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PROCESS DESIGN MANUAL: SURFACE DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE SLUDGE AND DOMESTIC SEPTAGE
Citation:
Eastern Research Group, Inc. PROCESS DESIGN MANUAL: SURFACE DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE SLUDGE AND DOMESTIC SEPTAGE. EPA/625/R-95/002, 1995.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
Human domestic activities generate wastewater that is piped into municipal sewer systems, underground septic tanks, or portable sanitation devices. Wastewater in municipal systems is treated before being discharged into the environment, as required under the Clean Water Act. This cleansing process generates a solid, semi–solid, or liquid residue—sewage sludge—which must be used or disposed. Similarly, domestic septage—the solid, semi–solid, or liquid material that collects in septic tanks or portable sanitation devices that receive only domestic septage—must be periodically pumped out and used or disposed. Sewage sludge and domestic septage may be applied to the land as a soil conditioner and partial fertilizer, incinerated, or placed on land (surface disposal). Placement refers to the act of putting sewage sludge on an active sewage sludge unit1 at high rates for final disposal rather than using the organic content in the sewage sludge to condition the soil or using the nutrients in the sewage sludge to fertilize crops. This manual provides practical guidance on the surface disposal approach to managing sewage sludge and domestic septage. The manual: 1) Describes the various types of active sewage sludge units; 2) Provides guidance in selecting the most appropriate type of active sewage sludge unit for a particular situation; 3) Details the engineering aspects of designing and operating a surface disposal site; 4) Describes the applicable federal regulations. This manual is intended for owners and operators of surface disposal sites, municipal officials involved in sewage sludge management, planners, design engineers, and regional, state, and local governments concerned with permitting and enforcement of federal sewage sludge management regulations. This document is available by ordering EPA/625/R-95/002 at http://nepis.epa.gov or fax 301 604 3408 or call 1-800 490 9198.