Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
SNAPSHOT: KANSAS:
Promote statewide
licensing and educated
consumers p. 20
PROMOTING WASTEWATER TREATMENT QUALITY AND PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
www.onsiteinstaller.com
BASIC
TRAINING:
Keep trench
rock clean
p. 18
ITS IN
THE DNA
Three generations of the Stewart
family keep, maintain, and build
septic systems for their satisfied
neighbors in northern Virginia
p. 10
SYSTEM PROFILE
Riverfront
RV park p. 22
PRODUCT FOCUS
System Inspection and Maintenance p. 28
BOOTH For a Complete Catalog and Pricing
6318
Call 1-800-382-7009
Risers
IPEX PVC Ribbed Pipe
Corrugated Pipe
Tuf-Tite Riser
Concrete Keepers
Secured by 6 Vertical and 4 Horizontal Foamed-in Permanent Holds up to 70 lbs of Concrete Water-TITE Vertical and
Safety Screws. Screws Included. Polyurethane Gasket. for Added Safety. Joint Horizontal Safety
Screws
When
Regulation and Design
Dictates Low Pressure Pipe
Infiltrator Has You Covered
Published monthly by
INSTALLER PROFILE:
December 2017
SNAPSHOT: KANSAS:
Promote statewide
licensing and educated
www.onsiteinstaller.com
BASIC
TRAINING: 1720 Maple Lake Dam Rd. PO Box 220
Three Lakes, WI 54562
Keep trench
rock clean
p. 18
ON THE COVER:
Three generations of the Stewart family have made sure Call toll free 800-257-7222;
ITS IN septic systems keep working right for their neighbors around outside of U.S. or Canada call 715-546-3346
THE DNA
Three generations of the Stewart
family keep, maintain, and build
Bluemont, Virginia. Jerry Stewart Jr. and his sons, Dylan (left)
neighbors in northern Virginia
p. 10
and Austin (right), are shown on a work site with a Bobcat Website: www.onsiteinstaller.com
SYSTEM PROFILE
10
Riverfront
RV park p. 22
PRODUCT FOCUS
System Inspection and Maintenance p. 28
excavator. (Photo by James Robinson) Email: info@onsiteinstaller.com Fax: 715-546-3786
SUBSCRIPTIONS
A one year (12 issue) subscription to Onsite Installer in the United
States, Canada or Mexico are free to qualified subscribers. A
qualified subscriber is any individual or company in the United
6 Editors Notebook: States, Canada or Mexico that partakes in the installation, design,
maintenance, manufacture, treatment, consulting or sale of onsite
How Do You Get Homeowners to Remember Maintenance? wastewater treatment systems or supplies. Non-qualified subscriptions
Use educational tools, proactive service tools to coax your onsite system customers to call for are available at a cost of $60 per year in the United States and $120
crucial annual O&M service. per year outside of the United States. To subscribe please visit
onsiteinstaller.com or send company name, mailing address, phone
By Jim Kneiszel number and check or money order (U.S. funds payable to COLE
Publishing Inc.) to the address above. MasterCard, VISA, Discover
and American Express are also accepted. Supply credit card
8 @onsiteinstaller.com information with your subscription order.
Be sure to check out our exclusive online content. Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected
companies whose products or services may be of interest to you. Your
privacy is important to us. If you prefer not to be a part of these lists,
18 Basic Training: please contact Nicole at nicole.labeau@colepublishing.com.
Keep Your Trench Rock Clean CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Dirty rock can contribute to closing the voids that keep effluent moving through your Submit classified ads online at www.onsiteinstaller.com/classifieds/
conventional trenches. place_ad. Minimum rate of $25 for 20 words; $1 per each addi-
tional word. All classified advertising must be paid in advance.
By Jim Anderson and David Gustafson DEADLINE: Classified ads must be received by the first of the month
for insertion in the next months edition. PHONE-IN ADS ARE NOT
ACCEPTED. Fax to 715-546-3786 only if charging to MasterCard,
20 States Snapshot: VISA, Discover or AmEx. Include all credit card information and your
phone number (with area code). Mail with check payable to COLE
Wastewater Pros Play a Critical Role Publishing Inc. to the address above. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING AP-
in Water Resource Protection PEARS NATIONWIDE AND ON THE INTERNET. Not responsible for
errors beyond first insertion.
Statewide licensing, better-informed customers top Kansas Small Flows Association member
Tim Lubbers list of changes that will support our important industry. DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Contact Winnie May at 800-994-7990. Publisher
reserves the right to reject advertising which in its opin-
22 System Profile: ion is misleading, unfair or incompatible with the
character of the publication.
Flooding Is Always a Threat for a Riverside RV Park Winnie May
Securing the replacement wastewater system for Californias River Bend RV park was a major EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE
design challenge. Send to Editor, Onsite Installer, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI,
By David Steinkraus 54562 or email editor@onsiteinstaller.com.
REPRINTS AND BACK ISSUES
Visit www.onsiteinstaller.com for options and pricing. To order reprints,
26 Rules and Regs: call Jeff Lane at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email jeff.lane@
colepublishing.com. To order back issues, call Nicole at 800-257-
Long Island Communities in New York 7222 (715-546-3346) or email nicole.labeau@colepublishing.com.
Tighten Onsite System Rules CIRCULATION
By David Steinkraus Circulation averages 20,842 copies per month. This figure includes
both U.S. and International distribution.
Copyright 2017 COLE Publishing Inc.
28 Product Focus/Case Studies: No part may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.
System Inspection and Maintenance
By Craig Mandli www.facebook.com/OnsiteInstaller
www.twitter.com/OnsiteInstaller
34 Associations List www.youtube.com/OnsiteInstaller
www.linkedin.com/company/onsite-installer-magazine
Alita Industries, Inc. ....................................................................27 National Precast Concrete Assoc...................................... 15 T&T Tools Inc. .................................................................................16
I
f you install advanced onsite systems, you may need to find a memorable Imagine this conversation as the whole family is gathered around the
way to promote annual service a customer prompt or special offer as a holiday table later this month:
way for homeowners to remember the importance of regular maintenance. Uncle Buzz: So why is your backyard all tore up? Is there something
Its pretty obvious why this is a critical step for you as the service wrong with the septic system you had installed a few years ago?
provider. First, one of your main missions is to find the most affordable Aunt Ginny: Yes, I spent $15,000 for that fancy new system and it just
route to safe, clean and effective wastewater treatment for your customers. stopped working. That #$%&# at XYZ Septic never told me I had to have
Second, you want to make sure homeowners are following the maintenance the thing serviced every year. How do they expect me to know how it works?
interval rules set forth in their states regulations. You dont want to feel I just flush the toilet.
responsible for your customers being in violation of the law and facing fines Cousin Frank: So I guess I shouldnt call XYZ when I need my septic
for inadequate care of their systems. replaced in a few years? Pass the turkey.
You get the picture. A single unhappy customer can have a devastating
WHOA, AUNT GINNY! impact on a business that lives and dies on a reputation for good service.
And probably most importantly, ensuring maintenance follow-through Word may spread from that holiday dinner table like wildfire as Cousin
protects your hard-earned reputation as a wastewater professional. Theres Frank tells the horror story to all the guys at work, Uncle Buzz takes the
nothing like the premature failure of an expensive household system to opportunity to share with his morning coffee group at the local caf. And
draw complaints from customers or worse those customers telling friends Aunt Ginny, well shes going to call and make your life miserable off and on
and family their broken septic system is your fault. for the next several years.
