WET Operator Essentials - Septage - June - 15 PDF

PROBLEM SOLVERS
OPERATOR
ESSENTIALS
What every operator needs to know

about septage
Sidney Innerebner and Paul Krauth
Knowledge
Principles
Practical considerations
Types of septic
tank waste
Effluent, scum, and sludge are the main

components of septic tank waste.
Effluent is partially treated, anaerobic wastewater.

Scum is fats, oils, and grease or any floating-solid waste.
Sludge is anaerobically digesting solids.
Regulatory
requirements
Water resource recovery facilities

(WRRFs) can accept septage from
domestic sources but should not take
grease-trap waste or industrial septage.
Domestic septage is regulated under the Code of Federal Regulations at

40 CFR Part 503. Domestic septage includes the liquid or solid material
removed from a septic tank, cesspool, portable toilet, or similar system that
only receives domestic septage. It does not include grease-trap waste, shoppit wastes, car-wash pit wastes, or dry-cleaning waste residues. If these
wastes are mixed with domestic septage, then the entire batch of septage
becomes nondomestic septage and is no longer covered under the 503
regulations. Nondomestic septage is regulated under 40 CFR Part 257.
Characteristics of
septic tank waste
Septage is much higher strength than

typical domestic wastewater.
( times regular wastewater).
Septage also may contain higher
concentrations of heavy metals, toxic
organics, trash, rocks, and debris.
Domestic
wastewater
mg/L
Domestic septage strength

Average
Minimum
Maximum
BOD5
220
26
314
TSS
220
51
1.4
374
TKN
40
15
1.7
26.5
NH4
25
3.2
0.1
3.9
TP
21
76
Grease
100
56
234
Data taken from Table 2.2 in Septage Handling (WEF Manual of Practice,
No. 24).
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Knowledge
Principles
Population
equivalents for
septage (Metcalf
and Eddy, 2014)
Typical per-capita generation rates for:
Typical per capita generation rates for flow, BOD, TSS, and ammonia can
be used to estimate the number of population equivalents (people) that a
load of septage is equal to. This will require laboratory sampling of some
or all septage loads received. The basic steps to calculating population
equivalents are as follows.
Sample and analyze the septage for one or more analytes.

Estimate if lab data are not available.
Use the lab results in mg/L and the volume of septage

delivered in million gallons per day (mgd) to calculate the

number of pounds received.
Pounds = (mg/L)(mgd)(8.34 lb/gal).
Finally, divide total pounds received by the per-capita

generation rate.
Hydraulic 100 gallons per capita day

(gpcd)
Organic 0.20 pounds of biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) per person per day
(ppcd)
Solids 0.19 pounds of total suspended
solids (TSS) per person per day
What is the new load (in population equivalents) coming in on a septage

truck? (The calculations above are based on average domestic septage
strength and use the multiplier factors from the table above.)
Hydraulically, a 2000-gallon truck would be equivalent to 20 people.
2000 gal 100 gpc 20 people
Organically, a 2000-gallon truck would be equivalent to 540 people.
0.002 mg 8.34 lb/gal 250 mg/L 26 108 lb BOD5
108 lb 0.2 ppcd 540 people
With regard to solids, a 2000-gallon truck would be equivalent to 1063 people.
0.002 mg 8.34 lb/gal 250 mg/L 51 213 lb TSS
213 lb 0.19 ppcd 1121 people
Equitable disposal
fees
Tipping fees for septage haulers should

reflect the true cost of treatment. Compare
monthly sewer bills for a single-family home
to the population equivalent being brought
in by the septage hauler. Septage can be
a source of revenue, but only if treatment
costs are accounted for fully.
Accepting septage takes up available
treatment capacity. Additional fees to
account for tap fees or facility investment
fees also may need to be assessed.
Calculating tipping fees requires accounting for all costs incurred during
treatment and translating that to a regular customer. This example uses a
home with four people and an average monthly sewer bill of $50.
Assume the same costs for pumping, aeration, and solids:
1/3 hydraulics + 1/3 organic load + 1/3 solids.
Calculate the ratio of the population equivalents for the septage as assessed
above to the number of persons in your typical household.
1/3 hydraulics 1/3 (20 4) $50 $83 per month

($3 day).
1/3 organic load 1/3 (540 4) $50 $2250 per month

($75 day).
1/3 solids 1/3 (1063 4) $50 $4429 month

($148 day).
So, an equitable charge equivalent to other monthly ratepayers would be
$196 for a single septic truck containing 2000 gallons of average-strength
domestic septage.
WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE l JUNE 2015
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53
Knowledge
Principles
Septage disposal
options
WRRFs
Facilities that accept septage do so at either the headworks or an upstream

manhole. Some facilities provide a receiving and equalization station that
allows septage to be added at a relatively constant and controlled rate.
Septage treatment facilities
These facilities are constructed solely for treating septage and generate a
higher volume of solids than a typical WRRF.
Land application
Land application of septage the most common means of septage disposal

in the U.S. likely is the most economical alternative.
Septage may be received at an upstream

manhole, the facility headworks, or the
solids handling process.
Accepting septage at an upstream manhole makes for a simple and

economical receiving station. Other pros include allowing the septage
to be diluted before reaching the WRRF. Cons include increased odor
potential near the manhole, increased opportunities for sewer blockages,
increased line-cleaning needs downstream of the addition point, potential for
hydrogen sulfide corrosion of the collection system at the addition point and
immediately downstream, difficulty regulating and controlling access, and
effects on traffic patterns and businesses.
Adding septage at
WRRFs
Accepting septage at the headworks gives the facility control of septage

