RSD looking at possible McKinney-Paxson solution

There may be an option for cleaning up the McKinney-Paxson watershed that will not require property owners there to pay $80 to $100 in monthly sewer bills.

A system being implemented on a limited basis in Allen County may work — emphasis on “may” — to treat household wastewater on site. The system, called Singulair Green, produced by the Norweco Wastewater Treatment Co. in Norwalk, Ohio. agitates, aerates, and then irradiates wastewater with an ultraviolet light.

The Norweco brochures include details about the system, including its limitations and capacities. See the highlights below, and click on the following links to read through the brochures.

• Singulair Green owners manual
• Singulair Green specs 
• Singulair Green brochure

Learn more in the Tuesday, Aug. 20, News-Banner.

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• Wastewater enters the pretreatment chamber where anaerobic bacterial action combines with the effects of gravity to precondition the waste before it flows into the aeration chamber. Once in the aeration chamber, aerobic bacteria utilize the organic matter in the wastewater to biologically convert the waste into stable substances. Following aeration, flow is transferred to the clarification chamber where the effects of gravity settle out biologically active material. The Bio-Static sludge return, located in the clarification chamber, creates hydraulic currents that gently transfer settled particles back to the aeration chamber. As clarified liquids pass through the Bio-Kinetic system, they are filtered, settled and flow equalized. As a result, complete pretreatment, aeration, clarification and final filtration are assured. The Singulair Green system reliably protects you, your property and the environment.

• The Singulair Green system shall be certified to treat up to 600 GPD (gallons per day) of domestic wastewater. Total holding capacity of the system shall provide a minimum of 48 hour retention of the daily flow. The pretreatment chamber shall provide at least 18 hour retention, the extended aeration chamber shall provide at least 24 hour retention and the clarification chamber shall provide at least 6 hour retention.

• The Singulair Green system is designed to treat only domestic wastewater. Domestic wastewater is defined as the waste generated from a typical residence. This includes flows originating from: bathtubs, clothes washers, dishwashers, drinking fountains, water coolers, food grinders, kitchen sinks, lavatories, mop basins, service sinks, shower stalls, sinks, wash sinks, water closets and whirlpool baths. While the use of bio-degradable detergents is recommended, the Singulair Green system has been designed to handle any reasonable amount of bathroom, kitchen or laundry waste. However, some care should be exercised to insure that non-biodegradable and/or toxic materials are not disposed of via the domestic wastewater plumbing. Do not use the plumbing system for disposal of lint, cooking grease, scouring pads, diapers, sanitary napkins, cotton balls, cotton swabs, cleaning rags, dental floss, strings, cigarette filters, rubber or plastic products, paints and thinning agents, gasoline, motor oil, drain cleaners or other harsh chemicals. These items could plug portions of the plumbing, interfere with biological treatment, accumulate in the treatment system and adversely affect system performance. Never connect roofing down spouts, footer drains, sump pump piping, garage and basement floor drains or water softener backwash to the domestic wastewater plumbing or the treatment system. Water softener backwash will interfere with biological treatment and must be disposed of separately.

• The Singulair Green system is inspected and serviced by a local licensed, factory-trained dealer, therefore, no owner maintenance is required during the warranty period. The Singulair Green system does not require pumping as often as a septic tank. Under normal use only the pretreatment chamber should be pumped. How often pumping is necessary depends on system use. The local Singulair Green dealer will inspect the aeration chamber contents and plant effluent at six month intervals to determine if the pretreatment chamber is discharging excessive solids. Every three years, the pretreatment chamber should be inspected. The pretreatment chamber will normally require pumping at three to five year intervals.