Carlile (top) and assistant Kent Messick inspect pump housing 



In central North Carolina, the 

 Triangle J Council of Governments is 

 sponsoring a comprehensive study on 

 improved wastewater disposal. The 

 Triangle J region includes six Pied- 

 mont counties — Chatham, Durham, 

 Johnston, Lee, Orange and Wake — 

 covering a broad spectrum of problem 

 soils and conditions. The one-year 

 study is being funded under a water 

 quality management grant from the 

 United States Environmental Protec- 

 tion Agency (EPA) under Section 208 

 of the Federal Water Pollution Con- 

 trol Act. 



David Reynolds, project director 

 with Triangle J, describes the study as 

 a combination of research, demonstra- 

 tion and public education. It is unique, 

 he adds, because it focuses on both the 

 technological and regulatory aspects of 

 wastewater disposal. 



Dual approach 



In one part of the study researchers 

 with the Institute of Government at 

 the University of North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill are analyzing existing sep- 

 tic regulations to see how they affect 

 the use of non-conventional disposal 

 systems. On the basis of the systems' 

 maintenance needs, they will devise 

 model management programs. In addi- 

 tion, Carlile and others with North 

 Carolina State University's Soil Sci- 

 ence Department are looking at the 

 performance of alternative disposal 

 systems. County government and 

 health department officials are 

 cooperating in each segment of the 

 study. 



As part of their preliminary work, 

 the study team conducted an overview 

 on septic tank problems and uses in the 

 six-county region. The team identified 

 the various alternative systems 

 available, ranging from rejuvenated 

 septic tank systems to non- 

 conventional systems, and evaluated 

 them on the basis of design, cost, 

 operation and maintenance needs. 



Demonstration systems were in- 

 stalled at different problem sites in 

 each of the counties. To date, 25 

 modified systems have been installed 

 in private homes and at small 

 businesses. They include such techni- 

 ques as the mound system, low 

 pressure distribution system, recir- 

 culating sand filter, spray irrigation 

 system and a conventional system us- 

 ing V-shaped ditches and cross- 

 trenching. 



Currently work is being done to 

 develop a three-acre demonstration 

 facility adjacent to the municipal 

 sewage treatment plant in Durham 

 County. When completed the facility 

 will enable researchers to compare the 

 effectiveness of the various disposal 

 systems under controlled conditions. 

 Raw sewage will be taken from the 

 treatment plant and placed in a series 

 of septic tanks. Effluent from the tanks 

 then will be run through the various 

 systems and the levels of treatment 

 compared. 



Carlile is especially enthusiastic 

 about the demonstration project. Not 

 only will it serve as an educational 

 facility for local contractors, engineers, 

 health officials and interested property 

 owners, but it will provide a valuable 

 research center. "It will allow us to get 

 some really hard and fast data for com- 

 parison of the alternative systems," 

 says Carlile. 



State -wide efforts 



On a state level, alternative on-site 

 waste disposal has become a priority 

 issue. Last year an ad hoc Alternative 

 Sewage Disposal Task Force was 

 created in an effort to bring together 



information on waste disposal 

 problems throughout the state. The 

 task force is comprised of represen- 

 tatives from state and local govern- 

 ment agencies, university researchers 

 and concerned citizens. 



Anne Taylor, special assistant with 

 the state Department of Natural 

 Resources and Community Develop- 

 ment was instrumental in getting the 

 organization started. According to 

 Taylor the primary reason for the task 

 force was to get resource people from 

 across the state together and to find 

 out -who was doing what and where. 



"We realized that the state had 

 tremendous capability in the area of 

 septic waste disposal but it was spread 

 throughout so many departments and 

 universities," she said. "We were a 

 leader in research but not in using what 

 we had." 



Up until now the role of the task 

 force primarily has been advisory; 

 reviewing waste treatment plans and 

 setting up educational programs and 

 workshops on alternative disposal 

 systems. But a recent 208 grant from 

 EPA should help the organization be- 

 gin to formalize its work. 



