Making use of septic system sprinklers.

[Ben G.]

Does anybody else out there take advantage of sprinklers from their aerobic septic system?

Living in rural Oklahoma we had to install an aerobic septic system when we built our home. The soil here is a heavy clay, but with lots of rock in it. Because of the poor drainage of the clay, the system uses sprinklers to spray the treated waste water on the surface of the ground, rather than underground lateral drain lines in traditional septic systems. 

We get enough rain here that lawn irrigation systems are not very common, so the two sprinklers from my septic system get put to good use. I built a flower bed around one of the sprinklers and I planted Musa basjoo there since the area never dries out. I also use the bed for sprouting seeds. I can just drop Sabal seeds in the bed and cover them with some leaves. I then forget about them for a month or two. The next time I think to look, the seedlings are growing with no extra work on my part. I now even put some of my potted Sabal seedlings in the back of the bed (since they aren't really adding any beauty to my other potted porch plants). I haven't watered the pots (by hand or hose)once all summer, but they still get a good shower daily.

And I know some of you are probably thinking: "Doesn't the water smell?" If you properly maintain your septic system the water doesn't smell at all like sewage. I still don't use it to water any food crops, but it is supposed to be treated and safe.

 

Edited August 16, 2020 by Ben OK
Typo

[Ben G.]

[Ben G.]

[Ben G.]

[Ben G.]

[kinzyjr]

Can't complain about the results. 

I worked as a mechanic at a water treatment plant for some time in a past life.  The basic operation of the plant hinged on using a polymer to cause sludge to drop out of the water, treating it with lime to stabilize it, and then selling the treated sludge by the tri-axle load as fertilizer.  It is a safe assumption that I've ingested food that has been fertilized in this manner at some point and lived to tell the tale.

[Chester B]

I haven’t heard of that type of septic system. Great use of the resource especially if you’re in a drier part of the state. 

[Ben G.]

On 8/15/2020 at 7:47 PM, kinzyjr said:

Can't complain about the results. 

I worked as a mechanic at a water treatment plant for some time in a past life.  The basic operation of the plant hinged on using a polymer to cause sludge to drop out of the water, treating it with lime to stabilize it, and then selling the treated sludge by the tri-axle load as fertilizer.  It is a safe assumption that I've ingested food that has been fertilized in this manner at some point and lived to tell the tale.

I know ranchers and farmers in this area who have bought large loads of just the kind of fertilizer you're talking about. So I guess you're right, we haven't died yet.

[Ben G.]

On 8/16/2020 at 11:43 AM, Chester B said:

I haven’t heard of that type of septic system. Great use of the resource especially if you’re in a drier part of the state. 

My area averages 48 inches of rain a year. But while we're not dry, that rainfall doesn't come at even amounts or intervals. We tend to get thunderstorms that drop a lot of rain in a short period of time. During the spring and early summer those storms come several times a week. Later in the summer and into the fall you may go a week to several weeks with no rain at all. 

One of the more challenging aspects of gardening in this part of the world is that in any given year we can see winter lows at or below 0F, historic rain and flooding (like 2019 on the Arkansas river near me), prolonged drought, and the possibility of dozens of high temps over 100F in a single summer.

Fortunately, those things haven't all happened in the same year before, but 2011 did have record cold temps over most of the state in February followed by the hottest, driest summer ever recorded. (Most people around here get gardening PTSD when we think back to 2011)

 

[Chester B]

Yeah I know Oklahoma can be tough.  I spent a fair bit of time down there for work in Paul's Valley and Broken Arrow at their respective Municipal Drinking Water Plants.  I work in Water treatment as well and can attest the dried sludge is in fact reused.