 Clay ribbon 22 3.7 Soil texture triangle 23 3.8 Root depth and soil drainage capacity 24 3.9 Soil peds 25 3.10 Aggregated blocks of clay 25 3.11 Clod of sandy loam 26 3.12 Movement of water by capillarity 27 3.13 Percolation test water supply 29 3.14 Measuring drop in water level 30 3.15 Determining soil conditions 33 3.16 Measuring ground slope 34 3.17 "Stacked" pipes 38 4.1 Typical septic tank design 45 4.2 Gas baffles 47 4.3 Risers 50 4.4 Measuring the scum layer 51 4.5 Measuring the sludge depth 52 4.6 Typical dosing chamber 54 4.7 Automatic dosing siphon 54 4.8 Typical pump curve 62 5.1 Digging an absorption trench 66 5.2 Cross section of an absorption trench 68 IX