7 Del. Admin. Code § 7103-11.0

Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 4, October 1, 2024

Section 7103-11.0 - Introduction

11.1 Application of wastewater to land can be a viable alternative for treatment and disposal of municipal and many industrial wastewaters. The constituents in the wastewater are taken up by plants, fixed in relatively insoluble forms in the soil, evolve as gases, or leach into the groundwater. The basic performance criteria for a land-treatment system are that:

(a) quality standards for ground water and surface waters are not exceeded,

(b) the system does not present a significant health problem, and

(c) the soil is not degraded so as to prevent future use for agriculture, forestry or other planned development.

11.2 This section discusses general principles of land treatment of wastewater, the basic considerations for designing, managing and monitoring a land treatment system, and the basic performance criteria for a land-treatment system. Specific technical information for design of land treatment systems should be obtained from the technical support agencies and technical references listed in the Appendix. The EPA Process Design Manual on Land Treatment of Municipal Wastewater (7) presents three types of application methods (treatment processes) for land treatment of wastewater:

(1) slow-rate process,

(2) rapid infiltration, and

(3) overland flow. The slow-rate process using spray irrigation technology is most applicable to Delaware conditions and has been demonstrated to achieve water quality goals. It is therefore the focus of the following discussion.

7 Del. Admin. Code § 7103-11.0