Why Install a Performance-Based Treatment System on Your Miami-Dade County Property?
You’ve found a gorgeous slice of Miami-Dade County that you’re eager to call your own. Unfortunately, it’s not connected to a city sewer system, and you’re told that a standard septic won’t cut it. Don’t panic. Instead, call a civil engineer to discuss whether a performance-based treatment system would offer a solution.
Wrangling Wastewater
Wastewater is used water, and humans have been working out clever ways to direct it safely away from their homes and businesses for centuries. While sewage is an obvious element of wastewater, the water that flows from laundry machines, showers, sinks, and dishwashers also counts.
Since water is a finite and valuable resource, humans have developed ways to cleanse this used water before returning it to the environment for new uses. In large communities, sewer systems carry wastewater to treatment plants. When homes and businesses are too far away to connect to these community systems, onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems do the job of cleaning wastewater before releasing it into the surrounding ecosystem. This category includes an array of standard and advanced septic systems. With such a vital task, selecting the right system is essential.
Selecting a Performance-Based Treatment System
How do you know if a performance-based treatment system, or PBTS, is the right option? Understanding what these systems are, their advantages and their requirements can help.
Defining Performance-Based Treatment Systems
Performance-based treatment systems are a type of advanced septic system. They’re able to deliver greater cleaning power than a standard septic system. The Florida Department of Health sets the rules, and it requires all performance-based treatment systems to meet certain standards in order to earn the title. Therefore, a performance-based treatment system must have specific qualities:
- It is an onsite sewage and disposal system.
- It is designed and certified by an engineer with training in wastewater design.
- It meets measurable and specific performance standards for carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, fecal coliforms, total suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus.
Exploring the Advantages of Performance-Based Treatment Systems
Performance-based treatment systems can make building more affordable. They can make it more pleasant. And they can make it possible in places where it otherwise wouldn’t be. If you’d like proof, consider these points:
- Installing a PBTS can eliminate the need to make a lengthy and expensive attempt to connect to a nearby municipality’s sewer line. That can help keep costs down.
- Choosing a PBTS means you won’t need a raised mound for your septic system. In fact, these systems thrive with drain fields up to 70% smaller. That ensures you retain more usable square footage for accomplishing your goals and enjoying your dreams.
- Having the option to use a PBTS allows you to build on smaller lots and areas that are more sensitive. These systems are more efficient and more effective, so they can work in places where other systems won’t. They are also natural solutions. When designed properly, no harsh chemicals or foul odors will cause trouble.
Discussing the Requirements for Performance-Based Treatment Systems
In Florida, using a PBTS gives a property owner many advantages. It also has a few requirements they must meet. Property owners are expected to hold an operating permit for the life of the system. They must secure a maintenance contract with an approved system company. They must also ensure that the company submits an inspection report accompanied by lab samples to the health department every six months. Could a performance-based treatment system be the solution to your Miami-Dade County drainage dilemmas? DKK Consulting is committed to offering civil engineer solutions that work. We have extensive experience in septic tank and drain field design, commercial drainage design, residential drainage design, and numerous other civil engineering services. Reach out to us today to discover how we can assist you.