Septic Drain Field Remediation

Soils 401 Section 001

Joseph P. Smith 3/29/2013

Introduction Septic systems are commonly used as a sewage holding and treatment option when city wastewater treatment plants are not available. Septic systems consist of three major parts: a toilet, a septic tank, and a drainage field. The septic tank is designed as a box with one inlet and one outlet. The box is sized to be long enough to allow the large particles to settle and form sludge by the time they reach the end of the box. These solids are digested by bacteria through anaerobic (no air) or aerobic (with air) digestion. A layer of scummy film will form and float on top of the fluids in the tank. The outlet is designed so that only water will be discharged from the tank. The outlet is built above the sludge and a baffle wall is added to prevent the scum from escaping. The outlet water is released through a drainage field for a natural treatment. I will focus my project on how to amend a failing drainage field in a septic system.
Image 1: soil absorption and purification layers above the water table (Septic Systems and Their Maintenance).

A proper drainage field is designed for percolation in soil before the effluent reaches the bedrock and water table. Soil acts as a filter for the septic water, removing the surplus of organic material that sewage is composed of. The soil functions to remove biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphorous, and salts. When a soils hydraulic capacity is very low (i.e. clay), the water will not percolate through the soil quickly enough and the drainage field will not be

effective. Moreover, the water in the septic system will back up. To create an effective drainage field, the soil surrounding the drainage field will have to be altered. Conversely, having soil that is too coarse and porous will not effectively treat sewage because the water will pass through the soil too quickly. When this happens, organics do not have time to attach to soil. Drain fields can fail for numerous other reasons including soil compaction from vehicles driving over the drain field, system overload from increased use in a short period of time, and root systems clogging or disrupting the system (Owens and Rutledge, n.d.). It is my goal to create a soil remediation plan at a site with a failing septic system. Keep in mind that septic system installation and remediation costs money. For the duration of the report, it will be assumed that the builder is willing to spend money for a quality and long lasting product. Site and Soil Description Merigold, Bolivar County, Mississippi

Image 1: Site (Google Maps)

Soils at site o Brittain silt loam, nearly level phase (forestdale) o Dowling clay (sharkey) o Forestdale silty clay loam, nearly level phase

The problem at the site occurs in all three soil types because they all have very low hydraulic conductivities (Rycroft and Amer, 1995). This is problematic because with low conductivity, water cannot drain from the septic tank and the potential for a sewage backup arises. Sewage water will pond on top of the drain field, causing damage to the land above it. The location is in Bolivar County, MS, just outside of the town of Merigold. To get to the site, drive north from Merigold on Park Street. The site is on the left of the road (west). The site is on farmland and a small stream runs through the site. There are roads within 500 feet of the soil site boundary. As the site is for a septic tank, there are homes in proximity of the site. I am going to take a hypothetical look at a builder buying a plot of land and building a house on the site. For this project, the landowner wants to include a septic system in the field. As the depth of soil increases, the soil characteristics vary slightly. With an increase in depth, the pH increases, cation-exchange capacity decreases, hydraulic conductivity slightly increases, water content decreases, and percent clay does not follow any set pattern. The soils clay contents are all very high which causes low hydraulic conductivity in the soils. In a septic system, septic water is released through a drainage field to trickle through the soil. This removes the high organic content from the water before it enters the bedrock and water table. In the case of soils with a low hydraulic conductivity (i.e. clay), septic water cannot pass through the soil to reach the water table (Owens and Rutledge, n.d.). This causes backups in the septic system and leads to septic failure. See the appendix section for site soil characteristics.

Literature Review Jones and Taylor focused on laboratory research to determine changes in soil hydraulic conductivity with respect to time after effluent application. Clogged pores were thought to lead to reduced hydraulic conductivity and consequent septic system failure. The experimental results show that clogging in septic system sands happens based on the cumulative effluent load. There were found to be three phases of clogging. The rate of clogging in the initial phase is seen by reduction of hydraulic conductivity that is directly proportional to the volume of effluent percolated. This occurs because of organic solids deposited at the sand and gravel interface. Clogging rates are significantly slower in the second phase. In the second phase, organic material deposited is nearly equal to organic materials leaving the system so essentially no clogging occurs. The third stage sees a high rate of clogging and a rapid decrease in K. It is concluded that an absorption system should function without clogging for a long time if the second phase of clogging could be extended for a longer period of time. Soil clogging occurs 310 times faster under anaerobic conditions because air converts some deposited organic material. Sands with high initial K clog slower than sands with relatively low initial K value (Jones and Taylor, 1964). Clogging Stage % of initial hydraulic conductivity after completion of stage 100 25 10 1 Phase Rate

Initial Phase I Phase II Phase III

Moderate-Rapid Slow Very Rapid

Table 1: Three phases on drain field soil clogging (Jones and Taylor, 1964).

