Land Application of Biosolids/Septage - a PDH Online Course for Engineers

Land Application of Biosolids/Septage

Course Outline

The land of application of municipal wastewater biosolids (sludge) is gaining in popularity. Biosolids are considered an excellent source of nitrogen and phosphorous and an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Land application of wastewater biosolids is considered a method of returning valuable nutrients back to the soil and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and amendments for growing various crops. The US EPA also developed a process design manual for the land application of biosolids and septage. This course is based upon these two US EPA document "Process Design Manual: Land Application of Sewage Sludge and Domestic Septage", EPA Document No. EPA/625/K-95/001, September 1995. Compliance with the Y+US EPA's 40 CFR Part 503, Land Application of Sewage Sludge is covered in a companion course.

This eight hour course provides valuable information for those individuals who design, install and operate land application of sewage sludge and domestic septage systems. Completion of this course will provide the student the necessary information and testing to meet the continuing education requirements in order to renew their licenses. It was designed by an instructor who has developed and implemented numerous similar training courses.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

Understand what a biosolids land application system is;
Understand the types of pollutants important in a land treatment system;
Understand the history of land application regulations;
Understand the land application requirements for public sites;
Understand the regulations governing pollutants;
Understand the regulations covering pathogen reduction;
Understand the regulations governing vector attraction reduction;
Understand accepted management practices;
Understand required frequency of monitoring;
Understand required recordkeeping and reporting;
Understand operational standards for pathogen reduction;
Understand operational standards for vector attraction reduction;
Understand sewage sludge quality;
Understand the types of sewage sludge that can be land applied;
Understand the site evaluation process;
Understand how to select a site;
Understand required field investigations;
Understand soil sampling requirements;
Understand the regulatory requirements for agricultural land application;
Understand the various application methods;
Understand the application scheduling;
Understand the regulatory requirements for forest land application;
Understand the effect of sludge applications on tree growth;
Understand forest application opportunities;
Understand how to determine application rates for forest land;
Understand the considerations for use in mining reclamation;
Understand vegetation selection for reclamation sites;
Understand sewage sludge application methods for reclamation sites;
Understand regulatory requirements for sites with public contact;
Understand the regulatory requirements for the land application of domestic septage;
Understand application methods for septage;
Understand how to adjust ph in domestic septage;
Understand how to implement a public participation program;
Understand the special considerations for the different types of sites;
Understand how to monitor and sample sewage sludge;
Understand how to monitor and sample the soil;
Understand how to monitor and sample surface and groundwater;
Understand how to sample vegetation;
Understand how to transport sewage sludge;
Understand how to store sewage sludge;
Understand the types of land application methods;
Understand how to prepare the site;
Understand how to design the support facilities;
Understand nuisance issues and how to address them;
Understand site safety concerns;
Understand the capital costs for each methods; and
Understand the O&M cists for each method

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this course is any professional who is involved in the design, regulation, installation, operation or maintenance of sewage sludge n treatment systems.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendees of this course will understand how to select, design, install or operate and maintain a land application sewage sludge (biosolids) program will greatly reduce the learning curve for any professional interested in a biosolids land application system.

Course Introduction

With the increasing expense of chemical fertilizers, the land of application of municipal sewage sludge and septage is gaining in popularity. Land application of biosolids is considered an alternative fertilizer application method. The USEPA developed a design manual in the early 1995. The course material presents introductory information required to obtain proficiency in the required subject matter.

Course Content

The associated course materials are contained in an Adobe Acrobat copy of the US EPA publication:

"Process Design Manual: Land Application of Sewage Sludge and Domestic Septage", EPA Document No. EPA/625/K-95/001, September 1995.

Land Application of Biosolids/Septage (PDF file, 105 pages, 1.3 MB)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

This course discusses the elements of a biosolids land application system, provides critical design and installation information and can serve as a reference for anyone interested in becoming involved in the design and application of a biosolids land application system.

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

US Environmental Protection Agency

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.