DECENTRALISED WASTE WATER MANAGEMENT

SPECIALIST IN ON-SITE AND CLUSTER WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT OF:

>SINGLE HOMES>SCHOOLS >CAMPING GROUNDS >HOTELS/MOTELS >PUBLIC TOILETS >TOURIST FACILITIES >SERVICE STATIONS >RETIREMENT VILLAGES >SUBDIVISIONS >TOWNSHIPS

INTRODUCTION

Managing the wastewater from a subdivision or community can be the limiting factor in the development of a rural area.  Changes to the demographics of a rural town can result in overloaded older style on-site systems.  Innoflow Technologies can provide a number of proven solutions for the wastewater management (collection, treatment and disposal) from such a development or community.

Compared to municipal sized wastewater schemes, dealing with the wastewater on a community-sized scale provides much more scope for high treatment and creative use of the treated effluent and biosolids for the benefit of the community.  It gets away from the “pump-and-dump” philosophy and allows the wastewater to be considered a community resource. At the same time the system still provides the “flush-and-forget” service expected from today’s end-user.      

The Community Wastewater Management Systems by Innoflow Technologies represent the application of proven technologies and strategies to produce systems that are environmentally sustainable, cost-effective and reliable.  The systems are all based on well-understood engineering principles and proven technologies and components.  The systems are modular in nature and so can easily be designed to accommodate future development that requires additional capacity.                                                                                                       

Innoflow can provide a total turnkey solution from design and consents stage through to installation and maintenance and operation.  Innoflow will work with the developer, councils and engineering consultants to provide the best-fit technical solution for a particular situation.                                                                                                      

Innoflow Technologies offers more than just the right technology.  Innoflow offers a total management service.  Experience overseas and in New Zealand has highlighted the importance of having well planned management strategies for maintaining and operating all aspects of the wastewater management scheme.  This includes managing any on-site treatment, the wastewater reticulation system, the treatment plant(s), the effluent disposal/reuse system and sludge handling.  Innoflow has the skills and experience to manage the entire scheme competitively and responsibly.  This ensures long-term successful operation of a system to provide:

• Value to the ratepayers – predictable and low capital running costs; “flush-and-forget” service transparent to the end-user; revenue generating opportunities to off-set running costs.
• Security for the councils – technical risks minimised, financial risk taken by Innoflow, responsibilities clearly defined.
• Protection of the environment – high quality effluent; passive, sustainable system processes; system inherently safeguards the environment from overloading.

This information module describes the features and benefits of effluent sewer collection systems.  These can be one or a mixture of the following:

• Gravity fed: Septic Tank Effluent Gravity (STEG) system.
• Pumped:  Septic Tank Effluent Pump (STEP) system

Separate information modules are available on the Recirculating Packed Bed Reactor (rPBR) as a cost-effective, reliable and low maintenance community treatment option, and for the use of sub-surface drip irrigation (SSDI) as a flexible and low cost solution for disposal and effluent re-use.                                    

While the combination of effluent sewer collection, rPBR treatment and SSDI disposal are flexible and popular options, other options are available and can be explored for particular wastewater management problems if the need arises.

 WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PROCESS OVERVIEW

On each lot, residential wastewater is conveyed from the house to an on-site interceptor tank through standard sewer pipes.  Including an OSI Effluent Filter in the outlet of the interceptor tank enhances the conventional interceptor treatment process.  This may be a Biotube^® Septic Tank Effluent Filter (gravity feed) or a Septic Tank Effluent Pump (pumped) depending on elevations.  The gravity fed system (STEG) and pumped system (STEP) components are outlined in tables and diagrams available from Innoflow Technologies.  Since most of the solids are retained in the interceptor tank, a smaller, less costly wastewater collection system can be used.  This is sometimes referred to as an effluent sewer.                                                                                            

Small diameter service lines (typically 32 mm MDPE) connect each interceptor to the main sewer line.  The main sewer line is a small diameter (typically 40-80 mm MDPE) variable grade pipe that carries the effluent to a centralised treatment plant.  These lines do not require minimum gradients and so can follow the natural contours in relatively shallow trenches.  Infiltration and inflow are eliminated and so there is no need for wet-weather flow considerations.  Treatment plants can be smaller as they won’t have to cope with increased wet weather flows.                            

There are a number of centralised treatment options.  One of the most stable high-performance systems used is the Recirculating Packed Bed Reactor (rPBR).  This consistently produces an extra high quality effluent high in nutrients and ideal for irrigation purposes.  The operation and benefits of the rPBR are detailed in a separate Innoflow information module.                                                                                                                  

Similarly there are a number of disposal options.  One of the most popular and environmentally sustainable is irrigation via pressure compensating sub-surface drip-line. Innoflow uses drip line specifically designed for effluent distribution. This drip line has the benefits of being extremely simple to lay and is low cost enough to keep the hydraulic loading of the irrigation area low.  The operation and benefits of the dripline are detailed in a separate Innoflow information pack.