Sewage Disposal System Information

Introduction In April of 1998, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (M.M.A.H.) assumed the responsibility for the regulations and administration of the private sewage works, from the Ministry of Environment. Sewage systems for less than 10,000 litres per day (per property) are now regulated under Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code. Sewage works dealing with more than 10,000 litres per day remain under the authority of the Ministry of Environment and the Ontario Water Resources Act. With the transfer of responsibility, the M.M.A.H. established criteria which now requiring anyone involved in the repair, replacement, alteration, emptying or cleaning of sewage system to be certified and licensed by the ministry. Similarly, anyone employed by a municipality, health unit or conservation authority, must also be certified in order to perform the duties of an inspector (regulator). This certification requirement ensures that anyone involved in the sewage industry has passed an examination, verifying a standard of understanding of the theory of sewage disposal and the Act and regulations. Contact the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing at their website, http://mah.gov.on.ca, to find out more information regarding training courses or certification. Under the provisions of the Building Code Act, the M.M.A.H. can regulate the industry through the regulations of the Ontario Building Code. This information package will outline some common requirements, but is not intended to replace the Code. For specific requirements, please refer to the Code for up dated information. Sewage and Health Effects When man moved from the cave to the early residence, the issue of proper sewage disposal became one of the earliest public health issues that humans had to deal with. In these early times, the amount of waste was minimal (pending the invention of automatic washing machines), and so it was mainly human waste which required control. By using outhouses (or privies), human waste was localized in one specific spot, unlike other creatures of the earth. Early public health officers realized the connection between human waste and illness and disease. Contaminated drinking water supplies quickly infected others, leading to outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and a host of other gastrointestinal illnesses. In these early years, death was common consequence of these outbreaks, and so attention was directed to minimizing or eliminating this risk. With the continued growth of villages and towns, and the increased concentration of people within these areas, the necessity for proper sewage disposal has become vital to the health of mankind. As the population grew, and technology advanced, new and improved methods for treating and disposing of our waste products have been developed. Municipal treatment plants now dispose of human and industrial waste, and treat drinking water supplies to prevent the transmission of illness to the public. For the individual homeowner, never have there been so many choices when deciding on the best method for dealing with the matter of sewage and sewage disposal.

Types of Sewage Systems Under the Ontario Building Code, there are five (5) distinct classes of sewage disposal permitted in the province of Ontario. They are: CLASS 1 Privy (Outhouse), Composting Toilet, Pail Privy, Vault Privy, Portable Privy, Chemical Toilet, Incinerating Toilet, Re-circulating Toilet CLASS 2 Greywater, leaching pit CLASS 3 Cesspool CLASS 4 Consist of two components: 1) Treatment Unit; 2) Leaching Bed System, Septic System, Secondary Treatment Units, Tertiary Treatment Units, Filter Beds, Infiltrator Chambers CLASS 5 Holding Tanks In order to understand the limitation and application of the various classes, well look at some of the requirements for each class individually. Class 1 - Sewage Disposal Systems Class 1 sewage systems can only be used for the disposal of human body waste. These types of systems cannot be used for the disposal of greywater, or any other wastewater. In most instances, these types of systems will be used in conjunction with a Class 2 (leaching pit) sewage system. Although a permit is not required for building a Class 1 sewage system, there are requirements set out in the Ontario Building Code. These requirements outline the following criteria when constructing an earth pit privy: If you are considering using a privy, please check the following table for clearance distances as set out in the Ontario Building Code. Class 2 - Sewage Disposal Systems This type of system can only be used for the disposal of greywater wastes, and water wastes which come from plumbing fixtures, such as sinks, showers, or laundry machines. This method of waste water disposal is only recommended if the daily volume of greywater waste is small. Under the Ontario Building Code, a leaching pit can only be used if the daily greywater sewage flow is less than 1,000 litres per day (See Section 8.4.1.2. (2) below for calculating daily sewage flow). If you are planning on installing a leaching pit for your cottage or sauna, please note the distances in the chart below for clearances to wells, property lines, and lakes and streams.

