Remediator recovers a failing ATU
Problem: A popular event venue in Colorado installed a very expensive packaged ATU to treat the 756 mg/L high-strength influent produced by their wedding venue located at an elevation of 6,600 feet. The intricate ATU included several recirculating treatment pods discharging into a pressurized chamber system. During their three-day weekend events, the influent flow was between 100 and 150 gph with minimal flow the balance of the week. The ATU was discharging 373 mg/L high-strength effluent to the chambers. Within 4 years of operation the soil below the chamber had developed a restricting biomat and the area was ponding on the surface. They sought to reduce the effluent strength discharging into the ATU to less than 220 mg/L BOD5 and remediate the soil below the chambers.
Solution: A custom designed Aero-Stream Pro Line Plus M Remediator was installed in the second chamber of a 2,500-gallon two-chamber trash tank prior to the ATU. Prior to installation, the ATU was receiving influent of 543 mg/L. The remediator reduced the influent to 93 mg/L, an 83% reduction. This allowed the ATU to perform as originally anticipated and reduce the effluent discharged into the chambers to 13 mg/L.
Result: Within a few days of installation, the odor emanating from the absorption component was gone and in less than a month the ponding was eliminated. 262-538-4000; www.aero-stream.com
Advanced treatment unit a fit for small coastal home
Problem: Watch Hill, Rhode Island, is a beautiful coastal village in the town of Westerly surrounded on three sides by water. Many consider the area as the ideal summer resort vacation location due to the proximity of major cities New York, Boston and Providence. However, most lots are compact in size, especially those adjacent to coastal areas. One two-bedroom white stucco house that was adjacent to the ocean fit this criteria.
Solution: The designer, Eugene Spring, along with expert installer Timpson Excavating were able to install the FujiClean nitrogen reducing CEN5 model going by gravity to a 12-foot GST (Geomatrix).
Result: Site space was severely limited, but using the FujiClean unit with a footprint of only 5.5 by 8 feet, space was maximized for subsurface dispersal. 207-406-2927; www.fujicleanusa.com
Pretreatment system used for high FOG wastewater
Problem: The Cottage Hotel is a historic tavern and restaurant in Mendon, New York. The 1/3-acre parcel presents major challenges for a septic system as space at the site is mostly limited to the footprint of the buildings and parking. Wastewater is treated and then discharged into a nearby stream. Pretreatment had historically been accomplished through an aerobic treatment unit with polishing through a single-pass sand filter with SPDES-permitted surface discharge. Although the ATU and sand filter are good treatment technologies, at this particular site, the fats, oils and greases generated from the kitchen waste were too much for the system to handle, causing the sand filter to clog routinely. Regulatory authorities mandated the failing system be upgraded to be better suited for handling the high-strength of commercial wastewater.
Solution: The owner hired Onsite Engineering to design a commercial septic system to handle the high-strength restaurant wastewater and treat it to the high level needed for a permitted surface water discharge. The redesigned system uses the White Knight Microbial Inoculator Generator from Knight Treatment Systems. The system inoculates and pretreats the wastewater with select bacteria that aggressively digest the FOG and other organic constituents prior to passing through the rebuilt single pass sand filter.
Result: The system has been working well since its 2017 installation. 800-560-2454; www.knighttreatment.com
Advanced treatment system a fit for lakefront cottage
Problem: A cottage on Lake Leelanau posed issues, with three 1,200-gallon holding tanks needing to be pumped out each time they filled up. The property owner needed a real septic system to save pumping costs and increase the property value, but he was obviously on “pump and haul” because the property could not host a conventional system.
Solution: The property owner contacted SludgeHammer because they were able to use his existing tanks to create a powerful, reliable and economical advanced treatment system using their Aerobic Bacterial Generators.
Result: With the now high-quality effluent, the property owner was able to wrap a subsurface dripfield around the side of the house, keeping within his very strict space limitations while still keeping his surrounding trees. Adding phosphate control to the single digit BOD/TSS and 17 mg/L TN effluent keeps the regulators happy and allows the system to encroach on the waterline for the needed extra area. 231-348-5866; www.sludgehammer.net
