Wastewater Treatment, Island Style

Infiltrator™ Water Technologies’ and Orenco Systems’® Answer to Cesspools

What do rural communities, remote villages, and resorts have in common? They all need a system to collect, treat, and disperse their wastewater in a way that’s kind to the land and sea. Infiltrator Water Technologies and Orenco Systems, wholly owned subsidiaries of Advanced Drainage Systems working together to support the stormwater and wastewater industries, have a solution that’s built for the islands and beyond: decentralized wastewater treatment.

NO SEWER? NO PROBLEM

Rather than a traditional municipal sewer system that requires connection to a sewer and treatment plant, a decentralized liquid-only wastewater treatment system takes the plant to the community. Here’s how it works: Waste collects and separates in a septic tank at each homesite, and then the liquid portion is pumped to a mini treatment plant, goes through extensive mechanical and biological filtration, and is dispersed into a drainfield, returning to the land as clean, polished effluent.

COLLECTION

In many places, Hawaii included, cesspits or cesspools were once the preferred way to collect waste – but those days are long gone due to the harm that was done to the land, aquifers, and the ocean. Today’s collection happens in a concrete basin or tank that’s buried or built to grade.    
Both Infiltrator and Orenco offer a range of septic tanks that house the patented Biotube® Effluent Filter. Inside the tank, effluent flows from the “clear zone” into the Biotube filter through the filter’s housing inlet(s). The unit prevents large solids from leaving the tank, which ultimately improves effluent quality and extends drainfield life.

For instance, the Infiltrator ProSTEP tank and Orenco ProSTEP pump system are constructed from thermoplastic, fiberglass, and stainless steel, and designed to protect, transport, and filter wastewater. The primary treatment system comes fully integrated with all its components and is watertight, tested for strength, and available in multiple sizes. Maintenance is simple and efficient; servicers can remove the filter cartridge without pulling the pump or vault. The control panel, also included in the package, allows for precise parameter settings and remote communication.

TREATMENT

In the primary treatment tank, accumulated biological solids settle as sludge, while effluent flows to a secondary treatment unit for intensive biological filtration. There, while sometimes supplemented with aeration, microorganisms floating in the water or growing on filtration media consume dissolved and suspended organic matter that remain after primary treatment. Secondary treatment solutions range from activated-sludge processes and sequential batch reactors to trickling filters.

Orenco’s AdvanTex® AX-Max™ wastewater treatment system, for example, is based on the company’s recirculating packed-bed filtration system that uses lightweight, compact, easy-to-maintain textile fabric to house microorganisms rather than sand, peat, or other heavy treatment media. A single unit can treat flows of up to 5000-15,000 gpd; multiple units plumbed together can treat even higher flows. The result is primary-treated effluent that is transformed into better-than-secondary standards, including nitrogen reduction. The AX-Max excels in decentralized or fringe developments, subdivisions, resorts, and variable-flow scenarios like schools and churches.

Like the AX-Max, Infiltrator’s ENVIRO-AIRE packaged treatment plants are suitable for permanent or temporary use in areas outside community wastewater systems, like remote housing developments, resorts, and schools. Because the plants can be pad-mounted, terrain or soil conditions are not a factor when selecting an installation site. Plants can also be installed at grade depending on site conditions. They come with everything needed, including an air blower unit, electrical controls, a multistage treatment tank with service walkway/grating, and an integrated clarifier and disinfection when needed.

DISPERSAL

Once the treated effluent has passed through the plant, it heads out to a dispersal drainfield, the final treatment stage where the soil’s microbiology further breaks down contaminants. Primary- and secondary-treated wastewater is dispersed through perforated pipes into trenches, where soil acts as a natural filter as it uses beneficial bacteria to remove things like bacteria, viruses, and nutrients before the water safely returns to the groundwater.

Infiltrator’s recycled plastic septic chambers, like its Quick5™ units, facilitate effluent’s all-natural treatment and final return to the soil. Designed to fit in a 36-inch-wide curved or straight trench, the chambers, which come in various lengths, allow multiple piping options and maximum installation flexibility.

ONE COMPANY, ONE SOURCE

Designing, engineering, and ordering a complete treatment system is easier than ever. Infiltrator and Orenco offer complementary solutions for primary treatment, secondary and tertiary treatment, and final dispersal and absorption. The expertise of our product developers and engineers is second to none.

Consider our solutions when developing your next wastewater treatment project – particularly cesspool replacements and decentralized treatment applications. We have you covered from collection to treatment to dispersal. Visit Orenco.com or InfiltratorWater.com for more information.