Minimum horizontal distance in meters from a well with a water tight casing to a depth of at least 6 meters Minimum horizontal distance in meters from a spring used as a source of potable water or well other than a water tight casing to a depth of 6 meters Minimum horizontal distance in meters from a lake, river, pond, stream, reservoir, or a spring not used as a source of potable water Minimum horizontal distance in meters from a property line Leaching Pit 10 15 15 3 Sizing A Greywater System To figure out how big system has to be is as simple as ABC. You need to know how much sewage will drain to the system and how fast the sewage will drain out into the surrounding soil. A. How Much Grey Water Waste? !" !" !" Make a list of the plumbing fixtures in the residence Use Table 7.4.9.3 to figure out the total fixture units The total daily design flow leaching pits is:

- 200L per fixture unit where there is pressurized water; - 125 L per fixture unit where there is no pressurized water

B. How Fast is the Soil? !" You will have to know what type of soil you have. Tables 1, 2, and 3 of Supplementary Guidelines to 1997 OBC, lists soil types and corresponding percolation times. !" How fast the soil will accept the grey water waste is called the loading rate. !" To figure the loading rate out you divide the percolation rate of the soil into 400 Loading Rate = 400/T

e.g. If the percolation rate of silty gravels, gravel sand mixtures is 4-12 minutes/cm. then use the biggest number to calculate the loading rate LR = 400/12 = 33 litres per square metre of side walls of leaching pit C. To figure out the size, you use this calculation How Much Grey Water Waste a Day? (litres)/ Divided by how fast the soil will accept it (loading rate) = size of leaching pit (m2) Lets Do an Example: Cottage with a kitchen sink, 2 inch trap, no pressurized water, silty sand soil !" !" From Table 7.4.9.3 the fixture units are 2 From Sentence 8.4.1.2 (2) 125 L per fixture unit = 125 x 2 = 250 litres

!" Sentence 8.4.2.2. states that a Class 2 system shall not be constructed where the daily design flow exceeds 1000 L/day so we are okay !" !" From Tables 1, 2, and 3 of Supplementary Guidelines to 1997 OBC Silty sand has been assigned an estimated design rate of 4-12 minutes

Loading rate therefore is: LR = 400/T LR = 400/12 LR = 33 !" To size the system you divide the volume of sewage by the loading rate: 250/33 = 7.5 square metres !" If you are going to dig a leaching pit, you can divide this number by 4 to figure out how big the side walls have to be: 7.5/4 = 1.875 m2 !" Each side has to be 1.875 square metres (20 sq. feet)

!" So if you dig a pit 1.3 metres (4 feet) deep and 1.5 metres (5 feet) wide, you are okay !" Remember however, that there are separation distances set out in Table 8.2.1.5. !" Construction requirements in Sentence 8.4.2.1. including the requirement that the bottom of the pit shall be at least 900 mm (3 feet) above the high ground water table.

Now that you know the size and location, put this information on your application for a Permit. Class 3 Sewage Disposal Systems The Cesspool, or Class 3 sewage disposal system was banned under the previous regulations administered under the Ministry of Environment. With the advancement in composting toilet technology, the cesspool was resurrected to address specific requirements for overflow from some models of composting toilets. Where there is a pail privy, porta-potty or composting toilet equipped with an overflow pipe, a cesspool can be constructed and utilized for the disposal of this waste. Similar to the Class 2 (leaching pit) sewage system, no more than 1,000 litres of waste per day can be disposed by a cesspool. Class 4 - Sewage Disposal Systems Under this class, there are two components which make up the various styles of sewage disposal systems. All Class 4 sewage systems have a 1) Treatment Unit, and 2) Leaching Bed system. 1. Treatment Unit

As the title describes, a treatment unit is any device which provides some treatment of the sewage. Under this class of sewage disposal, both human and greywater wastes are combined, thus increasing the volume of sewage which requires treatment. The septic tank is the most common Treatment Unit used in private home sewage disposal. In a septic tank, the sewage is slowed down by the use of inlet and outlet baffles, and a center partition (thus making it a two compartment tank). Once the sewage flow is slowed, gravity allows the solids to settle to the bottom of the tank, forming the sludge, and retention time allows lighter materials (greases, tissue, cooking oils, fats) to float to the surface, thus becoming the scum layer. The scum layer prevents any oxygen from entering the septic tank, therefore only allowing anaerobic bacteria to begin the decomposition of the sewage. In order to optimize the treatment process of the septic tank, and control the retention time, the septic tank size should be twice the anticipated daily sewage flow (Q in the Ontario Building Code). When sizing the septic tank, the tank must be a minimum of two times the daily sewage flow for residential occupancy, or three times the daily sewage flow for commercial/industrial occupancies. Refer to Table 8.2.1.3. A and Table 8.2.1.3 B of the Ontario Building Code for residential and commercial sewage flow figures. In the province of Ontario, the minimum size septic tank is 3,600 litres, or 800 gallons. Where improved effluent (partially treated sewage, solids removed) is required, secondary or tertiary treatment units can be used. Secondary treatment units often require the addition of oxygen to the treatment tank (Proprietary Aerobic Treatment Units). Different mechanisms can be incorporated into a secondary treatment unit device such as rotating discs, oxygen diffusers or pumps. By adding oxygen to the

sewage, the anaerobic bacteria are replaced with aerobic bacteria, which provide a better breakdown of the sewage. In some instances, the oxygenation of the effluent is done after it exits the septic tank, providing an increased level of treatment prior to discharge to the soil (ie. Peat Moss Disposal Systems).

