Problem: A residential system in Wisconsin exhibited symptoms of failure in 2002 with surface ponding and surface discharge in an area about 20 feet in diameter. The system serviced a 40-year-old, four-bedroom home with three occupants. The tank is 890 gallons, and the 12-month average flow rate was 174 gpd, with a monthly low average of 150 gpd and monthly high average of 209 gpd. Green County issued violation notices for two years. The next step would be condemnation of the home.

Solution: An Aero-Stream Remediator septic aerator was installed in the tank. After 10 days, most of effluent surfacing ceased. After installation, the average BOD₅ was 11 mg/L and the average TSS was 21 mg/L.

Result: Within 60 day of installation the surface ponding was eliminated. The BOD₅ and TSS were reduced more than 85 and 96 percent respectively. Fecal coliform was reduced by 97 percent. 262-538-4000; www.aero-stream.com.

Problem: A Washington state homeowner was faced with an aging conventional septic system but wanted to subdivide the property and retain dedicated wastewater treatment service for the existing home. Due to permitting requirements, any new system required secondary treatment to satisfy vertical separation. Several wastewater treatment options were rejected due to size requirements, cost and construction challenges.

Solution: The chosen design features a Delta Treatment Systems ECOPOD-N fixed-film bioreactor system installed in an Infiltrator IM-1060 plastic reactor tank. Effluent discharges from a pretreatment tank and enters the ECOPOD-N, where it is introduced to an oxygen-rich environment. Here, the biomass develops and is capable of digesting biodegradable waste into carbon dioxide and water. This process continues as the biomass is supplied with incoming wastewater and oxygen. The effluent is then time-dosed to the 212-linear-foot Infiltrator Quick4 Plus Low Profile chamber drainfield with pressure distribution. The system is used for individual residential installations, cluster designs and small-to-medium commercial wastewater treatment applications. Certified to ANSI/NSF International Standards 40 and 245, it is FHA and VA acceptable and suitable for intermittent usage with an average nitrogen reduction of greater than 50 percent.

Result: The system enabled the homeowners to address their future subdivision goal. 800-219-9183; www.deltatreatment.com.

Problem: An event and lodging venue in Randolph, Kansas, needed a septic system for a five-bedroom cabin. The available area had a shallow limiting layer, and the owners were looking for a low-maintenance solution that would minimize site impact and limit the amount of borrow material needed to construct an above-grade system. The site had an 8 percent slope, with a 0.5-gallon-per-square-foot application rate for treated effluent.

Solution: Alternative Systems Kansas helped design an above-grade bed using 52 Eljen GSF A42 modules that applies secondary level treated effluent to the native soil. The 625-gpd system was able to be gravity fed due to the natural slope on the site. Jacob Brenner from Brenner Excavating installed the bed system on a base of ASTM C33 sand, using four laterals, with overall dimensions of 24 feet wide by 53 feet long. Effluent is distributed through 4-inch SDR 35 perforated pipes on top of the modules. An Eljen-supplied gray geotextile fabric was then laid on top of the rows of modules before backfilling. The system was covered with a 3-1 slope.

Result: Mature landscaping was preserved, and the cover over the raised system blends in with the existing slope. The system treats the effluent to NSF Standard 40, which helps protect the nearby lake. 800-444-1359; www.eljen.com.