Abstract
Advanced nitrogen (N)-removal onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are installed in coastal areas throughout the USA to reduce N loading to groundwater and marine waters. However, final effluent total nitrogen (TN) concentration from these systems is not always routinely monitored, making it difficult to determine the extent to which they contribute to N loads. We monitored the final effluent TN concentration of 42 advanced N-removal OWTS within the Greater Narragansett Bay Watershed, Rhode Island between March 2015 and August 2016. The compliance rate with the State of Rhode Island final effluent standard (TN ≤ 19 mg N/L) was 64.3, 70.6, and 75.0% for FAST, Advantex, and SeptiTech systems, respectively. The median (range) final effluent TN concentration (mg N/L) was 11.3 (0.1–41.6) for SeptiTech, 14.9 (0.6–61.6) for Advantex, and 17.1 (0.6–104.9) for FAST systems. Variation in final effluent TN concentration was not driven by temperature; TN concentrations plotted against effluent temperature values resulted in R 2 values of 0.001 for FAST, 0.007 for Advantex, and 0.040 for SeptiTech systems. The median effluent TN concentration for all the systems in our study (16.7 mg N/L) was greater than reported for Barnstable County, MA systems (13.3 mg N/L), which are monitored quarterly. Depending on technology type, ammonium (NH4 +), nitrate (NO3 −), alkalinity, forward flow, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and effluent temperature best predicted effluent TN concentrations. Service providers made adjustments to seven underperforming systems, but TN was reduced to 19 mg N/L in only two of the seven systems. Advanced N-removal OWTS can reduce TN to meet regulations, and monitoring of these systems can enable service providers to proactively manage systems. However, improvement of performance may require recursive adjustments and long-term monitoring.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
American Public Health Association, & American Water Works Association (APHA). (1998). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 20, 457–459.
Balmelle, B., Nguyen, K., Capdeville, B., Cornier, J., & Deguin, A. (1992). Study of factors controlling nitrite build-up in biological processes for water nitrification. Water Science & Technology, 26(5–6), 1017–1025.
BCDHE. Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. (2012). Innovative/alternative septic system tracking. Available at: http://www.barnstablecountyhealth.org/programs-and-services/ia-septic- system-tracking.
Bergondo, D., Kester, D., Stoffel, E., & Woods, W. (2005). Time-series observations during the low sub-surface oxygen events in Narragansett Bay during summer 2001. Marine Chemistry, 97(1), 90–103.
Bounds, R, Denn, G., & Bounds, T. Maintaining and troubleshooting advanced onsite systems: Git ‘er Done! (2004). Onsite Informer. Available at: ftp://ftp.crweng.com/CE_698_Wastewater/References%20and%20Articles/Ma int_Advanced%20Onsite%20Systems.pdf.
Carpenter, S., Caraco, N., Correll, D., Howarth, W., Sharpley, A., & Smith, V. (1998). Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen. Ecological Applications, 8(3), 559–568.
Carrera, J., Vicent, T., & Lafuente, F. J. (2004). Influence of temperature on denitrification of an industrial high-strength nitrogen wastewater in a two-sludge system. Water SA, 29(1), 11–16.
Diaz-Valbuena, L., Leverenz, H., Cappa, C., Tchobanglous, G., Horwath, W., & Darby, J. (2011). Methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emission from septic tank systems. Environmental Science and Technology, 45(7), 2741–2747.
Doane, A., & Horwath, W. (2003). Spectrophotometric determination of nitrate with a single reagent. Analytical Letters, 36(12), 2713–2722.
Ford, D., Churchwell, R., & Kachtick, J. (1980). Comprehensive analysis of nitrification of chemical processing wastewaters. Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation), 52(11), 2726–2746.
Haandel, A., & Lubbe, J. (2007). Solutions in wastewater treatment. Available at: http://www.wastewaterhandbook.com/documents/nitrogen_removal/431_NR_denitrification_prerequisites.pdf.
Lancellotti, B., Bercaw, R., Loomis, G., Hoyt, K., Avizinis, E., & Amador, J. (2016). Accuracy of rapid tests used for analysis of advanced onsite wastewater treatment system effluent. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 227(9), 310.
Loomis, G. 2015. Personal communication.
MDE. Maryland Department of the Environment. (2011). Maryland’s nitrogen-reducing septic upgrade program. Available at: http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/BayRestorationFund/OnsiteDisposalSystems/Pages/Water/cbwrf/index.aspx.