Jones and Taylor showed that hydraulic conductivity experiences an enormous decrease from its initial value. The data is important because we want to idealize conditions that lead to maximized phase II duration. The important thing to take away from this chart is that once phase II is complete, phase III occurs at a very rapid rate. Phase III clogging leads to a very low hydraulic conductivity (for example, 0.3 in/h compared to initial of 30 in/h) and possible system failure. From your home, sewage goes to a septic tank before the effluent water containing high amounts of organics and salts is filtered through the drain field. In a drain field, effluent goes to a trench where is it
Image 2: Typical septic system (Owens and Rutledge, n.d.)

distributed to a layer of gravel that sits above soil. It has been found that effluent is well treated at the soil/gravel interface (Gill et al, 2007) which causes a great deal of organic build up at the interface (Jones and Taylor, 1964). This buildup reduced permeability and can lead to system failure. To deal with this buildup, every year or so, effluent should be sent to a second drain field so that the first drain field can be rejuvenated (McKinley and Siegrist, 2010). The rejuvenation takes place when naturally occurring microbes digest the built up organic material in the soil and at the soil/gravel interface. If this isnt done, septic drain fields will not last as long as their potential life span. At the site in Merigold, MS, the clay soil is not good for septic system installation. As previously discussed, clay soil does not have a high enough hydraulic conductivity to keep effluent under the soil surface. This will lead to water damaged lawns and system backups.

Sewage can back up as far as the inside of your house, creating serious health hazards (Lindbo, et al, n.d.). Soils that are too wet will have gray spots. These soils should be avoided because wet soils will not allow effluent to drain well. Additionally, wet soils do not treat effluent as well as dry soils because wet soils lack oxygen. Oxygen treats effluent by removing pathogens and other contaminants that can get into drinking water when soil is too wet (Lee and Jones, n.d.). There are a number of soil characteristics to look for when designing a septic drain field. First, the soils should not be too clayey or too sandy. Soil with too much clay will not drain well and soil with too much sand will drain too fast so that effluent does not have proper exposure time to be treated. The soil should be gently sloping so that is does not reach the water table too fast to treat effluent. It should be permeable enough to allow effluent transport. Areas with rocks near the surface should be avoided because rocks block effluent transport. Areas with vegetation should be avoided as large root systems will interfere with the drain fields ability to function ("Septic Systems and Their Maintenance").

Source
"Drainfield Rehabilitation." Pipeline Winter 2005: 17. wvu.edu. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. Gill, L.W., OSulleabhain, C., Misstear, B.D.R., and Johnston, P.J. 2007. The Treatment Performance of Different Subsoils in Ireland Receiving On-Site Wastewater Effluent. Journal of Environmental Quality 36:1834-1855.

Fact
Soil fracturing can be used to open soil for better hydraulic conductivity and permeability. Most septic tank effluent treatment takes place in the distribution gravel and the first 300 mm of subsoil.

Jones, J.H., and Taylor, G.S. 1964. Septic Tank effluent through sands under laboratory conditions. Soil Science Vo. 90, No. 5:301-309.

Under aerobic conditions, soil clogging by deposited organics occurs in three phases. The first and third phases show rapid declines in hydraulic conductivity. However, the second stage shows low to no decline in hydraulic conductivity. If the second phase of clogging can be extended, the performance of soil absorption septic systems can be dramatically improved. McKinley, J.W., and Siegrist, R.L. 2010. Effluent should be redirected to a second Accumulation of Organic Matter Components in Soil drain field to give the first drain field under Conditions Imposed by Wastewater Infiltration. time to recover. Naturally occurring Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 74:1690-1700. microbes digest built up organic matter at the soil/gravel interface. Lee, Brad, and Jones, Don. "Septic Systems in Flooded and Wet Soil Conditions." Home & Environment. Purdue Extension, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HENV/HENV -10-W.pdf>. Lindbo, David, Rashash, Diana and Michael Hoover. "Soil Facts." North Carolina State University. North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/Soilfacts/AG-43944/ag439_44.pdf>. Owens, Phillip, and Rutledge, Moye. "Septic Drain Field Design and Maintenance." Phosphorous Best Management Practices. USDA, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.sera17.ext.vt.edu/Documents/BMP_sept ic_drain_field.pdf>. Wet soils do no treat effluent because there is no oxygen present to remove pathogens and other contaminants.