MAKING A POINT
One way to avoid these troubles is to make sure your
customers dont gloss over the maintenance component of system
care after the installation. As Im sure you have experienced many
times, homeowners can become overwhelmed or distracted when
you explain about their new system and its limitations. You sit
them down and share what can and cant be put down the drain
and the many ways to spread out usage to stay within the
parameters of daily flow limits.
While you are carefully explaining how waste travels through
the system and effluent is distributed, heres what Aunt Ginny is
thinking to herself:
This is awesome. Now that I have a new system, I dont have to
worry about the kids long showers anymore and I can wash all the
laundry at once. Boy, Im so happy I wont have to think about that
A single unhappy customer stupid septic tank for another 20 years. Hooray!
So now you understand the challenge putting a mechanism
can have a devastating in place that ensures optimal performance and zero callbacks.
impact on a business Here are a few ideas:
that lives and dies on a Get them thinking about making maintenance routine.
reputation for good service. Talk to your customers about their lifestyle, and look for
S
v=ZtppgvPlOCU&feature=youtube.
The main message homeowners will take away from the video is that easons Greetings
preventive maintenance is not a difficult challenge and its the right thing to
do for the environment.
with all good wishes
Prepared by the Michigan Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association and for the New Year.
the MSU Extension and Biosystems and Agriculture Engineering programs,
the video explains that an estimated 1.2 million households in Michigan,
and about 25 percent of state residents, utilize onsite systems for wastewater
treatment. For the good of all, many of these systems should be inspected
annually, according to Eckhart Dersch, a professor emeritus at MSU.
YOUR FRIENDS AT COLE PUBLISHING
Septic system maintenance is not rocket science. Its really common
sense, but people need to know what theyre doing, Dersch says in the
video. They have to know they have a septic system and not ignore it.
LARGE
business owner who was constantly
tweaking, refiningand seeking
new opportunities for process
SCALE
improvement? The term for that
continual search is called kaizen
and it represents a business philosophy thats oriented toward
continuous improvement and personal efficiency. Heres how you
can implement it at your company. onsiteinstaller.com/featured
Overheard Online
Doubling down on
safe work conditions can
be a powerful tool in
employee retention and
overall morale.
- 7 Ways to Commit to Workplace Safety
Bio-Microbics works. onsiteinstaller.com/featured
No matter what size your project is.
Water doesnt know big ow from small
EBB AND FLOW
ow, rich from poor, rural from urban. Navigating
Water goes everywhere. So we do, too, Business Cycles
Most businesses have ups
creating proven wastewater solutions that
and downs and the onsite
are universally adaptable and scalable, industry is no different.
Youll have seasons where
connecting people, businesses and business tapers off a bit
technology to their water. Join us. INSTALLER HANDBOOK in some cases, more than
Guide to COD youre comfortable with.
COD provides an index to However, there are some
Simple, Low Cost, Robust assess the effect discharged
wastewater will have on the
things you can do to skillfully
maneuver those cycles.
Water, Wastewater, Greywater &
receiving environment. Learn onsiteinstaller.com/
Stormwater Treatment Systems when and how to analyze it featured
and how COD impacts onsite
www.biomicrobics.com systems in this tutorial.
800.753.FAST (3278) onsiteinstaller.com/featured
sales@biomicrobics.com
EMAILS AND ALERTS Visit OnsiteInstaller.com and sign up for newsletters
and alerts. Youll get exclusive content delivered right to your inbox, and youll
stay in the loop on topics important to you!
BETTER WATER. BETTER WORLD.
CONNECT WITH US
2016 Bio-Microbics Inc.
Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/OnsiteInstaller
or Twitter at twitter.com/OnsiteInstaller
ITS IN
THE DNA
Three generations of the Stewart family keep, maintain, and build
The Stewarts Septic Services crew includes (from
left) Danny Franks, Bobby Kraft, Austin Stewart, Dylan
Stewart, Jerry Stewart Jr., Sue Pescitani and Brian
Doucharme. The truck is a Mack built out by
Imperial Industries with a National
Vacuum EquipmentChallenger pump.
septic systems for their satisfied neighbors in northern Virginia (Photos by James Robinson)
By Scottie Dayton
D
ylan Stewarts apprenticeship began as a toddler riding with his of pumping and onsite installations. While a freshman and sophomore, he
father and young siblings as the company pump truck rolled out of worked weekends and after school with his father. As an upperclassman, the
Herndon, Virginia. When Jerry Stewart Jr. was unable to take his high schools work-study program released juniors early to work every other
three boys along, they climbed up beside Grandpa Jerry Lee Stew- day, and seniors worked two full days per week.
art in his pump truck. Everything I learned, including how to communicate, came from lis-
The brothers were following a family tradition. Jerry Lee and his wife, tening to my dad, my grandfather, and my older brother Austin, says Dylan,
Nancy, formed Stewarts Septic Services in 1964, and Jerry Jr. was in the pas- 23, a licensed conventional onsite installer. Youth is my biggest problem.
senger seat as soon as he could stand. By age 14, he was helping pump tanks. People look at me and hesitate to believe that Im qualified to diagnose their
Dylan was equally fascinated with what his father did. In high school, when septic problems. I grew a beard, hoping it would make me look older, but it
everybody was talking about which college they wanted to attend, I knew my hasnt helped.
Stewarts
Septic Services
Location: Bluemont, Virginia
Owner: Jerry Stewart Jr.
Years in business: 53
Employees: 8
THREE GENERATION
Services: Residential septic pumping
In 1987, Jerry Jr. officially joined the company and took over pumping
and repairs
and installing in Loudoun County. His parents did the same in Fairfax
County from their home in Herndon, 45 minutes from Bluemont. When Aus- Territory: Northern Virginia
tin turned 18 in 2007, he worked exclusively with his grandparents. Grand- Associations: Virginia Onsite Wastewater
father had colon cancer, but he worked every day until he couldnt anymore, Recycling Association
Dylan says. He passed away in August 2011, and Austin ran the company Website: www.stewartseptic.com
until grandmother turned it over to Dad in January 2016.
The transition from being in command to second in command was
difficult for Austin. With time and patience, the family found their places
and once again made team decisions and worked closely together. Austin, becoming more comfortable with the technology. Mom now works on a com-
28, specializes in Fairfax County systems, which require alternating pumps puter in our home office. The next step is hiring a website developer who
and duplex control panels. Dylan and his dad service the western end of the understands our business and how to sell services.
state, covering Loudoun, Clarke, Warren, Frederick, and Shenandoah The family also employs Danny Franks, who has been their vacuum
counties. Most onsite systems there if they arent gravity flow have truck driver for more than 20 years; Brian Doucharme, a driver who started
one pump. in 2013; along with laborer Daniel Johnson, who assists Dylan. Austins
The brothers are now modernizing the mostly paper-based company. helper, Ben Forbes, was hired three years ago. Theyre part of our family,
Dads 51, and moving him onto the fast track has been our biggest strug- Dylan says. No one feels more important than anyone else, except for Dad.
gle, Dylan says. So far, weve replaced the scheduling board in the office He gives the orders, yet were all comfortable suggesting ideas. Were a team
with a Google app on our smartphones and taught Dad how to use it. Hes focused on a single goal doing the very best for our customers.
