BEYOND THE BASIC SEPTIC
SYSTEM: PRACTICAL
ALTERNATIVES
by Bruce Coldham
Since the late 19th centurv. when
bathrooms moved from the garden to
the back of the house, the main goal of
wastewater treatment has been to keep
the organic solids from becoming smelly
and infectious. With the growing environmental
concern today comes a
second goal—to avoid groundwater
contamination. The nitrates and phosphates
found in domestic effluent
(wastewater) must be contained.
The basic septic tank and soil absorption
system, which graces almost onethird
of all U.S. housing, is the timehonored,
on-site solution to achieving
goal #l. But, in its current form, it does
little to satisfy the second. A 500- to
1,500-gallon tank receives sewage, and
holds it for a few days during