A hydrological study of on-site soil absorption systems

Abstract

The use of on-site soil absorption systems (OSASs) to dispose of domestic wastewater is common in rural and semi-rural areas in Australia as well as in many other developed and developing countries. A need exists for an improved method of evaluating OSAS performance and predicting potential impacts of OSASs on public health and environmental quality. This paper focuses on the hydrological prediction of saturated and unsaturated moisture flow patterns of wastewater dispersed into soil adjacent to OSAS disposal trenches. It presents field and laboratory measurements obtained during an extensive investigation conducted at eight OSAS sites on predominantly silty soil in Victoria, Australia. A nu..