discharge into treatment processes as well as the opportunity for flow
equalization and sampling prior to addition. Cons to this approach include
increased odor potential at the facility (but greater potential for odor control)
and additional staff time to manage facility access.
Accepting septage into the solids handling process can be expensive due to
receiving station requirements, but it reduces loadings on liquid processes
and lessens the chance of a biological process upset. However, septage may
affect the dewatering of processed solids.
Record keeping
The facility should maintain a manifest of

every septage load.
Manifests should include these sections:

wastewater characterization section (i.e., amount of septage,
type of waste municipal, commercial, industrial and
location pumped from)
generators section (i.e., generators name and contact
information and certification statement including type, source,
and volume)
haulers section (i.e., name and contact information, permit
number and vehicle license number, pump-out date, and
signed certification by hauler)
disposer/receivers section (i.e., septage receipt date, sample
ID number [if applicable], and signature)
Sampling
Samples should be collected to determine

septage strength. This is important for
operational control and billing.
Minimum random grabs recommended include pH, conductivity, visual

inspection, chemical oxygen demand (fast results), and organics and metals
(if suspected or warranted).
When sampling for monthly National Pollutant

Discharge Elimination System permit
compliance, influent samples to the WRRF
should be representative of the total load and
flow received. This includes septage.
Further Reading:
Septage Handling Manual of Practice No. 24, (1997) Water Environment Federation.
Guide to Septage Treatment and Disposal (EPA 625R94002), September 1994 (available as a free PDF download from nepis.epa.gov).
Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual, EPA/625/R-00/008, February 2002 (available as a free PDF download from nepis.epa.gov).
Additional Reference: Per capita generation rates taken from Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery, 5th edition,
by Metcalf and Eddy (2014) Table 3-13.
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WE&T l JUNE 2015 l WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE
Knowledge
Principles
Operational effects
to WRRFs
Hydraulic surge at smaller facilities
A single septic truck may hold up to 19,000 L (5000 gal) of septage. Trucks can
discharge their contents in less than 30 minutes. If septage is not flow-equalized,
the instantaneous flow rate may be as high as 630 L/min (167 gal/min) or 0.24
mgd. At a smaller facility, this hydraulic surge can disrupt biological treatment and
push solids from the secondary clarifier into the final effluent.
Increased organic and solids loadings
Sudden increases in organic and nutrient loads have potential to pass

through the WRRF partially treated or untreated. Excessive organic and
nitrogen loading also can depress the dissolved oxygen concentration in the
aeration basin if blower capacity is inadequate for the load.
Damage to downstream equipment
Septage often contains large debris such as rocks, rags, bits of metal, and
other items that can damage downstream equipment. Prescreening septage
before introducing it to the WRRF is recommended.
Potential foaming and/or toxicity in aeration

basins
Septage contains volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and hydrogen sulfide and may
contain heavy metals and organics that may harm biological treatment
processes and/or affect biosolids disposal options. VFAs and hydrogen
sulfide can encourage the growth of certain types of filamentous bacteria in
the activated sludge process. Concentrations of dissolved hydrogen sulfide
as low as 1 mg/L have been shown to inhibit nitrification.
Maintenance
effects at WRRFs
Additional operation and maintenance

(O&M)
Accepting septage means increases in several areas of O&M such as

staff time to manage receiving site access, sample collection,
manifesting, and record keeping;
screenings and grit disposal;
odors in headworks;
scum in clarifiers; and
solids handling and disposal.
Recommended
maximum volumes
for septage
receiving
The amount of septage a facility can

accept without upsetting treatment
depends on the type of processes used
and the strength of the septage. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
developed a graph as part of its 1994
Guide to Septage Treatment and Disposal
(625R94002) that enables operators to
estimate the quantities of septage that
might be received.
For example, a 568,000-L/d (150,000-gal/d) aerated-lagoon system that is

operating at 75,000 gal/d (284,000 L) has an actual-to-design flow ratio of
0.5. Reading from the Y-axis on the chart to the green line representing aerated
lagoons and then down to the X-axis shows a 1.8% acceptable percentage of
septage flow. In this case, it translates to about 10,000 L (2700 gal/d) that is,
design flow times the acceptable percentage, or 150,000 1.8%.
Sidney Innerebner is principal and owner of Indigo Water Group LLC (Littleton, Colo.). Paul Krauth is an engineer at the Utah Department of
Environmental Quality.
WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE l JUNE 2015
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PROBLEM SOLVERS

What every operator needs to know

Effluent, scum, and sludge are the main

Effluent is partially treated, anaerobic wastewater.

Water resource recovery facilities

Domestic septage is regulated under the Code of Federal Regulations at

Septage is much higher strength than

Domestic septage strength

WE&T l JUNE 2015 l WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE

Typical per-capita generation rates for:

Hydraulic 100 gallons per capita day

What is the new load (in population equivalents) coming in on a septage

Tipping fees for septage haulers should

WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE l JUNE 2015

Facilities that accept septage do so at either the headworks or an upstream

Septage treatment facilities

Land application of septage the most common means of septage disposal

Septage may be received at an upstream

Accepting septage at an upstream manhole makes for a simple and

Accepting septage at the headworks gives the facility control of septage

The facility should maintain a manifest of

Manifests should include these sections:

Samples should be collected to determine

Minimum random grabs recommended include pH, conductivity, visual

When sampling for monthly National Pollutant

WE&T l JUNE 2015 l WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE

Hydraulic surge at smaller facilities

Increased organic and solids loadings

Sudden increases in organic and nutrient loads have potential to pass

Damage to downstream equipment

Potential foaming and/or toxicity in aeration

Additional operation and maintenance

Accepting septage means increases in several areas of O&M such as

The amount of septage a facility can

For example, a 568,000-L/d (150,000-gal/d) aerated-lagoon system that is

WWW.WEF.ORG/MAGAZINE l JUNE 2015

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