THE SEPTIC TANK.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 347, 25 March 1911, Page 6

THE SEPTIC TANK.

The septic tank on a large scale is getting severe criticism by the "Journal of the A.M.A.," and according to that magazine, the v-jgue of the tankis well nigh over. The belief that septic sewage was more easily purified by contact beds has not been justified. Evidence is to hand that it is harder to treat than crude sewage, and is in a less favourable condition for further destruction than crude sewage. The main advantage of septic tank treatment was the lessening of the quantity of sediment. Experiments conducted in Boston and Gloversville in the United States, point to the treating of the crude sewage over trickling beds on the distribution systems possessing superior advantages. On the whole, then, it may be said that apart from the advantages that may also be obtained by simple sedimentation (four hours or less), the septic tank has little to recommend it. The slightly increased digestion of sludge is in a large degree counterbalanced by the added difficulty of treating the septic effluent. The prevaiing opinion among students of the sewage disposal problem is that there is no substantial gain from retaining sewage in tanks until decomposition has set it, but that on the contrary the practice is often distinctly disadvantageous as compared with mechanical sedimentation for a brief period.