Case Study 6 - Private Home - Poor percolation

Location - Delta, BC

Type of installation - Five bedroom home in a rural farming area

Design Criteria - Soil percolation tests at several locations gave percolation rates of 145 minutes per inch. The normal range is 5 to 30 minutes per inch. A high percolation time is indicative of an impervious layer (typically clay) and the common result is the dispersal field becomes plugged with solids within a year or two.

Solution - A standard Go Green system 4 was installed. A 20 meter long sand mound was built allowing for a pressurized infiltrations system with vertical percolation of approximately two feet through the mound prior to reaching the impervious layer. Go Green personnel where involved in all phases of this project.

Permits - Approval for the system was granted under the code of good practice, which requires a qualified professional engineer to certify the design. Novatec Consultants Inc was hired to provide that certification. Associated Environmental Operators Inc. was retained to provide ongoing maintenance and sampling of the site.

Performance - The system was installed in June of 1998 and has worked perfectly ever since. All but a few samples have shown BOD5 and TSS levels in the 6mg/l. range. The receiving field is free of odour or surface water and there has been no need to pump the tanks. The last picture shows the crystal clear water from the clarifier tank in October, 2004

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