Ohio State University Fact Sheet

Agricultural Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

On-Site Wastewater Management

AEX-750-00

Karen Mancl
Professor and Extension Water Quality Specialist
Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering
The Ohio State University

"It is a national goal that the discharge of pollutants into navigable water be eliminated." Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 1972.

On October 18, 1972, the U.S. Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act setting the goal of eliminating the discharge of pollutants into the nation’s waters. This law set into motion the steady progress toward eliminating the discharge of water pollutants by establishing the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Although this law has been revised and challenged, the goal remains the same. Industries, cities, and the federal government have invested heavily in making this goal a reality.

As the United States gets closer to achieving the national goal, small communities and rural areas are facing the challenge. Fortunately, many options are available to small communities to meet the goal of no discharge of pollutants. These options fall into three major categories.

1. Collect wastewater and treat it to remove all pollutants before discharge to a stream.

   When considering this option, these components are necessary:

   • A sewer system to collect all of the wastewater from individual homes.
   • A body of water to discharge the treated wastewater.
   • A high-technology treatment plant that can remove all water pollutants.
   • Attentive and highly trained people to operate and manage the collection and treatment system.
     
     

     Option 1. Collect wastewater and treat it to remove all pollutants before discharge to a stream.

     
     
     
2. Collect wastewater and treat before reuse through irrigation.

   When considering this option, these components are necessary:

   • A sewer system to collect all of the wastewater from individual homes.
   • Land and an irrigation system.
   • A medium-technology treatment plant that can reduce odors and pathogens.
   • Attentive and trained people to manage the collection, treatment, and irrigation system.
     
     

     Option 2. Collect wastewater and treat before reuse through irrigation.

     
     
     
3. Build and operate small treatment systems for each individual home.

   This option is called on-site wastewater management, and these components are necessary:

   • Appropriate soil and lot size for an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system.
   • A treatment system with the appropriate technology to match site conditions.
   • Attentive and trained people to manage the on-site treatment systems.
     
     

     Option 3. Onsite wastewater management - build and operate small treatment systems for each individual home.

     
     

   No sewer system is needed to collect all of the wastewater from individual homes.

This third option, on-site wastewater management, is attractive to small communities and rural areas because it eliminates the need for a high-cost sewer system. In developing a new wastewater system, the construction of the sewer system is the most expensive part, costing millions of dollars to serve a few hundred homes. Sewer systems also can have unintended and undesirable impacts on development patterns in a rural area.

All three options require attentive and trained people to manage the treatment systems. Unfortunately, most individual septic systems and other on-site wastewater treatment and disposal systems do not receive the management they require. Table 1 summarizes the minimum level of management recommended for on-site wastewater treatment systems.

By providing regular inspection and simple maintenance, on-site systems can provide decades of trouble-free service and meet the national goal of no discharge of pollutants to the nation’s waters.

To find out more about the levels of management and costs, ask for the following fact sheets, available from county offices of Ohio State University Extension or available on Ohioline at: http://ohioline.ag.ohio-state.edu

• AEX 751 On-Site Wastewater Management – Cost and Financing
• AEX 752 Managing Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
• AEX 753 Managing Septic Tank-Mound Systems
• AEX 754 Managing Septic Tank-Sand Bioreactor Systems

Funded in part through a grant from the National On-Site Demonstration Project, West Virginia University.