On-Site Sewage Treatment Alternatives

Preface The purpose of this publication is to describe on-site technologies for treating domestic sewage where conventional means (public sewer or septic tank with drainfield) are not available. These technologies are described as alternatives in this publication. Our goal is to provide information that can be used by property owners and residents to initiate action to rectify sewage disposal problems, especially where current waste-water treatment is inadequate. This work is intended to provide information on alternative wastewater treatment options that will help the reader to make informed decisions when dealing with oversight agencies and contractors; it is not intended to serve as a stand-alone reference for design or construction. Other Virginia Cooperative Extension publications are available on this topic. Readers desiring shorter and less-detailed overviews of alternative on-site systems may refer to Alternative On-site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Options, VCE publication 448-403, and Individual Homeowner & Small Community Wastewa-ter Treatment & Disposal Options, VCE publication 448-406. Figure 1. Many rural residences use groundwater wells as water sources, and rely upon on-site treatment systems for sewage disposal. On-site treatment systems, such as the system represented above, disperse partially treated wastewaters in soils. When such systems are correctly sited, designed, installed, and operated , passage of wastewaters through the soil removes contaminants, which protects the groundwater from contamination. The above figure represents a conventional on-site system, similar to systems used by many rural households. Environmental factors, such as soil type and depth to groundwater, will determine the site suitability for conventional on-site systems.