SEPTIC TANK PROFILE Tertiary treatment units have some method of primary and secondary treatment incorporated into their design, but they then "polish" the effluent with some form of chemical treatment. Similar to the municipal treatment plant, which uses chlorine to disinfect the effluent prior to discharge, some tertiary treatment units require the physical addition of a chemical. In other types of design, the chemical process may include the exposure of the effluent to some specific compound (ie. Peat Moss Disposal Systems). 2. Leaching Bed

Commonly referred to as the leaching , weeping or tile bed, the distribution piping moves the effluent from the treatment unit to the soil. In most types of sewage disposal, it is illegal to discharge sewage effluent to the ground surface, or to surface water bodies. By disposing the effluent into the soil, natural soil bacteria provide additional treatment of the effluent before it enters the groundwater table. In order for soil bacteria to survive, the soil must have "voids", or spaces between the soil particles. This ensures that oxygen will be present, so that the soil bacteria can "breathe". If these voids become filled with water, the soil is considered saturated, or flooded, and the bacteria die off. It is important that the soil being used for sewage disposal is well aerated, and above any groundwater table. When the soil bacteria begin to thrive, they do so because of the oxygen in the soil, and the food being provided by the sewage effluent. These soil bacteria digest this

"food" material, thereby providing treatment of the sewage effluent. As the soil bacteria grow, a biomat forms in the soil, which is commonly found at the bottom of your leaching bed trench, or surface of filter medium if you are using a filter bed. By exposing the effluent to soil, this Biological treatment of the effluent can take place. In addition, Physical treatment occurs when suspended material is removed from the effluent by the filtration effect of the soil pores. Chemical reactions between the chemical components of the effluent and the soil particles provides another form of treatment. By improving the Biological, Physical and Chemical processes in the leaching bed, the impact of sewage effluent on the natural environment, and drinking water supplies can be minimized.

In order to maximize the effects of the three types of treatment taking place in the soil, various designs of leaching beds have been used for the disposal of sewage effluent. The traditional absorption trench consists of perforated pipe and clean aggregate (stone), dug into the ground. The pipe provides a means of getting the effluent to the trench, and the stone allows easy drainage of the pipe to occur, and because of the large pore spaces in the stone layer, improved oxygenation of the effluent occurs. Where area may be limited, Filter Bed disposal systems can been used successfully in the place of the Absorption Trench method. In a Filter Bed installation, the underlying soil beneath the pipe and stone is regulated as Filter Medium, with a specific depth and particulate grain size. Where Filter Bed type leaching beds are used, the overall surface area of the filter medium is regulated under the Code, by controlling the loading rate of effluent to the filter medium, and the number of filter beds required, based on the expected daily sewage flow.

With improved technology and understanding of the function of the leaching bed, several new systems have been developed for the use in private sewage disposal. The Peat Moss Leaching Bed utilizes peat moss as the treatment compound, and natural soil as the underlying receiving soil. Where remote locations have difficulty in hauling septic stone and pipe, plastic chambers can now be installed to function in place of the traditional absorption trench. Class 5 - Sewage Disposal Systems Where an on-site sewage system cannot be installed on a property due to poor soil conditions or lack of area, holding tanks may be installed if: !" there is an existing building on the property !" the use of holding tanks is to remedy an existing problem !" another class of sewage system cannot be installed in accordance with the Ontario Building Code Overall, the use of holding tanks is discouraged because all sewage that is generated from a household is plumbed to the tank(s), and then hauled off site to an approved disposal facility. Every year, millions of gallons of sewage is hauled and disposed of at municipal treatment facilities, or approved septage disposal sites. While holding tanks may be initially cheaper to install than a traditional sewage system, the pumping and hauling costs over the long term become more expensive to the property owner. If you are considering using a holding tank sewage disposal system at your property, and have a well with pressurized water, it is important to note that you cannot use a Class 2 (Leaching Pit) sewage system to divert extra greywater flow from the holding tank. The leaching pit method of sewage disposal cannot be used in conjunction with a pressurized water supply, as the daily sewage load may overload the leaching pit.