On-Lot Disposal System Rehabilitation
Wrentham, Massachusetts
The Maples Nursing Home was determined by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) and the local Board of Health to have an existing on-lot wastewater disposal system that was failing and out of compliance with Title 5, thereby requiring a groundwater discharge permit and treatment plant.
BETA provided design, construction management, and startup services for a 22,000 gpd wastewater treatment system to replace the failed on-lot system. Since the site is located in the Town’s groundwater protection district for the public drinking water supply (an approved Zone II), a treatment technology that could comply with MADEP’s most stringent groundwater discharge standards and provided a high degree of reliability was needed.
A membrane bioreactor system with enhanced nitrogen removal capabilities, ultraviolet disinfection, and odor control was selected. The comparatively small footprint of this alternative allowed it to be installed inside a small building designed to blend in with the architecture of nearby buildings.
Special features of this project included a hydrogeological investigation and a groundwater mounding analysis of the effluent discharge.
The project was financed through a loan obtained from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).