Meijer, S. C. F., Van Loosdrecht, M. C. M., & Heijnen, J. J. (2002). Modelling the start-up of a full-scale biological phosphorous and nitrogen removing WWTP. Water Research, 36(19), 4667–4682.
Nixon, S., Buckley, B., Granger, S., Harris, L., Oczkowski, A., Fulweiler, R., & Cole, L. (2008). Nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to Narragansett Bay: past, present, and future. In Science for ecosystem-based management (pp. 101–175). New York: Springer.
Oakley, S., Gold, A., & Oczkowski, A. (2010). Nitrogen control through decentralized wastewater treatment: Process performance and alternative management strategies. Ecological Engineering, 36(11), 1520–1531.
Painter, H., & Loveless, J. (1983). Effect of temperature and pH value on the growth-rate constants of nitrifying bacteria in the activated-sludge process. Water Research, 17(3), 237–248.
Rask, S., Heufelder, G., Everson H., & Burt, C. (2013). Barnstable county department of health and environment database management program for innovative/alternative onsite sewage treatment systems. Available at: http://buzzardsbay.org/download/rask-barnstable-database-management- alternative-systems.pdf.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). (2016). Alternative or experimental onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). Available at: Technologies http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/permits/isds/pdfs/ialist.pd
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). (2009). Rules establishing minimum standards relating to location, design, construction and maintenance of onsite wastewater treatment systems. Available at: http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/water/owts09.pdf.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). (2014). Innovative and alternative nitrogen removal system use in Rhode Island. Personal communication with Brian Moore, P.E., Chief of Office of Water Protection, Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management, Providence, RI.
Seitzinger, S. (1988). Denitrification in freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems: Ecological and geochemical significance. Limnology and Oceanography, 33(4), 702–724.
Shammas, N. (1986). Interactions of temperature, pH, and biomass on the nitrification process. Journal Water Pollution Control Federation, 58(1), 52–59.
Truhlar, A., Rahm, B., Brooks, R., Nadeau, S., Makarsky, E., & Walter, M. (2016). Greenhouse gas emissions from septic systems in New York state. Journal of Environmental Quality, 45(4), 1153–1160.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2002). Onsite wastewater treatment systems manual. Available at: http://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/PDF/30004GXI.pdf.
Vadeboncoeur, M., Hamburg, S., & Pryor, D. (2010). Modeled nitrogen loading to Narragansett Bay: 1850 To 2015. Estuaries and Coasts, 33(5), 1113–1127.
Valiela, I., Foreman, K., LaMontagne, M., Hersh, D., Costa, J., Peckol, P., & Brawley, J. (1992). Couplings of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Estuaries, 15(4), 443–457.
Vedachalam, S., Vanka, V., & Riha, S. (2015). Reevaluating onsite wastewater systems: Expert recommendations and municipal decision-making. Water Policy, 17(6), 1062–1078.
Weatherburn, M. (1967). Phenol-hypochlorite reaction for determination of ammonia. Analytical Chemistry, 39(8), 971–974.
Withers, P. J. A., Jordan, P., May, L., Jarvie, H. P., & Deal, N. E. (2014). Do septic tank systems pose a hidden threat to water quality? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 12(2), 123–130.
Acknowledgments
This project was funded under agreement CE96184201 awarded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), in partnership with the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP) to J. A. Amador and G. W. Loomis. We thank the homeowners for their willingness to participate in our study and for allowing us access and use of their systems for our research. We also thank Brian Moore and Jennifer Ryan from the Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management and David Kalen from the New England Onsite Wastewater Training Program at the University of Rhode Island for help in finding study sites. Special thanks to our undergraduate interns for their assistance in the field and laboratory: Robert Bercaw, Gina Celeste, Lauren Zeffer, and Ingrid Felsl. Although the information in this document has been funded wholly or in part by the USEPA under agreement CE96184201 to NEIWPCC, it has not undergone the Agency’s publications review process and therefore, may not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred. The viewpoints expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBEP, NEIWPCC, or EPA nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or causes constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic Supplementary Material
ESM 1
(DOCX 28 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lancellotti, B.V., Loomis, G.W., Hoyt, K.P. et al. Evaluation of Nitrogen Concentration in Final Effluent of Advanced Nitrogen-Removal Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS). Water Air Soil Pollut 228, 383 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3558-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3558-3