Onsite Reuse of Reclaimed Wastewater in Winter to Determine Potential for Pollutant Runoff

Joshua Griffin,Karen M Mancl

doi:10.18061/ojs.v117i2.6026

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of reclaimed wastewater irrigation in freezing conditions on the quality of runoff and to observe how soils respond to irrigation in freezing temperatures. Onsite irrigation systems were constructed on 6 bermed lots on a hillside in Coshocton County, Ohio. All runoff was collected in gutters at the bottom of the hill. Two lots were irrigated with artificial reclaimed wastewater, 2 with well water, and 2 were unirrigated. Runoff was collected through an average winter (2013) and a severe winter (2014). The infiltrative capacity of the plots was maintained during the average winter and yielded runoff on only one day. During the severe winter, runoff occurred on 11 days; of the regulated pollutants, only ammonia was significantly higher than the control plots. The volumes that ran off were lower than what was applied and the contaminate concentrations were lower than what was applied and did not exceed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) effluent limits. The indication is that even in the worst-case scenario most of the pollutants were assimilated on site.

Highlights

Discharges of pollutants to surface waters in the United States degrade water quality
Local temperatures were measured at a weather station (Station: OH Coshocton 8 NNE) that is part of the Climate Reference Network (CRN) administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Comparing the monthly temperature data to the normal for the same location highlights the near normal winter weather of 2013 and the severe winter experienced in 2013-14

Summary

Introduction

Discharges of pollutants to surface waters in the United States degrade water quality. Amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 1972, better known as the Clean Water Act (USEPA 2015), established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The NPDES governs the discharge of pollutants from point sources to surface waters. The NPDES permitting system was created to incrementally move towards the goal of eliminating pollutants from point sources. Wastewater irrigation can meet the national goal of eliminating discharge and has the potential to benefit water resources because wastewater is reintroduced to the environment. The soil is a living filter that can provide tertiary treatment to effluent as it moves through the soil to surface waters or into the groundwater network. The soil provides tertiary treatment to further reduce pollutants, including the nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion