The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health Environmental Engineering Program, in spite of criticism, is many years ahead of other States in recognizing the importance of sidewall interfaces in Onsite Septic and Wastewater Treatment Systems

The use of the sidewall enhanced surface area was pioneered by the Living Filter in the late eighties and has been used with great efficacy ever since.  The Living Filter was first to provide venting of the soils exterior to the biological matrix, which forms at the anaerobic / aerobic interface in Septic System disposal devices, allowing more partially treated effluent to safely be dispersed into the native soil. 

WAR AGAINST NITROGEN WITH UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES

Connecticut Department of Public Health, Subsurface Sewage Division are at it again

Changing Wastewater Rules that benefit the Good Ole Boy Network while applying the Screws to others.

Where it suits their Good Ole Boy System, they simply flush the rules of physics down the toilet ,,,

,,,,,,like classifying a temporary cardboard bio-degradable form a permanent barrier in leaching systems ,,,,,

,,,, although it's been proven after twenty years of installations and testing that the biodegradable material utilized for the Living Filter™ (LF) simply biodegrades within a few weeks, and from the beginning of use has a permeability many times greater than the biological mat, the combined engineering power of the DPH Sewage Engineers and  their Code Advisory Committee Engineers, Sanitarians and other professionals erroneously conclude that cardboard will last for decades or impede the flow of effluent by 25 percent, permanently.

The DPH quickly approved a method where a metal form is used to separate stone and sand in placement at the interface/wetted perimeter.  The form, which has a shape closely resembling the outer perimeter and cross-section of a large Living Filter, is filled on both sides with (sand/stone) and then withdrawn vertically.  Even though there is no way to verify or inspect the integrity of the entire interface (sand/stone mixing) after the form is withdrawn, this method is rated 33% higher than the LF interface.   The temporary Living Filter form assures that the interface remains with stone and sand properly separated upon completion.

The Connecticut Board of Health (CT DPH) uses a rating system based on (so called Interface Factors (IF)) which is the guesstimated (prescribed) permeability factor for interfaces of different materials at the point where the biological clogging layer forms.  The interface factors, developed by the Subsurface Sewage Division of the CT DPH assign coefficients which determine the long term acceptance rate (LTAR) of the various devices employed for effluent delivery into the sub-terranean.  The coefficients have been established without reliance on true, valid, scientifically defensible methods or evaluation of actual field performance as validated by the former head of the CT DPH Subsurface Sewage Section, Frank A Schaub in his public letter posted on the CT DPH website.

After years of questionable code changes (there has been over a dozen) that appear to be designed to eliminate certain products from being able to market in Connecticut (particularly the Living Filter™)  - they are now in high gear to attempt to knock the Living Filter™ out of existence by not allowing credit for interfaces closer than 4 inches.  As per the Connecticut Board of  Public Health (and as recommended by the former head of the CT DPH Subsurface Sewage Section) all Living Filters would have an Effective Leaching Area (ELA) of near ZERO (0), meaning the volume capacity to infiltrate effluent into the subterranean would be near ZERO (0) according to proposed changes to their Technical Standards.  The Living Filter is the only Septic Infiltration / Filter Device, installed in compliance with the State, local codes and manufacturers specifications, that has not failed in its near 20 years of experience in Connecticut.  The original filters employ a shape where the "so called" competing biomats are between 0 to 3 inches apart.   As of this writing, after years of often extreme use they are still fully functional.  Competing Biomats is a term invented by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, apparently to enable the manufacture of restrictions which have no basis in fact.  It is really sad that the brain trust at the CT DPH do not realize that "competing biomats", in the case of the Living Filter, is actually a strong positive, as evidenced by its long term flawless operation. 

As the head of the DPH Subsurface Sewage Section Robert Scully, stated when he was asked about the importance of the Living Filter System having operated very efficiently for nearly two decades his answer was that the State of Connecticut Regulations are not performance based, but Prescriptive.

Yes, Connecticut certainly are prescriptive and maintain their silence about great numbers of CT DPH approved designs that are extreme dismal failures.  In fact one of the Connecticut approved systems was banned from use after two years of dismal failures, after having been installed at numerous locations in a European country. 

I believe the Connecticut Department of Public Health derives more than two thirds of their budget from the Federal Government and thus have extremely limited rights to discriminate based on person or product origin.

January 2009 CT DPH Changes

Product I.D.:     

The Living Filters are marked, specifying model number, by a waterproof label located on first filter closest/facing   D-Box or Septic Tank

Living Filter Storage Volume is calculated as follows:

For LF with designation LF xx10:  LF length x vertical height to invert x 5.25 gal

For LF with designation LF xx24:  LF length x vertical height to invert x 9.7 gal

For LF with designation LF xx26:  LF length x vertical height to invert x 10.2 gal

In Massachusetts we have the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection pushing for homeowners and businesses to spend billions of dollars for sewer lines, pump stations and treatment plants in order to supposedly save the Cape Cod embayments from nitrogen, which they claim originate from septic systems.  Several studies indicate that a very small fraction of septic system nitrogen ever reaches open water. 

After more than 10 years of operation at a Condominium Site in South Yarmouth, MA these are the actual readings in the mound (groundwater) directly adjacent (5 lf) and down gradient the BIOREN System.  These test results have been similar during prior years testing.   Samples were drawn on June 26, 2008 by George Huefelder, RS, Barnstable County Health Dept.   Nitrate as Nitrogen = 0.21 mg/l (maximum contaminant level [MCL] is 10 mg/l), Nitrite as Nitrogen = None Detected (ND),   Ammonia as Nitrogen  = ND,   Phosphorous = 0.07 mg/l ,   Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) = 1.3 mg/l,   Total Suspended Solids = ND,   Fecal Coliform < 10 CFU / 100 ml.

Samples drawn by John Schnaible of Coastal Engineering on October 20, 2009 were as follows:

Nitrate as Nitrogen (N) = 0.34 mg/l,  Nitrite (as N) BRL (below reportable limits), Ammonia (as N) 0.84 mg/l,

TKN = 0.98 mg/l ,  BOD 5 Day = BRL  (Reportable Limit is 3.0) , Total Suspended Solids improperly sampled (the Technician uses a stiff pipe and a rapid pumping motion (thumb pump) agitating the liquid in the sampling cell) ,  pH units = 6.12

As a footnote, this particular BIOREN System utilizes approximately 20 % of the available leaching capacity which means little or no chance of overflow.  Septic Systems which back up and overflow to the surface are a severe threat to public health.

As long as there is a shortage of innovative tech savvy and open minds at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Alternative Systems Section,  a likely path is a straight line to an environmental disaster.  The interest in working Septic or other on site wastewater solutions is near non-existent. 

The Central Sewer push by the DEP is totally without basis.  It will worsen the pollution and eutrophication of the Embayments and destroy the Cape as we know it. 

FORMCELL  is an important resource for Onsite Wastewater Treatment and oilspill containment apparatus. The company has developed its own technology to clean water from domestic sewage, commercial discharges, storm water, overflow from lagoons and to treat most other contaminated water. The actual field performance of these systems has been outstanding with discharges within drinking water standards for some parameters (BIOREN System)

• LIVING FILTER cells can be used to construct cost effective, very efficient systems to renovate agricultural wastewater, overflow from lagoons and dairy waste.  The Living Filter cells can also be used in place of lagoons, reducing retention times, eliminating odors and freeing up land for other uses while discharge water quality is vastly improved.  Living Filter Connecticut Installation Manual
• The Living Filter is the time tested Most Efficient Infiltration device, (19 yrs.) for volume efficiency, while providing superior treatment vs open bottom and most other devices approved by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

• Main components of these systems are intellectual property protected in a number of countries including the United States.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency  Environmental Technology Initiative Conference (ETI) June, 1997 in Prague, Czech Republic.  A demonstration of U.S. Technologies for Environmental Assessment and Cleanup. 

• New CT Department of Public Health proposed rules will cost Connecticut property owners huge money and may degrade the environment - Speak up - Contact the CT DPH about using nitrogen analysis for small lots - before it converts into law -
• Click here for further reading.

 
• TM, Bioren/Living Filter  © All Rights Reserved, K. E.. Berg

Nitrogen data for a BIOREN System in use at Lone Oak Campground, E. Canaan, CT
Photo of Residential BIOREN System

If you have any comments or would like more information on any of the above please e-mail us at fomcell@charter.net Tel: (1) + 413 566-0107

For Hartford, Connecticut please call (860) 604-6146        For New Haven, Connecticut please call (203) 605-6095