Clear Water Industries offers complete support for designers and engineers specifying the Waterloo Biofilter in their wastewater system plans. Clear Water Industries staff will custom design large system Waterloo Biofilter treatment units and provide the designer with AutoCad details for all Waterloo Biofilter treatment units and components. Clear Water Industries staff can assist in a variety of design tasks such as pump chamber design, pump sizing and calculating power requirements, all at no extra cost.
Clear Water Industries can provide you with our Designer’s Manual for Massachusetts. This manual has information regarding the design, use and performance of the Waterloo Biofilter in Massachusetts. It also contains AutoCad details to insert into system plans for all our pre-packaged residential units. Contact us for your copy.
Massachusetts Approvals for the Waterloo Biofilter:
Approval for General Use: In Massachusetts for new construction. Residential systems receive a 50% reduction in required disposal area.
Aproval for Remedial Use: Allows for reductions in soil absorption system size, groundwater seperation distance and requirement for four feet of naturally occurring previous material.
Approval for Provisional Use: In Massachusetts as a Nitrogen reducing system.
System Overview:
Septic Tank
The Waterloo Biofilter™ utilities conventional septic tank pre-treatment of raw wastewater. Solids are settled out of the wastewater stream and degraded anaerobicly in the low oxygen environment. The size of the septic tank is determined by design flows and local codes. The wastewater is typically pumped (using a timed dosed system) to the Waterloo Biofilter™ from a pump vault and filter placed inside the septic tank. This is applicable for smaller residential systems and is achieved using a 12″ screened pump vault equipped with a high head pump.
Pump Chamber (Large Systems)
For larger systems, effluent flows from the septic tank (equipped with an effluent filter on the outlet) to a separate pump chamber and is then pumped to dose the Biofilter using a properly sized pump.
Waterloo Biofilter™
Septic tank effluent pumped to the Waterloo Biofilter™ is distributed through 1″ PVC SCH 40 pipes or equivalent flexible hose to a PVC manifold with downward facing helical nozzles which spray evenly over a wide area. larger systems have larger distribution pipes. Pressures of 10 – 15 psi are generated at the nozzle head.
The sprayed watewater percolates slowly down through the absorbent foam cube media. The media comes as 2-3″ cubes and is piled randmony in custom sized baskets. Pumping of the wastewater in small volumes is important to treatment. The foam cubes should fill with wastewater but not overflow;otherwise wastewater will flow around the cubes, not through them, and short-circuit down to the bottom with poor treatment. Biomat discoloration typically occurs in the upper 2 feet of the filter media where most of the solids and organic matter are degraded with the lower section of the filter attenuating bacteria and ammonium. The foam baskets are contained in pre-cast concrete tanks for below ground units and in insulated cedar sheds for above ground applications.
Residential units (concrete tanks and cedar sheds) are delivered onsite pre-assembled. In larger systems, the foam is free filled in the Waterloo Biofilter™ tank and is constructed onsite. Vents in the tank allow for fresh air to enter which is circulated using a fan. This improves aerobic treatment and facilitates nitrification.
Disposal
Treated wastewater settles in the bottom of the Waterloo Biofilter™ tank where it is pumped out. Typically 50% of the flow is sent to the disposal field and 50% is recycled back to the septic tank. Recycling 50% significantly improves treatment and allows for further nitrification/denitrification to occur. In the residential units, the effluent pump sits in the space between the foam baskets. When the foam is free filled (larger flow units) the effluent pump sits in a pump vault located in the underdrain provided by 1 or 2 layers of high capacity infiltrator chambers on the bottom of the tank.
Final disposal of the wastewater can be to d-box or to a pressure distribution SAS. The Waterloo Biofilter™ effluent is ideal to use in drip dispersal systems. In additions where disinfection is necessary, effluent from the Waterloo Biofilter™ is suitable for treatment UV lamps or chlorination prior to final disposal.
Waterloo Biofilter was used to successfully treat high strength wastewater from Chinese Restaurant.