Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2007 - (Page 41) WASTEWATER Ozark Mountain Remedy Presurized wastewater system has a track record of success for Greers Ferry Lake, a lakeside resort. By Jon Wurtmann F rom the moment of its completion decades ago, Greers Ferry Lake became one of the region’s most desirable destinations. But its scenic slopes and thin mountain soils demanded an innovative solution to handle the sanitary waste of its popular resort community. A favorite watery playground in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Greers Ferry Lake, is located in the north-central portion of the state, which is about 75 miles north of the capital in Little Rock, two hours south of Branson, Missouri, and three hours from Memphis, Tennessee. The lake was formed by Greers Ferry Dam which was completed in July 1964. The 40,000-acre lake accommodates boaters and the fishing is superb throughout the year. Its pristine waters hold record stocks of game fish, such as rainbow trout, walleye, channel catfish, largemouth bass, white bass, and bream. Capitalizing on its popularity, the building of Fairfield Bay along the north shore began in 1965 as a resort and retirement community mostly as a summer destination. Since that time, it has evolved into a 16,000-lot development with 2,460 permanent residents and thousands of seasonal visitors. The resort offers two top-flight golf courses, tennis and fitness centers, a shopping district, a full-service marina, horseback riding, hiking trails, geological wonders, camping, lake cruises, and accommodations, plus great water sports. There is even a Harris Cup professional miniature golf course. But Fairfield Bay is also sited in a mountainous area, with elevation grinder pumps due to prior experience at other Fairfield communities, installation costs, versatility (the amount of head they could pump), and the ease of repairs. At the Heart of the System The low-pressure sewer system is simple, environmentally sensitive, and economical. At each home site, an E/One sewage grinder pump is installed into the ground, with an access lid for service. These compact pumps – smaller than a washing machine – process the waste into a fine slurry and pump it under pressure into pipes that lead uphill or horizontally to a sewer main. Because of the pressure generated by the pumps, they are able to lift sewage nearly 150 feet vertically, or more than a mile and a half horizontally. “With our shallow soil, a pressure system is actually less expensive than a gravity system, because it uses contourhugging small diameter pipes buried just below the frostline,” Tyer says. The grinder pump tank is made from tough, corrosion-resistant high density polyethylene (HDPE), features capacities of up to 500 gallons, and can accommodate flows from 700 to 6000 gallons per day. The pump is automatically activated. Because it runs infrequently and for very short periods, its annual electric energy consumption is typically that of a 40 watt light bulb. According to manufacturers, E/One grinder pumps require little or no preventive maintenance and boast an average mean time of 10 years between changes of approximately 650 feet with three major drainage basins. Add to that equation shallow clay soils, and you have the formula for challenging wastewater issues. “We’ve got a real depth-to-rock problem here” says John Tyer, Utilities Manager for Fairfield Bay Community Club. “There’s only about three to four feet of soil before you hit bedrock in most places.” Pressured for a Decision As the community’s build-out progressed through the 1960s, septic system failures became more prevalent and bad installations led to major problems. In 1977 a moratorium on septic permits was threatened by the state unless a remediation process was approved. It was immediately apparent that central sewer was the only viable option. The community borrowed on the good experience of a sister community, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, which had good luck with pressure sewer systems. It selected Environment One (E/One) as the supplier of sewage www.SLDTonline.com 41 http://www.SLDTonline.com
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