Backups can reach the inside of your house, creating serious health hazards.

Clay soils will not allow wastewater to infiltrate fast enough to remain below the soil surface.

Ransom, M. D., W. W. Phillips, and E. M. Rutledge. 1981. Suitability for septic tank filter fields and taxonomic composition of three soil mapping units in Arkansas. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 45:357-361.

For septic drain fields, soils with a slope greater than 15% are rated severe by the Soil Conservation Service.

Radcliffe, D.E., West, L.T., and Singer, J. 2005. Gravel Effect on Wastewater Infiltration from Septic System Trenches. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 69:12171244. Rycroft, David, and Mohamed Amer. "Prospects for the Drainage of clay soils." FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper Rome (1995): 19-22. Print. "Septic Systems and Their Maintenance." Department of Soil Science at NC State University, Main Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/Soilfacts/AG439-13/>.

With a greater difference in gravel to biomat hydraulic conductivity, gravel masking increases and effluent flow slows. Soils with low hydraulic conductivity (clay), will drain more slowly than soils with high conductivity. Gently sloping, thick, permeable soils are best for drain fields. Soil should not have gray spots as these indicate that it is excessively wet. It should not be too sandy or clayey.

Solutions The proposed problem is to fix a failing septic system. In the situation at hand, a prospective builder wants to install a septic system in a low permeability clay soil. It is important to note that septic systems can fail for many reasons other than low permeability clay soil. This section will look at solutions for installing a septic system in clay soil as well as fixing a failed system after installation. To create an effective septic drain field, the clay soil will have to be addressed. One way to do this is to fracture the soil (Drainfield Rehabilitation), a process similar to hydraulic fracturing in shale formations to extract natural gas. In this process, a pneumatic hammer punctures the soil and creates many small holes. Air is pumped into the holes to crack the soil. Polystyrene pellets, used to prop the fractures open, are injected into the soils. This process creates a higher permeability in the clay soil. Another way to install a septic drain field in clay soil is to do a complete overhaul and excavate the clay. The area would be backfilled with a soil that is better suited for drainage and effluent filtration. If the soil is too wet, perimeter drainage systems will have to be installed to ensure a dry drain field. Once the drain field has been installed, failures can arise from floods, increased water usage over a short period of time, organic buildups in soil or at the gravel/soil boundary, and vegetation root systems clogging the drain field. To fix the problem, soil fracturing and a complete system rebuild are options. Another option to fix the problem of organic buildup is blasting high pressured water through the system to break up chunks of organics. Vacuums are

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used to gather the excess material pumped through the system. Installing a second drain field is another way to fix the problem of organic buildup (McKinley and Siegrist, 2010). Discussion When installing anything, septic system included, it is a good idea to start things the right way. Soil fracturing is a plausible short term fix for compaction, but it does not give a drain field the proper starting point. The use of soil fracturing has been met with varied results and it is only legal in certain states (Drainfield Rehabilitation). This is evidence enough that soil fracturing should not be used at installation to create a drain field. While expensive, the decision to excavate the clay soil and replace it with a more suitable soil will be the best long term option at installation. It is beneficial to initially install two drain fields to avoid organic buildup over years of use. The options for system failures that occur in the later stages of a septic systems life vary. It is important to diagnose the cause of system failure. If the system fails due to organic buildup, reinstalling soil for the drain field is not necessary and is very expensive. Assuming the builder did not initially install two drain fields, a second drain field should be built so microbes can digest organic buildup while the opposite drain field is used. If the builder had installed two drain fields initially, the problem would be unlikely to occur. If the failure occurs from overuse, it is a good idea to conserve water for a while to let ponded effluent infiltrate the soil. Other measures should not be necessary in this case. If root systems interfere with the drain field, it is a good idea to remove them. Again, other measures should not be necessary in this case.