NEVER STOP EDUCATING pumping about 200,000 gallons annually. They run two
vacuum trucks year-round, both Mack R600s. The 1986
Unless its winter, Jerry Jr., Austin and Dylan Stewart of Stewarts Septic chassis has a 3,500-gallon steel tank with K1200 pump
Services in Bluemont, Virginia, each perform two to three point-of-sale (both Transway Systems), and the 1998 chassis has a
inspections daily. Inspections include pumping the tank, excavating the 3,000-gallon steel tank (Imperial Industries) and Chal-
distribution box, and evaluating drainfield laterals. Owner and father Jerry Jr. lenger F360 pump (National Vacuum Equipment). A
has a reputation for honesty and quality work among real estate agents. 2006 International 4000 truck with a 2,500-gallon steel
We treat everyone like we want to be treated, says youngest son Dylan. If tank (Lely Tank & Waste Solutions) and Challenger
we find an issue, we show it to the Realtor, explain how well word the problem F367 pump serves as a backup or travels to properties
in our report, and describe how well repair it. Communication is about being
with restricted access.
patient and explaining each scenario in detail.
A third Mack R600 truck with a 4,800-gallon steel
Always keen on customer education, Dylan developed a point-of-sale
inspection PowerPoint presentation two years ago. It introduces newreal estate tank (Imperial Industries) and Challenger F360 pump
agents to the process and serves as a refresher course for seasoned agents. functions as a transfer vehicle when colder temperatures
The program covers what our inspections include, what the components look arrive. The smaller trucks off-load into it, Dylan says.
like and their function, how systems are designed, and why they fail, he says. If we pump in Loudoun County, septage goes to the
We know the common questions Realtors ask, so I took pictures of everything Loudoun Wastewater Reclamation Facility. If we pump
related to them. in Fairfax County, we discharge at the Upper Occoquan
Public speaking was never Dylans strong suit, but as his knowledge of Service Authority.
the business developed, so did his confidence to articulate it. When you are Topography and distance limit the volume of
passionate about a subject and know it backward and forward, explaining it pumping. Narrow, winding roads in the Blue Ridge
and answering questions is second nature, he says. Sharing knowledge and
Mountains on the west side of Loudoun County range in
helping people to understand are the biggest things we can do to extend the
elevation from 180 to 1,900 feet above sea level. Drivers
lives of their onsite systems.
prefer reversing into most jobs since its easier to come
www.sjerhombus.com
INSTALL
CHALLENGES
Pumpouts include a visual
inspection of the system, and
while technicians see their
share of wet spots in
drainfields, the most common
repairs involve broken tees and
distribution boxes. After
homeowners sign a repair
application, a county inspector
visits the site to approve the
work and then returns to
check that the repair was done
properly. Minor repairs
comprise 60 percent of the
companys repair work. We
install plastic distribution No one feels more important than
boxes if the depth is above 30
inches, Dylan says. Anything anyone else, except for Dad. He gives
deeper must be concrete, and the orders, yet were all comfortable
we use concrete boxes exclusively in areas with horses and cattle.
The company averages 12 system replacements annually since most
suggesting ideas. Were a team focused
drainfields are stone and pipe with a 30-year life span. Even those from the on a single goal doing the very
1980s are mostly functioning well, which is why designers prefer them, best for our customers.
Dylan says. Occasionally, theyll specify EZflow by Infiltrator or their leach-
ing chambers in combination with alternative systems, but mainly its stone- Dylan Stewart
and-pipe trenches. On the rare occasion when we do replace an ATU, the
engineers usually specify MicroFast from Bio-Microbics. 4-inch PVC pipe. For the next three months, they pumped the septic tank
The septic code requires properties to have a replacement drainfield area. every seven to 14 days while waiting for the loamy sand in the drainfield to
However, not all homeowners understand or want to remember the reason dry sufficiently for further excavation.
for the open space in their yard. Such was the case for a three-bedroom home On the appointed day, the quarry trucked in 90 tons of stone and stock-
with a conventional gravity system and ponding drainfield in Fairfax County. piled it along the driveway as Dylan and Johnson removed 36 inches of
The replacement area in the back of the 500-foot-long, narrow lot had a native soil from the existing drainfield and deposited it in two Chevy 4500
building on it. The 400-by-40-foot-wide drainfield with four trenches on dump trucks one with a 7-cubic-yard McClain Galion box and the other
9-foot centers was sandwiched between the main road, a property line, and with a 6-cubic-yard Dejana Truck and Utility Equipment box.
the driveway. A pipe from the house discharged regeneration water from a Daniel and I installed the first two trenches with 4-inch perforated cor-
water softener directly on top of the first trench. rugated HDPE black pipe, then had them inspected and backfilled before
The design engineer had no choice but to reuse the existing drainfield installing the other two trenches, Dylan says. It was the only way we
site. Excavating the tank holes and house lateral trench was difficult because avoided encroaching on the drainfield.
there was barely any room to maneuver the Kobelco 45 SR mini-excavator
and the Mustang MRL 20 skid-steer loader, Dylan says. ME Concrete Prod- REGULATIONS DRIVE MAINTENANCE
ucts Co. set the 1,500-gallon septic tank 10 feet from the pumped 1,000-gal- Alternative systems only became a major player for the company
lon tank, as Dylan and Johnson replaced the cast-iron house lateral with after Loudoun County passed its onsite inspection ordinance in 2012.
continued >>
14 | ONSITE INSTALLER December 2017
INSIGHTS FOR INSTALLERS
I PREFER
PRECAST
Roger Fanning
Fanning Excavating Inc.
Extra! Extra!
Extra! Extra!
BOOTH
5211
CORPORATION
SOLD
Hinge System
Now Available
On All Lid Sizes
Seal-R
Lids, Rings &
Seal-R
Hinge Systems
Sell your equipment in Sizes:
12", 15", 18", BOOTH
Onsite Installer classifieds 24", 30",
2556
Reach over 21,000 potential buyers each month when you 36", 42" Get the Exact Size for Each Job!
list your equipment in the classified section. Plus, your listing
Plastic riser pipe gives an Easy 10 minute installation!
is placed automatically online at the Onsite Installer website. exact height each time. Secure fit for all systems!
Thats two ways to move your equipment out of the yard! Try our system and never
Made & sold by septic
have to carry concrete installers!
pipe and lids again.
Prevent ground water
Why wait?
Save time by not having infiltration and
to assemble multiple save money
sections. at the same time!
