Septage Handling and Decentralized System Management
What septage is
Septage is the accumulated contents of a septic tank - sludge, scum and liquid removed on
pumping. Two characteristics dominate everything about handling it:
- It is far stronger than domestic sewage - very high in solids, organic matter and ammonia.
- It arrives as a truckload, which is to say as a slug.
A receiving plant therefore experiences not a higher average load but a sudden shock, and the
ammonia component in particular can upset nitrification and drive an effluent violation.
How a receiving station controls that
- Screening. Septage carries rags, plastics, sanitary products, hair and grit accumulated in
tanks over years, which foul pumps, plug lines and damage downstream equipment. Screening
removes them at the receiving point, and it also gives the operator a **direct look