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Description

Over the last 20-plus years, it has been largely documented that some OWT technologies are more prone to sporadically release sludge into the environment, contributing over time to the premature clogging of the drain field. Indeed, performance results from both testing on controlled platforms and in-situ, reported in many studies, suggest that biofiltration technologies are more robust and fit than ATUs to support on-site pollutants and hydraulic load fluctuations. Deficient operation and lack of regular maintenance were pointed out as the main contributing factors to these poor performances. Nevertheless, ATU performances are not as stable and consistent, and present a lower reliability level in case of malfunction or abuse than media filters that are inherently fail-safe. A fail-safe mechanism prevents partially or untreated effluent, or sludges produced and accumulated within the system from short-circuiting the treatment process and reaching the drain field. But still, it is difficult to evaluate and quantify the real impacts of these events over time on drain field performance and dispersal capacity. Based on its extensive expertise in biofiltration and physical barrier to retain and treat pollutants, PTWE conducted a study to further document these cumulative impacts to develop a compact post-filtration system ensuring the protection of the drain field from sludge surges and any fluctuation in the effluent quality. Preliminary results and observation will be presented.