Pond Boss
Posted By: Wynne Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 05:02 PM
Hello,

My family owns land I was thinking of moving and starting homestead on the property. One of my building options borders a pond with part of the water on my property and the other portion on another family members property. I have been made aware that this other family member drains their septic tank into the pond. This seems troublesome to me. Should I be concerned about the quality of the water? Will this water be suitable for raising fish for food or providing water for livestock?

Wynne
Posted By: Bob-O Re: Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 06:35 PM
Wynne, welcome to PB. I'm certian someone with knowledge of legal and health laws will chime in. Ewest? I am sure there are regulations/laws concerning discharge of raw sewage. Also am assuming that each state and/or county has it's individual restraints. I would check with the county health dept. If no results from them maybe at the state or federal level. Approach the neighbors with friendly/neighborly requests, probably gonna have to deal with them long term.
Good luck, Bob-O
Posted By: Vortex 4 Re: Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 06:39 PM
Probably more to the story.

The drain field of a legitimate septic system has a minimum distance from any surface water. Water may then migrate subterraneanialy to the pond and should be good by then.

If there is a pipe from the tank to the pond, then there is no septic field. Probably not legal. Probably not environmentally friendly.

Check yourself to see the actual configuration. May just be a misunderstanding.
Posted By: Brettski Re: Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 07:11 PM
It is common to install a curtain drain around a septic field to capture and divert surface water run-off before it makes it to the field. This then drains downhill to whatever area is...well...downhill. Ours goes directly into the pond. My neighbors goes into a draw that then feeds into our pond. In the strongest rain event, it is not much more than a strong dribble out of the 4" corrugated pipe and it is clean/clear run-off water only.
Don't confuse a curtain drain for the larger event of a septic field running directly into a pond.
Posted By: ewest Re: Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 07:25 PM
See this source

http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/onsite-sewage/ostds-permitting.html


http://www.floridahealth.gov/environment...ments/64E-6.pdf

64E-6.028 Location and Installation.
Performance-based treatment systems shall be installed in compliance with the following.
(1) Systems shall receive the following setbacks to the listed feature. If no setback is specified for a specific feature, Part I requirements shall apply unless the performance-based treatment system is located in the Florida Keys. If located in the Florida Keys, Part II shall be used for all setbacks.
(a) Secondary Treatment Standards. The system shall be a minimum of 65 feet from any surface water bodies or wet retention or detention area if the lot was platted on or after January 1, 1972.
(b) Advanced Secondary Treatment Standards.
1. Surface water bodies: The system shall be a minimum of 50 feet from any surface water bodies or wet retention or detention area if the lot was platted on or after January 1, 1972.
2. Groundwater interceptor drain: 10 feet.
3. Dry retention area and swales: 10 feet.
4. Where a performance-based treatment system is placed adjacent to Class II waters, setbacks that are applied to secondary treatment levels shall be applicable. Alternatively, where the fecal coliform complies with the following levels, reduced setbacks in subparagraphs 64E-6.028(1)(b)1. through 3., F.A.C., above shall be allowed.
a. System operation shall result in not more than 14 fecal coliform colonies per 100 ml of effluent sample. Where chlorine is used for disinfection, the design shall include provisions for rapid and uniform mixing and a total chlorine residual of at least 1.0 mg/l shall be maintained after at least 15 minutes contact time at the peak hourly flow. To determine compliance of a system, the following operational criteria (using either MF or MPN methods) are applicable.
b. The arithmetic mean of the fecal coliform colonies collected during the annual period shall not exceed 14 per 100 ml of effluent.
c. The median value of the fecal coliform colonies for a minimum number of 10 samples of effluent, each collected on a
EFFECTIVE JULY 31, 2018
69
separate day during a period of 30 days (monthly) shall not exceed 14 per 100 ml of sample.
d. No more than 10% of the samples collected during the period of 30 consecutive days shall exceed 43 fecal coliform colonies per 100 ml of sample.
e. Any one sample shall not exceed 86 fecal coliform colonies per 100 ml of sample.
(c) Advanced Wastewater Treatment Standards.
1. Surface water bodies: The drainfield shall be a minimum of 25 feet from any surface water bodies or wet retention or detention area. The treatment unit or process containers shall be a minimum of 50 feet from any surface water bodies or wet retention or detention area.
2. Groundwater interceptor drain: 10 feet.
3. Dry retention area and swales: 10 feet.
4. Seasonal high water table to bottom of drainfield: 12 inches.
(2) Systems designed to meet secondary treatment standards shall be allowed to exceed their authorized lot sewage flow allowances by up to 25%. Systems designed to meet advanced secondary treatment standards shall be allowed to exceed their authorized lot sewage flow allowances by up to 50%. Systems designed to meet advanced wastewater treatment standards shall be allowed to exceed their authorized lot sewage flow allowance by up to 100%. For example, if authorized lot flow is 200 gallons per day, a total of 300 gallons per day lot flow will be allowed for systems designed to meet advanced secondary treatment standards.
(3) Hydraulic surge storage – the design shall protect the residence from backflow into the treatment tank. For gravity and pumped systems, the following shall apply:
(a) For aggregate systems, the porosity shall be calculated at 33%.
(b) The effective storage volume of the drainfield shall be equal to or greater than 1.5 times the design daily flow.
(c) The total storage volume of the drainfield shall be equal to or greater than 1.8 times the design daily flow.
(4) Infiltrative surface area reductions shall be allowed for systems designed to reduce the wastewater strength of the effluent where the drainfield is sized based on slightly limited soils. The baseline system shall be used for comparison with a typical average CBOD5 of 140 mg/l and TSS of 105 mg/l. The maximum reduction in infiltrative surface area shall not exceed the following standards.
(a) Secondary treatment standards: 25% reduction.
(b) Advanced secondary treatment standards: 40%.
(c) Advanced wastewater treatment standards: 40%.
Rulemaking Authority 381.0065(3)(a) FS. Law Implemented 381.0065, 386.041 FS. History–New 2-3-98, Amended 3-22-00, 6-25-09, 7-16-13.
Posted By: John Fitzgerald Re: Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 08:12 PM
If the septic tank actually does drain into the pond, run away from this and don't look back. Not good for raising fish, and a health hazard. Shared ponds are undesirable even if everything is clean.
Posted By: Mike Whatley Re: Pond water and septic tank drain - 08/07/18 09:02 PM
Wynne,
Do you know if this septic is a mechanical system (multi-chambered tank with aeration to accelerate decomposition) or if it's an old fashioned tank and field line.

If it's a mechanical system,the water that's making it to the pond is considered grey water and poses no threat as all of the waist is filtered out before it reaches the discharge. In LA, all septic systems have to be mechanical now and some communities even dictate using the discharge as lawn irrigation. Our neighborhood discharges to the street ditches, but there's seldom anything coming out of pipe and there's no smell at all. I'd think if the health department considers this safe for your lawn, it would be safe for your pond.

Now, if it's the old fashioned, field line that's supposed to be perking into the soil, whatever waist should be filtered before it gets to the pond.

If it's discharging directly in the pond, you've got a cesspool, not a pond and I believe in most states is now considered illegal for health reasons.
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