Real-Time Monitoring of Operational Characteristics in Septic Tanks

摘要

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 23% of the estimated 115 million occupied homes in the United States are being served by onsite systems. It is estimated that there are nearly 30 million septic tanks currently in use in the U.S. Oneof the critical components of most onsite or decentralized systems is a septic tank that provides primary treatment. Septic tanks attenuate peak flows and enable passive anaerobic biological digestion. Today, there is still no clear understanding and consensus among practitioners on the design, construction materials, installation, operation, maintenance, and performance of septic tanks. This is further compounded by prescriptive procedures and practices used by different state and local agencies. Traditional data collection methods for wastewater quality and quantity analysis use grab or composite sampling procedures, but rarely on a continuous, real-time basis. The overall objective of this project was to assess and evaluate the operational characteristics and performance of onsite systems on a real-time basis. In addition to ambient temperature, key parameters relevant to system operation and performance such as pH, water temperature, and water use were monitored in three onsite systems. Funded bythe U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, this part of the research study was conducted to collect and analyze operational data that characterize the performance of septic tanks using remote sensing probes on a real-time basis. This paper presents a comparative analysis of real-time data collected on pH, wastewater temperature, ambient air temperature, and water use occurring among different systems. The real-time monitoring of septic tanks provides greater insight and valuable operational informationnever before available with this level of detail. This information is useful for decision-makers, regulators, designers, manufacturers, installers, and other stakeholders in enhancing and adding to the existing knowledge base.