Go to Scan the
code BrenLin Company, Inc
with your
onsiteinstaller.com/classifieds/place_ad smartphone. Manufacturers of Seal-R Products
888-606-1998 | www.seal-r.com
Keep Your
Trench Rock Clean
Dirty rock can contribute to closing the voids that keep
effluent moving through your conventional trenches
By Jim Anderson and David Gustafson
A
colleague of ours at the University of Minnesota often said it was hard
to get people to fund research on the most basic onsite systems. And Contractors should make sure they get
yet, it was easier to make a case and get research grants funded for clean rock delivered to the job site.
new systems or ideas that were often much more complicated and expensive
than our basic technologies. This means ensuring the supplier is not
He said everyone thought they knew how those elaborate systems worked, providing pit-run gravel, which will generally
while there were still a lot of unanswered questions about how the gravity-fed
rock-and-trench system functioned. This was not a knock on the research
have a large percentage of fine material.
done on new technology; he just highlighted that there was and still is
a lot we dont know, and it would good if there could be another comprehensive avoiding this action is important to maintain system longevity.
look at simpler systems to improve our knowledge about how to better site, Criteria used to define clean rock is specific: No more than 5 percent by
install, and manage them. weight should pass through a 3/4-inch sieve, and no more than 1 percent by
This was brought to my mind by a short paper that was provided at the weight passing a No. 200 sieve. These criteria ensure that the rock used is
WWETT Show and done by a company in Canada that manufactures early- smaller than 3/4-inch in diameter, which prevents the use of pea gravel as a
alarm systems for sewage treatment systems, among other things. They rock media. Pea gravel is subject to plugging due to biomat formation across
instrumented a conventional gravity rock trench system. What they found the voids between the rock. It also ensures the rock doesnt have a lot of fine
was extremely interesting, and I think it highlights why we as an industry soil particles, which can be subject to washing over time and plugging the
need to continue to research and look at our most basic treatment solutions. soil infiltrative surface.
In terms of rock size, on the high side it should have no more than 5
IMPEDING FLOW percent by weight larger than 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Specifying an upper
The company installed its monitoring devices in three locations within limit means the rock is workable during installation and has a large volume
the treatment trenches. They found areas within the trench that were ponded of void spaces. Since the two primary purposes of drainfield media are to
to depths that were close to failure (surfacing), while other areas within the hold the sides of the system and provide space for effluent to be stored,
trench showed no evidence of ponding at all. Since the trench bottom was using larger rock makes it more difficult to work and doesnt provide as
level, this did not make sense. If the liquid could flow unimpeded through the much storage space.
rock, it should spread gradually across the bottom of the trench, forming a
biomat and ponding above the biomat to a somewhat uniform level. MATERIALS MATTER
When they looked at the rock, they reported that it was excessively dirty. One final comment on rock criteria: It needs to be durable, so it should
They speculated that with the rock being dirty, biomat bridged across the void be crushed igneous rock or similar insoluble material. If rock is not durable,
spaces, effectively blocking off part of the trench from liquid. This is a plausible it will break down over time, sealing off the infiltrative surface. An example
explanation when we consider that with gravity distribution in 4-inch pipe, of unsuitable rock is crushed calcite limestone.
effluent will run out just a couple of the half inch holes, so effluent essentially From an installer point of view, contractors should make sure they get
dumps out in one place without using most of the distribution piping. clean rock delivered to the job site. This means ensuring the supplier is not
In our view, this is evidence that rock used in sewage treatment trenches providing pit-run gravel, which will generally have a large percentage of
or beds must be clean. Another way dirty rock can impact system performance fine material.
is as the effluent moves around the rock, washing off the finer particles and Once the rock is delivered, it is up to the installer to keep it clean. This
depositing them in the bottom of the trench. This action physically seals off means being careful about where and how it is stockpiled so soil is not picked
the soil infiltrative surface, reducing the ability to accept effluent. For pressure up and deposited with the rock in the trench bed. If you are going to pay a
distribution systems where rock is used in trenches, mounds, or at-grades, premium to have clean rock, keeping it clean only makes sense. O
THE CAMARADERIE.
THE COMMUNITY.
Water
ater Tight Structur
Structures
2 Compartment
Commercial Sizes - Gallons
2,000 - 3,000 - 5,000 - 6,000 - 8,000
10,000 - 12,000 - 15,000 - 18,000
20,000 - 25,000 - 30,000 - 38,000 - 40,000
Water Tight Construction
Tanks meet ASTM C1227 and C913
Septic Tanks - Sand Filters - Grease Interceptors
Bio-Fast Tanks - Nibbler Tanks
facebook.com/OnsiteInstaller
twitter.com/OnsiteInstaller
youtube.com/OnsiteInstaller
linkedin.com/company/
onsite-installer-magazine Nationwide Service
Precast, Inc.
PCI & NPCA Certified Plant
1-800-658-9045
www.crestprecastconcrete.com info@crestprecastconcrete.com
In States Snapshot, we visit with a member of a state, provincial or national Our crew includes:
trade association in the decentralized wastewater industry. This time we learn I have one crew member, Max Greep. And my wife, Lynne, does the
about a member of the Kansas Small Flows Association. books.
Tim Lubbers, president installer, maintainer The job Ill never forget:
On a job last spring, we had done some preliminary digging to see where
the water table was, and it was down about 7 feet. We put a system in and
Business: Lubbers Excavating, Andale, Kansas
then got a lot of rain and the water table rose to within about 2 feet. It just
Age: 59
started coming up out of the ground. I had to convince the customer that
Years in the industry: 31
there was nothing I could do until it quit raining and the water table went
down and everything would be fine. It took about 2 1/2, three months, but
Association involvement: finally the water table went down and everythings working fine now. But I
Member of the Kansas Small Flows Association for 10 years. kept running over there, convincing this 87-year-old-woman that it wasnt
sewer water coming up out of the ground. I checked to make sure the tank
Benefits of belonging to the association: was sealed and had no leaks, which it didnt. It was just a matter of waiting
The main benefits are the classes they put on for continuing education. out Mother Nature.
Biggest issue facing your association right now: My favorite piece of equipment:
Membership is probably the biggest thing. They just cant get people to My mini-excavator ( John Deere 50G). Its a good piece of equipment to get
join. A lot of people think theyre too busy to take a day or two off. And into small yards. Theres been some jobs Ive done that you just couldnt get in
nobody takes the wastewater industry seriously like they should. there and get the job done with a regular tractor/loader backhoe. With this
Most challenging site Ive worked on: Best piece of small-business advice Ive heard:
We just finished a job that was in a small yard with a lot of trees. It was a I dont remember where I heard it, but work smart, not hard.
big lateral bed, and there was no place to put the dirt. So, we had to dig half
of it and put it in, get it inspected, and then cover that and dig the other half. If I wasnt working in the wastewater
This was a traditional system rock and pipe. There wasnt any place to put industry, I would:
the rock. Wed have to bring a couple loads in, use them up, and then have Be farming. I always wanted to farm.
them bring a couple more in because there wasnt even enough room to
stockpile the material. This is my outlook for the wastewater industry:
I think some counties are looking ahead as far as the alternatives. Id
The craziest question Ive been like to see them all get out of the Stone Age with gravel-and-pipe and the
asked by a customer: attitude, We did it this way for years and it worked. I think everybody
Why should I pump my tank? My folks lived there for 30 years and never needs to do a little better as far as treating the effluent because I think
pumped their tank. and it might not be in my time, but I think its going to be in my grandkids
time water is going to be in great demand. O
If I could change one industry
regulation, it would be:
Id like to see statewide licensing. Right now, every time you go to a Would you like to see someone in your state or provincial
different county or city youve got to get licensed there, and everybodys got wastewater trade association profiled in Snapshot?
different rules and regulations over here you can do this, but over there Send your suggestions to Jim Kneiszel at editor@onsiteinstaller.com.
