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Hood Canal & Water Quality Issues
Our "Point of Use" approach:
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As much as
possible, Recycle and Re-use the wastewater, right
at the point of generation (at each home). 85%
of the cost of traditional municipal sewers is
wasted in constructing the collection pipe system
(the sewer) and only about 15% is spent on the
treatment plant!!! Digging up the streets also
can cause excess Siltation of streams, rivers and
shorelines. We have all
seen failed silt fences with mud pouring past them
into the ditches, and in our wet winter climate this
is not a good thing. |
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Excess water
not used for watering the shrubs and lawn at the
home can be transported to a community sand-filter
for further polishing. It is then
available for community reclaimed water re-use
(forest or landscape watering), for industrial uses
(like washing vehicles), or can be efficiently
returned to a cluster of homes for flushing toilets
& typical purple pipe applications...
It is more efficient to transport
recycled water in a small diameter (1-inch) pipe
than to run sewer mains and dig up streets.
The cost savings are substantial.
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The existing
valuable infrastructure of septic tanks and existing
drainfields serves two purposes 1) the
existing septic tank becomes the processing plant
for reclaiming each home's wastewater 2) the
existing drainfield is the backup system (overflow)
should there be a pump failure. Imagine a
"sewer" which NEVER has an overflow or illegal
discharge! |
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Effective water
re-use reduces aquifer water withdrawals. In
many cases 50% of summertime water use is for
landscape watering. Does it make sense to
continue to use drinking water to water your
rhododendrons? Of course not! Now the
only problem with waste-water is continuing to waste
it. |
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We love
Subsurface Drip Irrigation. SludgeHammer
and Drip disposal are a perfect match. Why
loose a valuable resource (reclaimed water) when we
could be using both the water along with its
valuable nitrogen & phosphorous?
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Variations on
this theme can be tailored to any small communities'
actual needs. |
Our Versatility - - -
SludgeHammer has been applied
effectively to the following:
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Individual septic
drainfield restoration (includes denitrification &
fecal reductions) |
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Restaurant waste,
including grease digestion in both tank
AND
drainfield
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100% RV Dump-waste
(very nasty stuff, clogs other systems quickly)
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Institutional
Waste (which might contain heavy loads of
antibiotics, antiseptics or chemo-therapy agents)
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Our Excellent
Companion Technology can retrofit & enhance an
existing municipal WW plant, Sand-filter, and many
other types of Treatment System. No need to
reinvent the wheel when you can fix it in place with
minimal alterations. |
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Industrial waste
plants generating high strength organic waste above
1000-PPM BOD, including wastes laden with
carbohydrates, fats & oils, as well as protein laden
wastewater. |
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Direct discharge
to saltwater habitat. |
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Reclamation of
community sand filters and other community systems.
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Industrial Strength
Applications (Yes, we have references
and information to back this up)
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Restaurant waste,
including recovery of grease bound drainfields
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RV Dump Station
Waste with demonstrated performance of waste over
1,500-PPM BOD |
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Septage digestion
(the stuff that septic pumpers haul away after they
empty your septic tank) |
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Dairy pond waste
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Dairy milkhouse
waste |
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Other high
strength wastes containing organic wastes of many
types |
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Sludge Digestion
(significant reductions not sensitive to temperature
variations) |
Municipal WW
Plants can also use SludgeHammer!
Have your engineers
contact us. SludgeHammer is an effective retrofit
strategy to bring your out of compliance WW plant back into
compliance.
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Reduced power
consumption
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Increased methane
co-generation
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Reduced sludge volume
& better sludge dewatering
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FOG digestion (instead
of expensive removal)
A quick word about Northwest
Costal
Geology
About 12,000 years ago the
Puget Sound Basin was covered with thousands of feet of ice.
This compacted the local landscape and left behind what we
call "hardpan." This gray colored hardpan prevents water from
penetrating very deeply into the earth in many places.
Hardpan is often just a few feet below ground surface.
As the glaciers retreated
they deposited sands, gravels and other soils on top of the
hardpan. These better soils are what we grow crops on
and where we place septic system drain-fields.
Sewage from septic systems
percolates down through this good soil until it reaches the
hardpan, where it runs like a hidden river just beneath our
feet. It travels downhill in a horizontal direction
and seeps into our streams, lakes and into Puget Sound.
Any pollutants not removed by the natural soil microbes
enter our streams and other bodies of water as "non-point
source pollution."
The main pollutants are
nitrogen and or fecal coliform bacteria.
Septic system nitrogen can be the deciding factor of nitrogen
contaminating bodies of water because ordinary septic tanks
do nothing to remove nitrogen. Most nitrate is cause
by nature but the extra "boost" of Nitrates from septic
system is often thought to be what causes algae blooms. Fecal coliform from
poorly operating or failing septic systems can close oyster
growing areas, swimming beaches and generally contaminate
creeks and other waters.
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