Performance of Single Household Treatment Units

The septic tank-soil absorption field system has been used almost exclusively to treat and dispose of household wastewater in rural settings. Unfortunately, over half of the total land area of the United States has soils that are too slowly permeable for its installation. Recently, the search for alternatives has included improved treatment. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Evaluate the present state-of-the-art in household waste treatment through field testing; and (2) recommend design modifications to improve present unit designs. Evaluation criteria used were: (1) The average effluent quality produced by each field unit; (2) the variability of effluent quality; (3) operating and maintenance requirements; and (4) total annual costs.