Fecal Coliform Removal within a Marshland Upwelling System Consisting of Scatlake Soils
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 1
Abstract
The marshland upwelling system (MUS) was installed on private camps in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Point, Mississippi. The system was evaluated for its effectiveness in removing fecal coliforms from settled, raw wastewater. A suite of studies was performed at flow rates of 1.9, 2.8, and 5.5 L/min and an injection frequency of 30 min every 3 h to investigate fecal coliform removal. An additional study was performed at a flow rate of 2.8 L/min and an injection frequency of 15 min every hour. Overall, the MUS consistently maintained fecal concentrations below effluent regulatory standards for shellfish harvesting waters (14 most probable number of colonies per 100 mL). Mean influent concentrations of 55,269±2,218,016 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL were reduced to effluent counts of 2.7±14.07 CFU/100 mL (observed in the 1.5 m wells). Three- to four-log reductions in influent counts were observed over the initial 1.4 from the injection well. The overall removal followed a first-order decay relationship with respect to vector distance, resulting in removal rate constants ranging from 5.6 to 6.6/m and predicted surface concentrations approaching 0 CFU/100 mL. The 2.8 L/min for 30 min every 3 h treatment provided the best effluent quality.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This research was made possible by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology. The writers would also like to thank Carl Anderson, Katherine Hanson, Jon Bergeron, and Aubrey Lipham for their assistance in performing various laboratory analyses on the field samples.
References
Ache, B. W. and Wenger, S. J. (1999). “A survey of onsite wastewater treatment systems: Identifying alternatives appropriate for coastal Louisiana based on performance and cost.” Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Thibodaux, La Batelle.
American Public Health Association (APHA). (1998). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th Ed., American Water Works Association, Water Pollution Control Federation, and the American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (1995). Annual book of ASTM standards, Soil and rock (I), Vol. 04.08, ASTM, Philadelphia.
Bardet, J., (1997). Experimental soil mechanics, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Bavor, H J., Roser, D. J., and McKersie, S. (1987). “Nutrient removal using shallow lagoon-solid matrix macrophyte systems.” Aquatic plants for water treatment and resource recovery, K. R. Reddy and W. H. Smith (eds), Magnolia, Orlando, Fla., 227–235.
Bitton, G., Davidson, J. M., and Farrah, S. R. (1979). “On the value of soil columns for assessing transport patterns of viruses through soil: a critical outlook.” Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 12, 449–457.
Bitton, G., and Harvey, R. W. (1993). “Transport of pathogens through soils and aquifers.” Environmental microbiology, R. Mitchell, ed., Wiley-Liss, New York.
Bouma, J. et al. (1972). “Soil absorption of septic tank effluent.” Information Circulation No. 20, Geology and Natural History Survey, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
Brown, K. W., Wolf, H. W., Donnelly, K. C., and Slowey, J. F. (1979). “The movement of fecal coliforms and coliphages below septic lines.” J. Environ. Qual., 8(1), 121–125.
Corapcioglu, M. Y., and Haridas, A. (1984). “Transport and fate of microorganisms in porous media: A theoretical investigation.” J. Hydrol., 72, 149–169.
Costerton, J. W., Geesey, G. G., and Cheng, K. J. (1978). “How bacteria stick.” Sci. Am., 238(1), 86–95.
Crane, S. R., and Moore, J. A. (1984). “Bacterial pollution of groundwater: a review.” Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 22, 67–83.
Cuthbert, W. A., Panes, J. J., and Hill, E. C. (1950). “Survival of Bacterium coli type I and Streptococcus faecalis in soil.” J. Appl. Bacteriol., 18, 408–414.
Davies, C. M., and Evison, L. M. (1991). “Sunlight and the survival of enteric bacteria in natural waters.” J. Appl. Bacteriol., 70, 265–274.
Ebeling, J., Tsukuda, S., Hankins, J., and Solomon, C. (2003). “Performance evaluation of a recirculating sand filter and peat filter in West Virginia.” Small Flows Q., 4(1), 27–37.
Gerba, C. P., Melnick, J. L., and Wallis, C. (1975). “Fate of wastewater bacteria and viruses in soil.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 101(3), 157–174.
Gersberg, R. M., Brenner, R., Lyon, S. R., and Elkins, B. V. (1987). “Survival of bacteria and viruses in municipal wastewater applied to artificial wetlands.” Aquatic plants for water treatment and resource recovery, K. R. Reddy and W. H. Smith, eds. Magnolia, Orlando, Fla., 237–245.
Goldenberg, L. C., Magaritz, M., Amiel, A. J., and Mandel, S. (1984). “Changes in hydraulic conductivity of laboratory sand-clay mixtures by a seawater–freshwater interface.” J. Hydrol., 70, 329–336.
Gray, N. F. (1989). Biology of wastewater treatment, Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.
Hagedorn, C. (1984). “Microbial aspects of groundwater pollution due to septic tanks.” Groundwater pollution microbiology, G. Bitton and C. P. Gerba, eds., Wiley, New York, 181–195.