S ALCOR
UV DISINFECTION
SEE US AT
SAFE &
TRUSTED
NURSING HOME, OH
UV 2 Units in an Activated Sludge Plant
Light
On Salcor UV's work
everywhere!
Flooding Is Always
a Threat for a
of Lescure Engineers Inc. in Santa Rosa. His firm was
hired to design the new system.
The owner had land intended for the repair system,
but as they did the survey work, Lescure and his staff
Riverside RV Park found the propertys boundaries were not as clear as the
owner thought. They took another look at the RV park
property and realized there was just enough space on a
high point, next to the road, for a wastewater system using
Securing the replacement wastewater system for Californias Orenco Systems AdvanTex AX100 modules.
River Bend RV park was a major design challenge
PUMPS AND DRIPLINE
By David Steinkraus Wastewater enters the system at a receiving station, a
2,000-gallon concrete tank near the river and at a lower
elevation on the property. Then, wastewater is pumped
uphill through 250 feet of 1 1/2-inch Schedule 40 force
L
ocated in the heart of California wine country, the River Bend RV main by a pair of Orenco PFEF4011-B pumps. On the uphill end are three
park needed a new wastewater system to serve 50 recreational vehicle 2,000-gallon, concrete septic tanks connected in series and placed on high
sites. But, the park is also on the shore of the Russian River, which ground next to the public road that runs past the park. The last tank in the
empties into the Pacific Ocean. That means the property is prone to series is equipped with an Orenco effluent filter.
flooding. Water flows by gravity through the septic tanks and into a pair of
After 10 years, the previous system was failing. The old leach lines had 2,000-gallon, concrete dosing tanks. A pair of Orenco PF500712CV-10
collapsed. pumps doses one AdvanTex AX100 unit. Effluent from the tanks is split,
It sounded to me as if those alluvial soils sand and silt migrated with 80 percent going back to the dosing tanks and the other 20 percent
into those drainfield trenches, says Peter Lescure, principal civil engineer flowing to a pair of 2,000-gallon pump tanks.
www.promonthly.com oN locAtIoN
lowers the tank into place with the
Taking
help of equipment operator Cliff
School launches a tHe Kendall. (Photos
JoB: Oregon by Harris Hatcher)
Jamboree
Green Machine locAtIoN: Sweet Home, Ore.
Page 22
tHe PRo: Bucks Sanitary Service
Check out latest
pump technology
a Bow
<<< Susie Sieg, of Bucks Sanitary Service,
2013 PROMOTING WASTEWATER TREATMENT QUALITY AND PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE www.onsiteinstaller.com
PORTABLE RESTROOM OPERATOR
Page 30 unloads a Satellite Industries Maxim 3000
restroom at the Oregon Jamboree.
(Photos by Peter Krupp)
The receiving station for the River Bend RV park went in deep, as dictated by the
the teaM
at Bucks Sanitary Service
Lisa and Scott Weld, owners of Bucks
provides service that sings Sanitary Service in Eugene, Ore., have a
BY BettY dAGeFoRde sta of 10 an office worker, yard worker,
part-time mechanic and seven drivers.
Lisa works in the office answering phones
and managing the creative and marketing
A WAY TO collections system lines. The tank is located at a low point in the park and near the
side while Scott fills in on everything
from management to running routes to
Taking
maintenance. Five people worked on the
Oregon Jamboree along with the Welds
Do It Better
and their three children, Maren, 9; Milah,
13; and Sten, 17; who are accustomed to
A WAY
a Bow TO
helping out at events.
Russian River. Effluent is pumped uphill to the treatment chain. From left, Sterling
The very day we found out wed
have to move our shop, somebody
Do It Better
the crew at Bucks Sanitary Never satised, Dart Kendall modies equipment and installation came through the door and said,
techniques
provides service that sings to save time, cut costs, and deliver reliable, long-lastingItDo you want to buy Bucks back?
systems
was really a door closing, door
for oregon Music Festival
POSTERS
By Scottie Dayton opening, all in the same day.
Walstrum of Lescure Engineers Inc.; Carl Van Dyke, installer; Carl Van Dyke & Associates
Page 10 Scott Weld
worker; and George Bertam IV, RV park owner, look at the finished product.
struction industry pushed Kendall into specializing in installing and repair- having problems. The family made an oer
February 25 - 28, 2013, Indiana Convention Center to the founder and operated it for four
ing residential and commercial onsite systems. It also prompted him to
Advanced Septic, Acworth, Ga.
Starting At
years as an add-on to their trash and septic
service business. In 1999, when Welds
OWNERS: Dart father
and Becky Kendall
retired, they sold it to a national
I was raised to always prepare for bad times, then
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 27 solid waste company. Weld went to work
do the best I could to get through them. That training
The White
for that company, then 10 years later tried
EMPLOYEES: 2
enabled me to survive when so many others have not. his hand again at self-employment in the
Glove Test
MARKET AREA: 200-mile
trash radius
35
business. A few challenges cropped
Dart Kendall ANNUAL REVENUE: $850,000up, but they turned out to be fortuitous,
$
says Lisa Weld.
cleanliness means success for SPECIALTY: Installation and repair of residential
North carolinas teS Group name the company Advanced Septic. As drip emitter systems replaced and commercial onsite systems
Page 18 gravel-and-pipe drainfields, he kept a log detailing installation problems, AFFILIATIONS: Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association
then used the patterns he saw to change installation techniques, increase
WEBSITE: www.adseptic.com (continued)
efficiency, improve peace of mind, and make customers happier.
We left the AX100 sitting totally above grade in this case. Its lid is fairly
radio
Toatkeep
all times
trashsofrom
Weld, his sonpressure
entering and another member
supply mainsofduring
the team stayed in
installation, ^^^ Satellite Industries Tufway restrooms are lined up and ready to go before the
classes on new technologies and a motor mounted
Kendall home at one of the campgrounds.
screw-down caps on the ends, removed them to flush the Oregon Jamboree, complete with lighting strung in the front of the units.
products, then upgrading the busi- Scott Weld pipe Venue
when the system
units werewent online,
serviced andnight
each replaced
fromthe11 caps. That
p.m. to eliminated
2 a.m. At 6:30
ness. Kendall earned state installer trash blocking
a.m. they the pressure-relief
started valves, K-Rain
in on the campground units,indexing valves,
finishing and9:30
around pressure
a.m.
licenses for residential, commercial regulators, he says.
During the day, they pumped out 20 RVs and 19 holding tanks 10 at the
and drip emitter systems, and two shower facilities and the balance for the food vendors.
received Pumper I and II licenses.
