A mhp in Michigan has septic tanks and drain field system. State health department says in order to get ground water discharge permit. It needs nitrate and phosphate removal.
Does it become a standard now? How to proceed? Any treatment system that can remove nitrate and phosphate?
I am a certified waste water operator in Indiana(its actually my day job as I’ve yet to pull the trigger on a park lol) the new standards began around beginning of the year I beleive. My best advice is to go to your local WWTP and talk to the operator in responsible charge. They can give you better advice on local and state regulations.
Check out these guys.
I do not know about the Phosphate but they have systems for Nitrates.
@MikeDavis does it mean I have to convert septic system to packaging plant in order to comply with the new regulation ?
@Mhpcommunity oh goodness no. The process for removal can be accomplished by chemical or biological means. But works best for your area can differ. That’s why I said to talk to your local WWTP to find out how they are dealing with it.
@mhpcommunity your septic tanks and drainfield system is not capable of removing nitrates, and phosphate in any significant amount You will need to upgrade to a higher level of treatment. Getting nitrate removal is easier than phosphate. The way I like to describe the levels of treatment are as follows going from lowest to highest (in capability to remove nutrients):
drainfield and septic tank, sand filter or mound, recirculating sand filter or ATU advanced treatment unit(orenco or others) decent nitrate removal no phosphorus, package plant, package with additional basin for denitrification, package plant with basin for denitrification and phosphorus removal (either biologically or via sedimentation and filtration). FYI lagoons provide little to no nitrate or phosphorus removal.
Why is nutrient removal is here to stay? Lake Erie has significant dead zones and massive algae blooms every summer caused by nutrients there is an inter nation agreement to reduce nitrates phosphorus discharge is being implemented to reduce the nutrients , the Chesapeake Bay has significant algae blooms and dead zones caused by nutrients there is an interstate agreement to improve the quality of the Bay in force. The Gulf of Mexico has one of the worlds largest dead zones caused by nutrients being discharged into it via the Mississippi River system no solid plan has yet been developed to address it but this will impact every septic system, lagoon, and package plant in the Mississippi River System.
@PhillipMerrill I was always under the impression those blooms were from fertilizer runoff mostly attributed to farming. Are you saying there is a linkage with private sewage systems? Or anything with nitrates is under the radar now because of the “runoff issue.”
Linkage is huge 150k city is probably 50 to 100 tons a year of ammonia. Now your getting political 
blaming the farmers. Farming is most likely #1 source with wastewater systems being #2. Wastewater is an easy target as they are a “point source” and it is easy to quantify the tons of nutrients being released from each plant (all the data is public record) while farming is a non- point source and much harder to quantify what is being utilized by the plants and what is run off. I doubt you will get any corn belt politicians to point the finger at farming. Another source probably #3 is confined animal feedlots… The general political feeling is dont mess with ag its not good for your reelection. My point is wastewater plants are easy targets with a defined solution.
@PhillipMerrill, what is that picture of? (Mississippi River watershed and colored somehow?) Is there a source link?
Sorry Monday brain makes for sloppy posts. Picture is of 2019 forecast for dead zone in Gulf of Mexico. Photo caption reads
The Mississippi River watershed drains 1.245 million square miles, including all or parts of 31 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. The map illustrates how runoff from farms (green areas) and cities (red areas) drains into the Mississippi, delivering nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico and fueling the annual hypoxic zone. Image credit: NOAA.
Article lays blame mostly on ag… but of course the red zones are cities and their wastewater systems. We can’t expect farmers to be the only ones who have to address the problem of nutrients pollution. Two summers ago the capital city of Oregon was unable to drink the water for nearly a month due to toxic algae blooms. The cause of the algae blooms nutrients…
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://amp.statesmanjournal.com/amp/656483002&ved=2ahUKEwjS3dqu0vXlAhVJtZ4KHSrMCX4QxLwDMAR6BAgLEAc&usg=AOvVaw1wk2FhGMh0ozxC7lg344qj&cf=1
Lake Erie had massive toxic algae blooms this summer
These large high publicity events move regulators.
Appreciate all input. Thank you Phillip for elaboration.
All should be very selective when purchasing properties that have any pollution problems. Pollution issues are expensive to insure against and require a specialty pollution insurance policy - these start at about $4,000/park IF there are no known pollution issues. General liability policies exclude pollution as a covered cause of loss. Worse yet, there are some pollution problems that stick with ownership, personally… for life. Thus, even if you buy the polluted property (ex. old gas tank on the property leaked) in an LLC and then sell it later, you may still be personally responsible for all clean up charges forever.
