Performance-Based Treatment System (PBTS) for Residential Septic System in Miami Dade County

Septic Tank

Why Might Miami Dade County Require a Performance-Based Treatment System?

When connections to city sewer lines don’t reach your property, a residential septic system serves as a private wastewater treatment facility. However, there are many places where a standard system cannot deliver the necessary services. In some situations, property owners can step up to highly effective aerobic treatment units. In other circumstances, something with more cleaning power is needed. What if your Miami-Dade County property requires a system with even greater capabilities? Then, it’s time to consider a performance-based treatment system. 

What Is a Performance-Based Treatment System?

According to the Florida Department of Health, performance-based treatment systems are onsite sewage treatment systems that are licensed engineers with training in wastewater engineering design. These innovative systems are crafted to achieve measurable performance standards, including specific levels of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total suspended solids, carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, and fecal coliform found in domestic sewage waste.

What Are the Benefits of Performance-Based Treatment Systems?

In some cases, performance-based treatment systems can make building possible in places where it would otherwise be impossible. In others, it allows you to avoid having obvious and rather unsightly signs of a septic system takeover your outdoor living space. Performance-based treatment systems can offer several benefits:

  • Performance-based treatment systems can be designed with up to a 70% reduction in drain fields, so they are perfect for small lots or lots with awkward setbacks.
  • Performance-based treatment systems do not require a raised mound or other unattractive interruption of your outdoor living space.
  • Performance-based treatment systems are natural. There are no chemicals or unpleasant odors to worry about.

What Are the Levels of Performance-Based Treatment Systems?

The Sunshine State recognizes three levels of performance-based treatment systems:

  • Secondary Treatment
  • Advanced Secondary Treatment
  • Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Performance-based treatment systems can be customized in a variety of ways. For example, they may include aerobic treatment units that oxygenate the effluent or filter it through a medium. They may also incorporate additional units to treat the effluent further. Common choices include UV lights, chlorinators/dechlorination, and recirculating units.

What Maintenance Do Performance-Based Treatment Systems Require?

Owing a performance-based treatment system in Florida comes with certain responsibilities:

  • You must obtain and hold an operating permit for the life of the system.
  • You must secure a maintenance contract for the system with an approved maintenance entity.
  • Lab samples and a report detailing their inspection and maintenance must be sent to the health department by the maintenance entity every six months.

While it’s not required, homeowners can also help protect and prolong the life of their system by thinking about what goes down their drains. After all, more waste requires more treatment. When you take care to avoid unnecessary disposal down the drains and follow all maintenance recommendations, you prolong the life of your system, protect the groundwater nearby, and help safeguard the surrounding environment. 

By definition, a performance-based treatment system is a specialized septic system designed by an engineer with wastewater expertise. If you’re looking for a professional to assist you with such a system for your Miami-Dade County home, reach out to professionals at DKK Consulting Incorporated. As experienced civil engineers who live and work in Florida, we understand how the region’s topography and water systems interact and what that means to perform any septic system we design. At DKK Consulting Incorporating, we thrive on using our skills and expertise to resolve the varied problems that our clients bring to us. We’re proud to offer a wide array of civil engineering services so that we’re ready to meet a diverse array of possibilities. Contact us today to learn more about our services and discover how we can assist you.