Septage Treatment Guides

This notice was originally posted in the old Environmental Registry under number 010-0366.

Description of policy

In order to successfully end the practice of spreading untreated septage, there must be sufficient capacity to treat septage, either at municipal sewage treatment plants or with viable alternative treatment options.

Standards for treated septage will assist septage haulers and municipalities to evaluate and develop alternative septage treatment options.

Several municipalities are considering alternative septage treatment methods, which require significantly less capital investment than upgrading treatment capacity at existing sewage treatment plants.

Background:

Hauled sewage includes wastes from septic tanks, holding tanks and portable toilets from residential, commercial and industrial sources. Informally, the term “septage” is often used to refer to these materials. While the installation of new holding tanks is not permitted, except in special circumstances, there are a number of houses, cottages and other establishments currently serviced by holding tanks.

Septage is a regulated waste under Part V of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) and the General - Waste Management Regulation 347, whether it is treated or untreated. Under the EPA, septage haulers are required to obtain approval to apply the materials on land.

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) imposes standards and conditions on the transport and land application of septage through the Certificate of Approval process. Any property proposed to accept septage must first obtain a “site approval” from the MOE. MOE will consider the suitability of the location, and impose any standards and conditions that might be required. In addition, a hauler is required to obtain a Waste Management System Certificate of Approval for transporting, handling and land-applying septage.

The ministry is working closely with stakeholders to develop treatment standards and new technologies to manage septage in Ontario. For example:

• some septage haulers and municipalities have been involved with pilot projects which supported the development of the standards for alkaline stabilization and screening of septage
• the ministry provided a grant to the County of Renfrew to support the community’s ongoing efforts to find solutions for dealing with septage waste on a county wide basis. In March 2007, additional funds were provided to the County to continue to demonstrate and evaluate the logistics of alkaline treatment and geotube dewatering technologies
• work is also ongoing on the feasibility of converting septage storage lagoons to treatment lagoons and on developing standards for sand and reed bed filtration, all in partnership with the University of Guelph

The guides address:

1. standards and approval requirements for the land application of treated domestic septage on agricultural land
2. process design and operation for the screening and alkaline treatment of domestic septage
3. disposal of septage in dewatering trenches

These guides are intended to provide guidance to the regulated community, i.e., septage haulers and proponents. They will also be used by MOE and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) staff as part of the review process for Certificates of Approval. They contain:

• suggested standards for the management of treated domestic septage and the establishment of standards as part of the approvals process
• suggested standards for the alkaline stabilization of domestic septage and the establishment of standards as part of the approvals process
• the use and design considerations of using dewatering trenches to manage septage

Guide to Land Application of Treated Domestic Septage:

The guide is intended to facilitate the beneficial use of treated septage on agricultural land, while protecting environmental quality, consumer and animal health, food quality and the productivity of the land. The guide supplements the MOE/OMAFRA Guidelines for the Utilization of Biosolids and Other Wastes on Agricultural Land, March 1996.

The standards in this guide are only applicable to approvals for domestic septage. Pre-treatment requirements and permission to utilize commercial and industrial septage as nutrients on agricultural land must be reviewed and approved by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment on a case-by-case basis.

The Guide to Land Application of Treated Domestic Septage includes recommendations for:

• standards for metals, pathogens and screening for all treated domestic septage which is to be land applied
• maximum application rates based on nitrogen concentrations
• different rates for septic tank, holding tank and portable toilet wastes
• different rates for three different crop groups including corn, soybeans, and cereals

Guide to Alkaline Stabilization of Domestic Septage:

The following recommendations are found in this guide:

• process performance standards for screening of domestic septage prior to applying the treated material to agricultural land
• process performance standards for alkaline treatment of domestic septage prior to applying the treated material to agricultural land
• process monitoring and record keeping requirements
• technical background information for alkaline treatment which includes:
  • Types of alkalis that can be used and the dosage requirement
  • effectiveness of alkaline treatment for pathogen reduction and odour control
  • typical process design and operation of a stationary treatment system and treatment to be provided in the storage tank of a septage haulage truck

Users of this guide are encouraged to read the references listed for more technical information about alkaline stabilization of septage. This guide is not applicable to industrial and commercial septage.

Guide to Disposal of Septage in Dewatering Trenches

The purpose of this guide is to provide technical and regulatory guidance on the use of dewatering trenches to dispose hauled sewage (“septage”) to the regulated community, i.e., septage haulers and proponents. It will also be used by MOE and OMAFRA staff as part of the review process for Certificates of Approval. These standards are a tightening of the standards currently in use, intended to enhance environmental protection.

For the purpose of this document, dewatering trenches are defined as: “Long, narrow trenches excavated in permeable soils for the purpose of dewatering septage prior to final disposal.”

Dewatering trenches provide an environmentally acceptable and economical means of dewatering septage in areas where treatment, pretreatment or other disposal methods are not readily available. The primary purpose of dewatering trenches is to reduce the septage volume by allowing liquid-solids separation by controlled exfiltration into the soil matrix, at approved environmentally acceptable inflow rates. Screening of septage, prior to placing in the trench, ensures proper operation by removal of plastics and other non-biodegradable objects. The residue remaining in the trenches after dewatering is removed for disposal at a MOE-approved waste disposal site.

The Guide to Disposal of Septage in Dewatering Trenches applies to all septage. The residue remaining in the trenches after dewatering is removed for disposal at a MOE-approved waste disposal site.

This guide applies to both new and renewal applications for dewatering trenches. The standards in this guide may be revised in the future to ensure that other options are considered before dewatering trenches are used.

Purpose of policy

This notice has been posted to advise the public that the Province of Ontario is proposing to establish standards for treated septage. These standards include 3 guides:

Guide to Land Application of Treated Domestic Septage

Guide to Alkaline Stabilization of Domestic Septage

Guide to Disposal of Septage in Dewatering Trenches