septic info including soils evaluation

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ON-SITE SYSTEMS, INC. Specialists For Alternative Sewage Systems . Professional Site Evaluations 4810 West Medicine Lake Dr. 612-553-1615 Plymouth, MN 55442 SITE EVALUATION A site evaluation is a p ocess whereby a proposed lot of land is assayed for suitability to accept and treat domestic generated sewage wastes. In the pest,too often this process was never applied and subsequently the homeowner was burdened with a in- effective sewer system,wet basement,or crumbling foundations,etc.A site evaluation includes information on soil suitability for proposed lot impro ements, surface water drainage routes, water table establisment,and topography. Recommendations are given as to sewer sy tem design and placement, house siting,and drainage routing. Many problems we've since encountered could have been elimin•ted at this planning stage. THE ELEC RO-OSMOSIS CONCEPT FOR ON-SITE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS -CLAY SOILS. A description of the el tro-osmosis method is that by burying dissimilar materials on opposite ideds of a drainfield an electric potential will be devlo'ed in the soil water complex.This will occur without the use of any otuside current,wiring or power source. The ground between the fine grains is made up of three layers,an uncharged inner core,a negatively charge layer fixed to the soil grains, and a positively charged intermediate layer between the fixed layer and inner core.Normally the positive and neg- ative water layers adh re to each other,but when an electric potential is applied between nearby electrodes the positive layer will flow towards the egative electrode,dragging the uncharged water core with it. The percolation effect brought by the release of hydrogen and other gases upwardly through the soil improves the soils per- meability and friabilit . In case of fine grain s ils, which are normally incapable of being drained, or if drainable,only with great difficulty by usual methods, the phenom na of electro-osmosis is brought about in the capiliaries of the soil. If the electrical current is flowing in the proper direction, he water particles are transported effectively through the pores of the soil in the direction of the lines of the electrical field tO the cathode.As a result of this process,the increased movement of the underground water so brought about is far greater than that imposed by the natural hydraulic gradient. Electro-Osmosis utiliz s the natural electrical eneragy created by the saturated clay particles within the soil.The anode attracts negative charge ions uch as oxygen, phosphates and nitrates. The positive charged ions or hydrogen is attracted to the cathode, allowing the removal of the outer water layer from the clay particles. As this outer water layer is removed it is re- placed by free water om the capillary waters,thereby producing water movement toward the cathode. Hydrogen being a ca- tion is attracted to thle cathode. Oxygen being an anion is attracted to the anode thus helping to maintain aerobic conditions in the soil. WISCONSIN TYPE PRESSURIZED MOUNDS A pressurized sewage treatment mound is a specialized sewage treatment unit applicable to high water table areas and soil types too permeable or too impermeable to provide adequate treatment/disposal of sewage. Typical applications would be coarse sandy soils, cl.y soils and/or lakeshore property. The construction of a mound requires various types of materials be brought onto the site in order to build up a sewage effluent treatment area large enough to accomodate projected daily water use.