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1. Inspect annually or with main treatment system
a) look for ponding, dampness, odors, lush vegetation
b) if alternating beds, operate diversion value to redirect flow (1-2 times/yr., in warm weather)
c) check for good surface drainage
2. For filters following septic tanks, monitor the following on a quarterly basis:
a) effluent biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)
b) suspended solids
c) fecal coliforms
d) pH
Indiana does not allow direct discharge from individual on-site systems. The requirement to monitor biological and chemical parameters is usually to ensure treatment for discharge.
Inspections: no additional labor
Chemical analysis (for filters following septic tanks):
Parts and Supplies: none
Equipment: none
Power: none
| Chemical Analysis: | 4 sample/filter * $31/sample * 0 filters, following septic tanks * 1/10.00 homes | $0.00 |
| Optional: complete filter repair | 0 failure rate * $2500/repair/home/10 home = | $0.00 |
| Total: (First Quarter 1982) | $0.00 |
| Updated Total: | Total | OMR | 1982 OMR | |
| $0.00 | *3.49 | / 3.44 | =$0.00 |
Filters should be inspected and raked occasionally. For this reason, we do not recommend that you bury your sand filter.
This process is appropriate for single home, surface discharge applications (EPA, 1980c; Sack, 1981) and surface application is assumed in this study. Field experience is very limited so far; however, the use of these systems is expected to grow due to high effluent quality, and low initial cost and energy requirements EPA (1980c) describes the units.
These filters generally have an associated odor. Improperly designed or managed systems can clog, causing effluent to surface or "back up". Barry and Donnelly (1979) note a 15% failure rate for unmanaged buried sand filters in Erie County, New York.
Providing appropriate pretreatment, sand filters should require only periodic inspections and monitoring. Surface discharge monitoring requirements are included only for the case where the pretreatment unit is a septic tank, since other pretreatment units include this monitoring.
In areas where a failure rate has been established, an optional provision is made in the annual costs calculation to include the cost of complete repair of failed systems (as was done for leachfields, mounds, and ET beds). If a failed system were repaired by increasing the area of the bed by 50%, the cost would be approximately $2,500 for a single home.
Since filters must be preceded by another treatment process, the minimal annual inspection is not considered to require any additional time. Thus buried sand filter O&M presents no additional expense unless effluent monitoring has not been previously accounted for.