We did a lot of new construc-
Joining theirvehicles
Five service state onsite association
were used: is one335
A 2010 Peterbilt of the
and best
a 2008
International 4300, both built out by Progress Vactruck with 1,500-gallon
tion during the housing boom things contractors
waste/500-gallon canaluminum
freshwater do to improve
tanks; abusiness
2001 Isuzuand
FTRstay
from
because it was easy, profitable and <<< The Bucks team includes, from
left, Milah Weld, Susie Sieg, Josh
in business.Truck
Workmate/FMI The Sales
day &they think
Service with they know waste/350-gallon
an 850-gallon everything
fast, says Kendall. Id bid a subdi- freshwater steel tank; and two 2000 International 4700s built out by Lely
is the day they begin falling behind.
watertight. The water might rise 2 or 3 feet above it in a heavy flood. In the
Cliff Kendall installs aggregate from ICC Technologies using the Bullseye 5+ machine Wooley,control
Stenlaser
Weld,receiver from
Scott Weld Apache
and
vision, the developer would fax Manufacturing Inc. with 750-gallon waste/350-gallon freshwater steel tanks. Joining their state onsite association is one of the best things contractors
Technologies. The RL-H4C laser from Topcon Positioning Systems is on the tripodEric Brownrigg.
in the background.
eight or 10 permits, and we would Dart Kendall
All have Masport pumps. can do to improve business and stay in business, says Kendall. The day they
install the systems a 1,000-gallon think they know everything is the day they begin falling behind.
Waste was transported to the companys yard each night and transferred
tank with 250 feet of drainfield. They initially used nipple couplings to attach drip lines to supply lines, Meanwhile, Kendall coaches Cliff, 31, for the day when he assumes
to a 20,000-gallon tank. From there, another pumping contractor picked up
The very
When day weoffound
the advent out
aerobic wed have
treatment to move
units (ATUs) our shop, somebody
enabled developers country
Fightingmusicbackfestival. Surprisingly, Wynonna Judd said yes and the festival but some always broke off during settling in the rocky soil. Kendall switched
the waste and disposed of it by land application.
responsibility for the company. I stress planning for when things go from bad
came
to buildthrough thewith
on sites doortooand said,
much Do
clay foryou want to buy
conventional Bucks back?
drainfields, KendallIt has As
attracted top talent
the housing bubbleever since. Inin2012,
exploded the 9,000
late 2008, residents
Kendall listed welcomed
upcoming to compression couplings from the drip irrigation industry. If they settle too to worse, he says. Its not how fast you leverage yourself. Sustainable growth
was really a door closing, door opening, all in the geosynthetic
chose same day. They quickly
aggregate 40,000
jobs onvisitors
a board August
in the3-5,
shopmost of whomhis
to apprise camped out. Judd was
eight employees back
of the to help
situation. much, the tubing pulls out, he says. We just cut it, add an extension, and is through steady plodding. O
jumped at the chance. celebrate the Jamborees 20th anniversary, along with Rascal Flatts, Dierks saMe
shove But
it into thedifferent
coupling. Its an easy fix.
from ICC Technologies and They talked up business and kept us going a lot longer, says Kendall. When
Today their business is exclusively portable Bentley, the Charlie Daniels Band, and enough performers for 22 shows on Careful
In one trench
sense, excavation
Weld was an ensures that
old pro atsoil
thissupports
event, sothe tubing
it was as it leaves
pretty much
became arestrooms, serving and
certified installer the the work ran out, I had to let them go. That really hurt. He also sold off excess
100-mile-wide Willamette Valley. Theyve got about 1,500
distributor forSatellite
Delta Industries
Environ-
two stages. Other attractions included beer and wine gardens, merchandise
equipment and made the last payment on a new backhoe, entering the reces- the supplyaslines,
business reducing
usual, the chance
he says. On the that it will
other hand,cometheout.
sizeKendall
and scopealso uses
had MORE INFO:
units gray Tufways and Maxims (and a few whiteProducts
ones for weddings, booths and a kids zone. The event is held in a no-facilities, 20-acre park-like flexible
changedtubing for air lines
significantly over because
the yearsit
bends
theirinstead of breaking
first year, as it settles
they brought in 60
(Pentair). and
floods we had during installation, water lapped at the edge of the AX units,
mental He sion debt-free. Apache Technologies Pentair
setting near the edge of the picturesque town. around
units forATUonetanks.
venue and four campgrounds. That was the most difficult Milah Weld helps out her fathers crew, keeping
^^^800/874-6253 restrooms and hand-wash
green units for their University of Oregon tailgating;
even boughtquack shacks,
molds andthey call
precast Kendall and son Cliff, who joined the company in 2002, expanded into 888/416-9513
Tofor
thing keep inlet
me, heand outlet
says. So Itees
hadfrom twisting
to get my actortogether.
breaking Heoff during
quicklysettling,
got his stations stocked with soap and paper products
www.trimble.com at the Oregon Jamboree, includ-
www.pentair.com
them after the Oregon Ducks mascot), several tanks ADA-compliant
to ensure structuralFreedomsand installing drip emitter systems for large warehouse complexes. The work
the
armscrew members
around level the
it. Youve gotbottoms of tank your
to just scratch holeshead
with the
andlaser
kick to ensure
it in gear that
and ing these Wave sinks from Satellite Industries.
and wheelchair-accessible Liberties anwatertight
Ameri-Can Engineering
integrity Crowd
for ECOPOD By
lastedthe nuMBers
18 months. They
the teesdidnt
go. We align with
stop the pipes.
moving allThen they excavate
weekend. the trenches, leaving the vir- Brentwood Industries Polylok/Zabel
Pleaser restroom trailer, and two smaller Comfort Station trailers from 610/236-1100
or Whitewater ATUs. returned to residential
The company brought in 265 units (20 Maxims, 10 Freedoms, 20 Environmental
systemRoomBranching into
andathe
pumping
Advanced Containment Systems, Inc. About 50 percent of their work is gin soil supporting the lines. They also excavate smaller tank holes to reduce www.brentwoodprocess.com
Pumping helped the com- pumping one
Liberties, andStanding Only urinal unit, balance Tufways), 877/765-9565
special events, including, in 2012, the U.S. Olympic track-and-field trials. backfill settling. MORE INFO www.polylok.com
pany bridge the hard times. Ken- repairs,
three growing
restroom bothand 73
trailers, service
hand-wash enabled
stations us
(halftoSatellite
pay bills Industries I dont mind fixing something, but its a point of pride to do it correctly Haulmark Industries, Inc. (See ad page 40)
dall bought a 1994 GMC vacuum businesses.
Waves from Inthe 2008,
companyswe inventory, the rest PolyPortables, Inc. Tag Alongs Advanced Containment
800/348-7530 Masport, Inc. Progress Vactruck
Making connections truck with a 1,800-gallon steel were installing
rented eight resi-
from a colleague). during the worst slowdowns. the first time, says Kendall. Advanced Septic has won two customer service
Systems, Inc.
www.haulmark.com 800/228-4510 800/467-5600
Topcon Positioning
awards from Angies List. 800/927-2271 www.masportpump.com www.progressvactruck.com
tank and Becker pump from dential
Somesystems per week
115 units, including Dart Kendall
five handicap-accessible, were set up at the www.acsi-us.com Systems, Inc.
The Welds live in Sweet Home so theyve always had the hometown ICC Technologies 925/245-8300
Keith Huber. Branching intoina and three
main venue commercial
a few at bus stops, the hospitality center, and parking lots, Stepping stones McKee Technologies - Satellite Industries
located at grade.
Reprinted with permission from PRO / February 2013 / 2013, COLE Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 / 800-257-7222 / www.promonthly.com
Page 16
School launches a
Originally Lescure designed the system with fiberglass tanks, but there
Page 22
was a delay in obtaining those and the equipment to handle them, so the
owner opted to use concrete tanks that were immediately available.
