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Land Application of Waste — Important Alternative a
Author(s) -
Sheaffer John R.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1979.tb03276.x
Subject(s) - pace , sewage , sewage treatment , quality (philosophy) , subsidy , business , effluent , waste management , environmental planning , environmental science , natural resource economics , engineering , economics , law , political science , geography , philosophy , geodesy , epistemology
Land treatment uses a combination of processes to manage and beneficially use waste water. It represents a revolution in sewage treatment because it (1) transforms sewage treatment from a single purpose activity into a multipurpose activity, (2) changes sewage treatment construction grants from subsidies into investments in the production of food and fiber, and (3) requires the participation of a variety of disciplines to implement successfully. Because it is revolutionary to the sewage treatment field, three situations have developed. First, it is displacing traditional technology at a record‐breaking pace. Second, its logical appeal to thinking decision makers has created a situation in which the policy makers are ahead of many technicians. Third, it is attacked with a fervor heretofore unknown in the sewage treatment field. Land treatment has logged an enviable track record in the United States. Existing systems have produced a high quality effluent at economically competitive prices. In addition, in terms of relative risk, the threat to environmental quality from a land treatment system compares favorably with advanced waste treatment systems.