Hagedorn, C., McCoy, E. L., and Rahe, T. M. (1981). “The potential for ground water contamination from septic effluents.” J. Environ. Qual., 10(1), 1–8.
Hanes, N. B., and Fragala, R. (1967). “Effect of seawater concentration on survival of indicator bacteria.” J. Water Pollut. Control Fed., 36(1), 97–104.
Hickey, J. J. (1984). “Subsurface injection of treated sewage into a saline-water aquifer at St. Petersburg, Florida—Aquifer pressure buildup.” Ground Water, 22(1), 48–55.
Matthess, G., Pekdeger, A., and Schroeter, J. (1988). “Persistence and transport of bacteria and viruses in groundwater—A conceptual evaluation.” J. Contam. Hydrol., 2, 171–188.
McDowell-Boyer, L. A., Hunt, J. R., and Sitar, N. (1986). “Particle transport through porous media.” Water Resour. Res., 22(13), 1901–1921.
Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. (2003). “Wastewater engineering: Treatment, disposal, and reuse,” 4th Ed., McGraw-Hill, Boston, 1819.
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). (1996). “State of Mississippi list of impaired waterbodies 1996.” Office of Pollution Control, Jackson, Miss.
Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center (MSUCREC). (2000). “Fecal coliform TMDL for Bayou Cumbest/Bangs Lake Watershed, coastal streams basin, Jackson County, Mississippi.” Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Pollution Control: TMDL/WLA Section of the Water Quality Assessment Branch, Jackson, Miss.
National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC). (1996). “Summary of onsite systems in the United States 1993.” NSFC, Morgantown, W.Va.
Postma, F. B., Gold, A. J., and Loomis, G. W. (1992). “Nutrient and microbial movement from seasonally-used septic systems.” J. Environ. Health, 55(2), 5–10.
Richardson, S. D. (2002). “Wastewater plume dynamics and bacteria transport within the marshland upwelling system.” MS thesis, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, La.
Scandura, J. E., and Sobsey, M. D. (1997). “Viral and bacterial contamination of groundwater from on-site sewage treatment systems.” Water Sci. Technol., 35(11), 141–146.
Smith, M. S., Thomson, G. W., Whote, R. E., and Ritonga, D. (1985). “Transport of Escherichia coli through intact and disturbed soil columns.” J. Environ. Qual., 14(1), 87–91.
Stremlau, H. T. (1994). “Feasibility study on the use of shallow upwelling systems in coastal areas as a polishing treatment to remove bacterial contamination from wastewater.” MS thesis, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, La.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (1984). “Soil survey of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.” Soil Conservation Service, Baton Rouge, La.
United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). (2000). “National shellfish sanitation program model ordinance: Shellstock growing areas Part IV.” Office of Seafood, Washington, D.C.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (1980). “Design manual: Onsite wastewater treatment and disposal systems.” EPA/625-1-80-012, Office of Water, Washington, D.C.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (1996). “National Water Quality Inventory Report to Congress (305(b) Report).” USEPA, Washington, D.C.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (1998). “1998 Section 303(d) List Fact Sheet: National Picture of Impaired Waters Highlights of the 1998 (303 (d) Lists).” USEPA, Washington, D.C.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (1999a). “The Class V underground injection control study, Volume 5, Large-capacity septic systems.” EPA/816-R-99-014e, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (1999b). “Decentralized systems technology fact sheet: Septic tank—Soil absorption systems.” EPA/932-F-99-075, Office of Water, Washington, D. C.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2000). “Decentralized systems technology fact sheet: Septic system tank.” EPA/832-F-00-040, Office of Water, Washington, D.C.
Van Donsel, D. J., Geldreich, E. E., and Clarke, N. A. (1967). “Seasonal variations in survival of indicator bacteria in soil and their contribution to storm-water pollution.” Appl. Microbiol., 15, 1362–1370.
Watson, R. E., Jr. (2000). “Evaluation of a marshland upwelling system for the treatment of raw domestic wastewater.” MS thesis, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, La.
Watson, R. E., Jr., and Rusch, K. A. (2001). “Performance evaluation of a marshland upwelling system for the removal of fecal coliform bacteria from domestic wastewater.” Water Environ. Res., 73(3), 339–350.
Watson, R. E., Jr., and Rusch, K. A. (2002). “Escherichia coli removal efficacy of a marshland upwelling system.” J. Environ. Eng., 128(7), 643–652.
Ziebell, W. A., Nero, D. H., Deininger, J. F., and McCoy, E. (1974). “Use of bacteria in assessing waste treatment and soil disposal systems.” Proc., National Home Sewage Disposal Symposium, American Society of Agricultural Engineering Proc., St. Joseph, Mich., Proc. No. 175, 58–63.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131 • Issue 1 • January 2005
Pages: 60 - 70
Copyright
© 2004 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 13, 2002
Accepted: Sep 23, 2003
Published online: Jan 1, 2005
Published in print: Jan 2005
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Mark J. Rood
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.