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Conclusion To install an effective septic system in clay soil, a complete overhaul must be done. The clay soil should be excavated and replaced with a gently sloping soil that does not contain too much clay or too much sand. The soil at the site has high water content, so perimeter drains should be installed around the drain field to keep the soil dry. To reduce future organic buildup, the builder should install two drain fields that can be used at different times (one in use while the other rejuvenates). Once installation has been completed, the easiest fix for many problems is prevention. The owner should avoid system overload by conserving water. To do this, the owner should avoid doing multiple loads of laundry, dished, etc. in the same day. The owner should avoid driving on the land above the drain field to avoid soil compaction. The owner should not plant trees or shrubs near the drain field to avoid root systems clogging or disturbing drainage.

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Literature Cited "Drainfield Rehabilitation." Pipeline Winter 2005: 1-7. wvu.edu. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. Gill, L.W., OSulleabhain, C., Misstear, B.D.R., and Johnston, P.J. 2007. The Treatment Performance of Different Subsoils in Ireland Receiving On-Site Wastewater Effluent. Journal of Environmental Quality 36:1834-1855. Jones, J.H., and Taylor, G.S. 1964. Septic Tank effluent through sands under laboratory conditions. Soil Science Vo. 90, No. 5:301-309. McKinley, J.W., and Siegrist, R.L. 2010. Accumulation of Organic Matter Components in Soil under Conditions Imposed by Wastewater Infiltration. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 74:1690-1700. Lee, Brad, and Don Jones. "Septic Systems in Flooded and Wet Soil Conditions." Home & Environment. Purdue Extension, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HENV/HENV-10-W.pdf>. Lindbo, David, Diana Rashash, and Michael Hoover. "Soil Facts." North Carolina State University. North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/Soilfacts/AG-439-44/ag439_44.pdf>. Owens, Phillip, and Moye Rutledge. "Septic Drain Field Design and Maintenance." Phosphorous Best Management Practices. USDA, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.sera17.ext.vt.edu/Documents/BMP_septic_drain_field.pdf>. Ransom, M. D., W. W. Phillips, and E. M. Rutledge. 1981. Suitability for septic tank filter fields and taxonomic composition of three soil mapping units in Arkansas. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 45:357-361. Radcliffe, D.E., West, L.T., and Singer, J. 2005. Gravel Effect on Wastewater Infiltration from Septic System Trenches. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 69:1217-1244. Rycroft, David, and Mohamed Amer. "Prospects for the Drainage of clay soils." FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper Rome (1995): 19-22. Print. "Septic Systems and Their Maintenance." Department of Soil Science at NC State University, Main Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/Soilfacts/AG439-13/>. "Web Soil Survey." USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. N.p., 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. <websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspxhttp://>.

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Appendix
Location: AOI Bolivar County, MS 47.1 acres

Soil Bd Dc Fe 1. 2. 3. Brittain silt loam, nearly level phase (forestdale) Dowling clay (sharkey) Forestdale silty clay loam, nearly level phase

Acres in AIO 16.9 25.3 4.9

Bd Dc Fe

0-25 cm 5.3 6.8 5.3

Chemical Properties Soil pH 25-50 cm 50-100 cm 100-150 cm 150-200 cm 5.3 5.9 6.2 6.2 6.8 6.8 7.4 7.5 5.3 5.9 6.2 6.2

Bd Dc Fe

Cation-Exchange Capacity, milliequivalens per 100 grams) 0-25 cm 25-50 cm 50-100 cm 100-150 cm 150-200 cm 10.5 10.5 10.5 39.6 27.9 27.9 23 22.2 9.2 9.2 9.2

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Bd Dc Fe

Physical Properties Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity, mm/s 0-25 cm 25-50 cm 50-100 cm 100-150 cm 150-200 cm 1.7 0.21 1.9 2.7 2.7 0.2 0.21 0.21 0.89 1 1.7 0.21 1.9 2.7 2.7 Water Content, One-Third Bar (%) 0-25 cm 25-50 cm 50-100 cm 100-150 cm 150-200 cm 32.2 33.3 30.4 29 29 40.3 44 44 40.2 39.6 33.2 33.3 30.3 28.9 28.9 % Clay 25-50 cm 47.5 75 47.5

Bd Dc Fe

Bd Dc Fe

0-25 cm 34.6 61.2 37.9

50-100 cm 100-150 cm 150-200 cm 30.5 22.5 22.5 75 60 57.5 30.5 22.5 22.5

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