A WAY TO A WAY TO
Do It BetterDo It Better Never satisfied, Dart KendallNever
modifies
satised, Dart Kendall modies equipment and installation techniques
equipment and installation techniquesto save time, cut costs, and deliver reliable, long-lasting systems
LASER
to save time, cut costs, and deliver By Scottie Dayton
reliable, long-lasting systems PAGE 8
F
or 30 years, Dart Kendall worked as a firefighter with the Cobb County During slow periods, Kendall, wife Becky, and son Cliff brainstormed
(Ga.) Fire Department 24 hours on, 48 hours off. He filled his spare about how to work more efficiently. They rearranged trucks, modified
time remodeling homes (including the lieutenant governors), building equipment, or custom-built machinery so that they could install a complete
REPRINTS
In 1985, he opened his own business in Acworth. The uncertain con- (continued)
struction industry pushed Kendall into specializing in installing and repair-
ing residential and commercial onsite systems. It also prompted him to
Advanced Septic, Acworth, Ga.
OWNERS: Dart and Becky Kendall
I was raised to always prepare for bad times, then
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 27
do the best I could to get through them. That training EMPLOYEES: 2
enabled me to survive when so many others have not.
Starting At
MARKET AREA: 200-mile radius
Dart Kendall
10
gravel-and-pipe drainfields, he kept a log detailing installation problems, AFFILIATIONS: Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association
$
then used the patterns he saw to change installation techniques, increase
WEBSITE: www.adseptic.com
efficiency, improve peace of mind, and make customers happier.
Peter Lescure
chose geosynthetic aggregate jobs on a board in the shop to apprise his eight employees of the situation.
from ICC Technologies and things
They talked contractors
up business and can
keptdo to improve
us going business
a lot longer, says Kendall. and stay
When
became a certified installer and inwork
the business.
ran out, I hadTheto day they
let them think
go. That they
really know
hurt. He alsoeverything
sold off excess
distributor for Delta Environ- equipment and made the last payment on a new backhoe, entering the reces-
mental Products (Pentair). He
is the day they begin falling behind.
sion debt-free. Joining their state onsite association is one of the best things contractors
even bought molds and precast Dart Kendall
Kendall and son Cliff, who joined the company in 2002, expanded into can do to improve business and stay in business, says Kendall. The day they
tanks to ensure structural and installing drip emitter systems for large warehouse complexes. The work think they know everything is the day they begin falling behind.
watertight integrity for ECOPOD They initially
lasted 18 months. They used nipple couplings to attach drip lines to supply lines, Meanwhile, Kendall coaches Cliff, 31, for the day when he assumes
or Whitewater ATUs. but sometoalways
returned broke off during settling in the rocky soil. Kendall switched
residential responsibility for the company. I stress planning for when things go from bad
Pumping helped the com- to compression
pumping and couplings
system from Branching intoindustry.
the drip irrigation a pumping If they settle too to worse, he says. Its not how fast you leverage yourself. Sustainable growth
much, the tubing pulls
both out,service
he says. We just cut it, add an extension, and is through steady plodding. O
pany bridge the hard times. Ken- repairs, growing
shove it into
enabled us to pay bills
dall bought a 1994 GMC vacuum businesses. Inthe coupling.
2008, we Its an easy fix.
truck with a 1,800-gallon steel Careful trench
were installing eight excavation
resi- during thesoil
ensures that worst slowdowns.
supports the tubing as it leaves
tank and Becker pump from the supply
dential systems lines,
perreducing
week the chance
Dart that it will come out. Kendall also uses
Kendall MORE INFO:
Keith Huber. Branching into a flexible
and threetubing for air lines because it bends instead of breaking as it settles
commercial Apache Technologies Pentair
pumping enabled us to pay bills aroundaATU
systems month,tanks.
Kendall says. Today the company installs only 10 residen- 800/874-6253 888/416-9513
during the worst slowdowns, To keep
tial and inlet and outlet
two commercial tees from
systems twisting
per year, andorthose
breaking off during
numbers couldsettling,
have www.trimble.com www.pentair.com
he says. the even
been crew lower.
members Somelevel
of the
the bottoms of tank
current work is aholes
resultwith the laser to ensure
of competitors going outthat
Brentwood Industries Polylok/Zabel
ofthe tees align with the pipes. Then they excavate the trenches, leaving the vir-
business. 610/236-1100
ginInsoil supporting Environmental
2009, Kendallthe lines. They
branched intoalso excavate
installing smallertotank
20,000- holes to reduce
50,000-gpd sys- www.brentwoodprocess.com 877/765-9565
ELECTRONIC
Cliff Kendall levels the septic tank backfill
tems settling.and exclusive subdivisions in Tennessee (see sidebar). The
for schools www.polylok.com
using an RL-H4C auto-leveling, I dont
slope-matching laser from Top- massive scale mind
of thefixing something,
projects enabled buthimits
to ahire
point of pride
Barry Little,towho
do ithad
correctly
lost Haulmark Industries, Inc. (See ad page 40)
Lescure and his staff laid out the dripline sections, and allowed installer
the
his jobfirst time,
at the says
local Kendall. Advanced
wastewater treatment Septic has wondesigns
plant. Kendall two customer service
the systems 800/348-7530
con Positioning Systems. www.haulmark.com
awards from Angies List. Topcon Positioning
(continued) Systems, Inc.
ICC Technologies 925/245-8300
Stepping stones 877-422-3569 www.topconpositioning.com
Early in his career, Kendall joined the Georgia Onsite Wastewater www.iccflowtech.com (See ad page 21)
Association to get as much training as possible and to network with experts.
K-Rain Vermeer
Eventually, he was asked to give presentations at onsite conferences and to www.krain.com 888/837-6337
REPRINTS
serve on the GOWA board of directors he became president in 2012. With www.vermeer.com
November
Becoming credentialed
Page 6
Cant get
Installing media filters
Page 18
System Profile:
2011 Mound in a Box
PROMOTING WASTEWATER TREATMENT QUALITY AND PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE www.onsiteinstaller.com Page 24
Partnerships
in Practice
Onsite consultant Mike Treinen
takes a team-based approach
Page 10
Mike Treinen,
Onsite Wastewater
Consultant
enough
Exploring linear
loading rates
Page 18
May
System protects
a water supply
Page 20
Avoid ethanol
in equipment?
2015 PROMOTING WASTEWATER TREATMENT QUALITY AND PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE www.onsiteinstaller.com Page 40
Onsite
Installer
Buyers
Guide
See page 26
BOUNCING
LEADING
BACKTHE
BIGWAY
Fanning Excavating fights through the closing of a major local
employer and a deep housing recession and emerges as a strong,
more diversified business with a bright future PAGE 12
April 2017
Installer ?
