West Milford Environmental Commission finds bio-filtration an appealing water quality answer
A relatively new technology designed to improve water quality on a residential scale has caught the attention of the township's Environmental Commission.
During its January meeting, the West Milford Environmental Commission discussed peat moss biofilters as the potential core of a future project to educate the public about septic systems, phosphorus loads, and their combined, detrimental impact on water quality. The septic system-connected filtration units use the aerobic microorganisms contained in a sphagnum peat moss or peat fibers to capture and recycle contaminants from partially treated septic tank effluent. They are authorized by the state for new construction or to upgrade a malfunctioning system.
According to commission consultant Fred Lubnow of environmental engineering firm Princeton Hydro, the systems have shown 40- to 50-percent phosphorus removal rates at a site in Jefferson Township.
Installing one prominently in West Milford could help the town achieve the educational component of the On-Site Wastewater Treatment Prioritization Plan for West Milford, funded through the federal 604(b) grant program, he said. It could also provide a public service for the development-restricted Highlands town, which contains approximately 8,500 septic systems, around 3,300 of which are within 300 feet of major bodies of water, according to former Municipal Health Officer William Wallace.
"If the town did something here to demonstrate it, to show it as a great public project, that might be something that could get people interested," Lubnow said.
According to the prioritization plan, septic systems in the New Jersey end of Greenwood Lake are contributing around 508 kilograms of phosphorus to the lake each year. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has called for a reduction of the 1,884-acre lake's annual load originating from septic systems by 309 kilograms before it can be removed from the state's list of impaired bodies of water.
During a recent examination of the system at West Milford municipal complex conducted by Princeton Hydro, a 0.07 phosphorus concentration ratio was measured away from the septic tank, Lubnow said. Down gradient, the rate climbed to 0.6, "which is an awful lot of phosphorus," he noted.
"It could be good for town hall," Lubnow said. "We already have a good amount of site information."
Commissioners said the site, via town hall or the proposed new library, could be suitable to demonstrate the installation and maintenance of peat biofilters as part of a future grant project. Standard systems designed to augment a 1,000- to 1,200-gallon septic tank are about the size of a hot tub and can be placed above or at grade.
According to Ohio Department of Health records, they cost $10,000 to $15,000, with annual operating costs of $200 to $500. Replacing the organic peat every 10 to 15 years costs around $1,000, Lubnow said.
The biofilters work by filtering tank effluent through the partially decomposed media several times a day, either by gravity or pump. The peat's large surface area and chemical makeup foster the capture of suspended solids and allow for concentrated aerobic treatment, according to a state Department of Environmental Protection report.
The process lets septic system leach fields disperse rather than treat the wastewater, which inhibits the use of smaller leach fields, the report continues. Lubnow noted the latter may be particularly interesting for the township's geologically restricted and lakeside homes, many of which were converted from summer cottages.