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Multi-State Hatch Project NE1045 awarded in September 2010
Design, Assessment and Management of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems: Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change
Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS; widely known as “septic systems” or decentralized wastewater treatment systems) serve approximately 25 percent of the United States population. In rural and unsewered watersheds, they are the only means to treat wastewater.
New challenges necessitate advances in our understanding, design and management of OWTS that warrant a multi-state effort of Land Grant scientists. Of particular note are three drivers of change:
- Recognition that OWTS are no longer a temporary, “stop gap” approach that will be replaced by municipal sewers. OWTS are increasingly in use for decades and are used for all types of rural establishments – raising concerns for long-term hydraulic and treatment performance.
- Increasing demands by public and environmental health professionals that OWTS achieve high and reliable levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, emerging chemicals and pathogen removal rates – well beyond those associated with conventional technologies.
- Challenges presented by the possible decadal changes in climate, such as rising water tables or severe drought, argue for new approaches to site selection, design and water reuse.
The enormous variation in soils, geology, climate and hydrology that affect the proper function of onsite wastewater treatment systems across the nation requires multi-regional collaboration to ensure standardization of state-of-the-science and engineering approaches to assessment and protocols. A diverse working team of university scientists, along with industry, regulatory agency personnel and private sector wastewater practitioner partners has been assembled and will afford considerable momentum to the creation of a successful AES multi-regional model.
Hypothesis: Current OWTS will fail in light of climate change. With predicted climate change, climate variability will be exacerbated by periods of very wet and very dry hydrologic conditions. Current design guides and parameters for OWTS need to be reevaluated.
Objectives:
1. Develop a better understanding of the relationship between OWTS design features and the soil transport parameters (e.g., porosity, hydraulic conductivity, residual moisture content).
2. Develop new design criteria for OWTS as it relates to climate change for the purposes of adaptation and mitigation.
3. Examine the new design criteria for diverse soils, geomorphology, topography, and climate conditions.
4. Develop educational materials and tools to acquaint the public and practitioners to management, operation, maintenance and health issues related to OWTS in light of adaptation to climate change.
Partners:
University of Arizona
University of Georgia
University of Kentucky
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri
Rutgers University
North Carolina State University
University of Rhode Island
University of Tennessee
Texas AdriLife Research
University of Wisconsin
