2023 Drip Pre-Conference Workshop

Thanks for your support and attendance at our 2023 Pre-Conference Workshop. See below for post-workshop materials and resources.

 

Subsurface Drip for Decentralized Wastewater Dispersal: Installation, Operation and Maintenance; Best Practices Workshop

Sunday, October 22, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Separate registration required.

Subsurface Drip has become an increasingly popular method for the final treatment and dispersal of wastewater effluent in land-based decentralized wastewater systems. Modern drip technology was originally developed in Israel to support agricultural production, while greatly reducing consumption of water. Subsurface drip’s use with wastewater systems has been developing throughout the United States since the early 1990s, based upon its ability to optimally utilize the receiving landscape under a variety topographic and soil conditions, its relative ease of installation, and its ability to minimize effluent impacts groundwater and surface waters.

There are several unique considerations that must be addressed to assure any particular drip application will be a sustainable wastewater management system for the facility or community served. This Best Practices workshop is being developed by NOWRA’s Technical Practices Committee, who are recognized experts in the field. 

Topics to be covered include:

• Unique elements of soil and site assessment and wastewater characterization for drip systems.
• Considerations and importance of integrated system components
• Recommended installation techniques for varying terrains and soil conditions.
• Start-up/On-boarding procedures.
• Filter options, idiosyncrasies, and their life-cycle maintenance needs.
• Field dosing and flushing considerations and options.
• Dripfield hydraulic performance monitoring, operation and maintenance.
• Overall system O&M.

The Workshop focus will be on decentralized systems (multi-family, small community, commercial) beyond “single-family”, although topics covered would also have relevancy to smaller residential systems.

**********************************************************************************************

Post Drip Workshop Materials (updated 11/22/23)

Thank you for your attendance at the Pre-conference Drip Workshop held in Hampton, VA prior to the 2023 Onsite Wastewater Mega-Conference.  Please find below PDFs of the presentations given during the workshop as well as recommended references. 

Presentations:

• History of the development of drip from the 1950s to 1990s and beyond, from Israel to the US
• Soil/Siting Assessment
• Drip Field Layout Options and Hydraulic Design Considerations
• Drip System Components and Packages
• Installation, Operation and Maintenance
• Lifecycle Management of Decentralized Drip Systems
• Texas AMU’s Research Program to Understand and Improve Performance of Drip Systems in Texas

References and Other Materials:

• Final Agenda from Pre-Conference Drip Workshop
• Drip System References with Links
• Drip Reference Materials - PDFs of references listed below. 
  • Berkowitz - Subsurface drip wastewater systems - North Carolina's regulation and experience.
  • Berkowitz - Hydraulic Performance of Subsurface Wastewater Drip Systems
  • Berkowitz and Harman - Computer Program for Evaluating the Hydraulic Design of Subsurface Wastewater Drip Irrigation System Pipe Networks
  • Buchanan and Garrett - Drip Tubing Hydraulics During Pressurization
  • Buchanan and Hillenbrand - An Investigation for the Need of Secondary Treatment of Residential Wastewater when Applied with a Subsurface Drip Irrigation System
  • Casaletto, Wallace, and Miles - Overcoming Tough Site Conditions at Table Rock Lake Using Drip Dispersal in Imported Soil
  • Kahl - Subsurface Drip Dispersal of Effluent on Steep Slopes
  • North Carolina 18E Rules for Drip Systems
  • Otis and Apfel - Evaluation of Hydraulic Loading Criteria for the “Perc-Rite” Subsurface Drip Irrigation Systems
  • Wallace - Design & Performance of Drip Irrigation Systems in Freezing Environments