You wish to build a house in a rural community where you will need to install a septic system and drill a well for drinking water. Where will you site the well in relation to the septic system? Following the perc test, you discover that the town will allow you to build your house only if you install a sand filter in addition to your septic tank. Why do you think this might be the case?
Septic tank is most commonly used in the absence of a municipal sewage system. A conventional septic tank system functions as a simple anaerobic digester, with anaerobic liquefaction and digestion step. This is followed by organic matter adsorption and entrapment of microorganisms in the aerobic leach field, where biological oxidation occurs. Pathogenic microorganisms and dissolved organic matter are removed from the wastewater in home septic systems during subsurface passage through adsorption and trapping by fine sandy materials, clays, and organic matter.
Explanation of Solution
The well should not be in the drainage field of the septic system, because the chance of leaks from the septic system contaminating the well would be minimized. A sand filter was necessary because the soil in the leach field failed the percolation test, which indicates that the water would not be filtered appropriately by that soil and fecal contaminants would be spread. Prior to septic tank installation, a percolation test (or “perc test”) must be performed. Perc tests determine if the surrounding soil can absorb the liquid produced by the septic tank, thereby preventing it from contaminating the groundwater beneath.
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