EDITORS NOTEBOOK:
SEPTIC SYSTEM
REALITY CHECK p. 6
www.onsiteinstaller.com
SYSTEM PROFILE
New England installers
for EnviroFin project
p. 22
LOVE OF
LEARNING
Courtney Stephenson schooled herself in the onsite business and went
on to build a successful and diversified installation company p. 10
PRODUCT FOCUS
Large-Scale and Commercial Treatment Systems p. 32
Suffolk County, New York, has been pushing to replace common Michigan
cesspools with advanced onsite systems that reduce nitrogen pollution, and Residents of the Detroit suburb of Southfield are complaining about let-
now a couple of communities within it are going further. ters from the city telling them to either have their onsite systems certified or
The county occupies roughly the eastern two-thirds of Long Island face the possibility of a citation. The city mailed some 500 notices.
and includes the Hamptons, known as a weekend retreat for very wealthy This is happening because of a 2009 city ordinance that requires people
residents of New York City. The county also has a large number of with septic tanks to have those tanks certified every three years. If the evalu-
cesspools and their accessory problems of poor water quality. About ation finds a tank that is inadequate, unsafe, or subject to failure, the owner
360,000 homes in the county, or about 75 percent of all homes, use must connect to the available municipal sewer. Residents complained they
cesspools for wastewater treatment. were not informed about the ordinance and may face the prospect of paying
The town of East Hampton, located near the tip of Long Island, voted to thousands of dollars to connect to the municipal sewer, according to The
become the first community in the state to require low-nitrogen wastewater Detroit News.
systems in all new construction. Low-nitrogen systems will also be required City Attorney Sue Ward says state law gives cities the power to ask resi-
if a building undergoes substantial renovation. Commercial and municipal dents with onsite systems to connect to municipal sewer if the connection is
properties must switch to low-nitrogen systems if they are presently within 200 feet of a home.
connected to a large-capacity cesspool.
To help homeowners fund the transition to better technology, the town Pennsylvania
board voted to adopt a rebate program that will give homeowners in critical Some residents in Doylestown Township, about 24 miles north of Phila-
watershed areas up to $16,000 toward the cost of a replacement system. delphia, will be required to pay for a municipal sewer connection.
People not living in critical areas may receive up to $10,000 or 75 percent of Township officials say onsite systems in the area show signs of failing, and
the cost. in mid-August, the townships supervisors voted unanimously to approve the
Homeowners may pair these rebates with a county program that $8.6 million project. The township is applying for a low-interest loan through
provides grants of $10,000 to $11,000 per home. At the end of May, County the state, but it is the 252 affected homeowners who will pay the loan back.
Executive Steve Bellone signed the Reclaim Our Water initiatives Septic Supervisors say all taxpayers should not carry the cost when the project will
Improvement Program into law. The $10 million grant program will pay for affect only a small section of the community, according to The Intelligencer.
about 200 wastewater systems annually to be converted to advanced Lifelong township resident Audrey Ervin says she thought it unfair for
nitrogen-removal systems. homeowners to face an estimated cost of $34,000 each when only a few sep-
The East Hampton grants are funded by a 2 percent tax on real estate tic systems are failing. The town had engineers look at onsite systems in 1998
transactions. In the fall of 2016, voters gave the town permission to use up and 2008, and their report says the observations found a significant amount
to 20 percent of the tax revenue for water-quality improvement projects. of malfunctioning (septic systems) in the area.
East Hamptons new construction rules will take effect Jan. 1, 2018.
Suffolk County has approved four systems for installation: Norweco Utah
Singulair and Hydro-Kinetic, AdvanTex from Orenco Systems, and A broken septic line fouled part of Jones Hole Creek in Dinosaur National
Hydro-Action. Monument and led the National Park Service to ban fishing, hiking and swim-
On Shelter Island, which is on the north side of Long Island in a bay ming along 4.25 miles of the stream. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the break
opening into Long Island Sound, officials are considering tightening the was in a wastewater line at the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery. Bacteria
building rules in the same way. counts were almost six times higher than the level that triggers health warn-
The town board has asked its attorney to draft legislation that would ings from the state. The Dinosaur Quarry and visitor center remained open,
require low-nitrogen systems for new residential and commercial construction but the park service closed the hatchery and its parking lot to block visitor
as well as for any work that changes 50 or more percent of a building. access to certain trailheads.
Washington that project for state approval. If it and the state cannot agree on a project by
After a contentious election in which county commissioners were turned August 2018, the club will pay $192,525 or a prorated portion. State guide-
out of office because of a septic system monitoring fee, the new Thurston lines say requiring environmental project payments encourages violators to
County board is looking at its options for complying with state law. further reduce the risk of pollution and improve public health.
The county surrounds the state capital of Olympia on the south end of The club has already paid the state $29,564 for the cost of investigating
Puget Sound. Under state law, all 12 counties bordering Puget Sound must the spill and a penalty of $64,175.
formulate a plan to inspect septic systems and replace failed systems. There The spill happened in 2016 when 30 million gallons of treated wastewater
have been concerns for some time about damage to the waters of Puget Sound flowed from the clubs storage pond into the Gallatin River. State engineers
and its shellfish beds from failing onsite systems. believe a buildup of ice dislodged a 24-inch pipe that enclosed two smaller
In 2016, the previous county board voted to impose a $10 fee on about pipes. Water flowed through gaps in the 24-inch pipe and into the river. Water
42,000 onsite systems to pay for the cost of monitoring them. The fee from the pond is used for the clubs golf course.
drew strong opposition. Proponents say it was a cheap way to protect
Puget Sound. Opponents say they are capable of caring for their systems Ontario
by themselves. The present board removed the fee but kept the rest of the Mandatory septic inspections are coming to the township of Algonquin
plan in place. Highlands in 2018, and to educate residents about the program, the township
Now, the Thurston County commissioners have been given three options and its engineering consultant planned a septic social. Onsite systems are
by county staff, reports The Chronicle in Lewis County. They may continue reportedly the leading source of phosphorus in Ontario lakes, and that leads
with the present plan, rescind it or develop a new plan focused on the water- to algae blooms. The inspection plan will affect about 900 septic tanks, and
shed for Puget Sound or on high-priority areas. each year, technicians will visually inspect them.
Continuing with the current plan would provide better service to onsite
system owners, the staff report says. Targeting high-priority areas would British Columbia
charge fees only to people in affected areas. Rescinding the plan would impair A festival to celebrate restoration of the Gorge Waterway in Victoria on
the countys ability to locate failing systems. Vancouver Island was interrupted by fecal contamination. Provincial officials
say the contamination came from the illegal dumping of septage and a disin-
Montana fecting chemical into a creek that leads to the waterway.
About 18 months after a leak from a wastewater storage pond, the state The Gorge is a channel connecting Victoria Harbor to a tidal inlet. Sewage
and the Yellowstone Club have agreed on a penalty. The club will pay and industrial waste severely degraded the water quality by the 1940s, and
$288,788 for an environmental project of its choosing, and it must submit the damage was reversed by cleanup work that began in the 1990s. O
System Inspection
and Maintenance
By Craig Mandli
R E G I S T E R T O D AY A T W W W.W W E T T S H O W. C O M
CASE STUDIES
Result: The odor problem was eliminated, and the customer can
Get access to everything we cant fit in the magazine.
Additional stories, videos, news briefs and other great enjoy his lake home without nuisance odors. 866/667-8465;
information that lets you get the most out of Onsite Installer. www.industrialodorcontrol.com. O
www.Onsiteinstaller.com
IndustrialOdorControl.com
A Broad and Economical Range of Odor Control Solutions
Toll Free 888-999-3290
installer classifieds
New Brunswick Association of onsite
WASHINGTON Onsite Wastewater Professionals;
Washington On-Site www.nbaowp.ca; 506/455-5477