Soils in southern Minnesota tend to be loams and clay-loams. “Glaciers that sat for thousands of years really did a good job of compacting our soils,” observes Stacey Feser, owner of Feser Environmental based in Le Sueur.

“We don’t have the best water movement through these soils. There are a lot of mound systems here just because our soils have finer texture.” Sometimes conditions call for aerobic treatment units. That includes small lots where an ATU cleans septic tank effluent well enough to justify a reduction in drainfield size or the separation distance between the drainfield and groundwater. It also includes systems, such as for restaurants, that treat high-strength wastewater.

For residential ATUs, Feser opts for the Delta ECOPOD from Infiltrator Water Technologies. She prefers the units for their ease of maintenance — major components are readily accessible from the manhole. “If there are any issues with blowers, valves or anything like that, it’s handy getting in there to fix things,” Feser says.

The ECOPOD units offer a simple design for ease of installation and low maintenance, while effectively removing nitrogen, BOD and TSS. Residential units can treat 500 to 1,500 gpd. All are tested under NSF/ANSI 40 and 245 and exceed Class I effluent quality requirements. 

The systems include an intra-tank bioreactor that can be inserted into an average-sized onsite treatment tank or vault, round or rectangular. They use a fixed-film process that is stable, reliable and robust. Units can be customized for single-home projects, cluster systems, and small to medium-sized commercial applications.

The systems run quietly, and low sludge production minimizes sludge pumpout frequency and cost. Remote monitoring systems are available. All units are manufactured to fit local installation requirements. They can be constructed in concrete, fiberglass or plastic tanks.

For high-strength wastewater applications, Feser has used Nibbler systems from Aqua Test. The full line of Nibbler systems is designed to address a wide range of waste strengths, from residential to commercial applications. Units can reduce incoming waste strength by 80-90%.

Systems are flexible to fit into multiple layouts, existing or proposed, and can be directly installed in locally available tanks. Units are scalable to enable expansion for growing commercial establishments. Installation typically takes two to four hours. Maintenance is minimal with an available self-cleaning feature.

System packages arrive complete with a rock enclosure that provides a natural look for the blower. They require a 110-volt outlet supplying 2.0 amps, the equivalent of two 110-watt light bulbs. FOG and BOD5 reductions are guaranteed. Besides suiting new installations, Nibbler units can be used to recover existing systems that are failing.  

Learn more about Stacy Feser and Feser Environmental in the May 2023 issue of Onsite Installer.