WQRF Environmental Impact Study: Water Softener Effects on Septic Tank Performance

Undesser, Pauli

WQRF Environmental Impact Study: Water Softener Effects on Septic Tank Performance

Presented on Thursday, December 5, 2013

Pauli Undesser, CWS-VI, Water Quality Association, Lisle, IL

It is commonly known that septic system failures can negatively impact groundwater quality. In the majority of cases, the cause of failures can be specified for reasons such as poor maintenance, tree root infiltration, unwanted objects in system, hydraulic overloading, and driving or parking over system.

However, there are a small number of cases where septic system professionals cannot identify the cause of failure. Since the 1970’s, water softener discharge into septic systems has been pointed at as a potential cause of these unspecified failures. Research conducted in the late 1970’s put a hold on these allegations for decades, but then in the early 2000’s, the debate resurfaced. Through a WERF water softener workshop held in 2009, new research from industrial activated sludge systems was identified that showed an imbalance in the monovalent to divalent cation ratio (M/D) in wastewater can lead to poor flocculation. The imbalance, typically caused by excessive sodium in relation to calcium and magnesium was explained to lead to poor settling and high effluent suspended solids.

This research spurred conversations between the onsite wastewater industry and water treatment industry to evaluate the effect the M/D ratio may have on onsite system performance for septic systems operated in conjunction with home water softeners. The result of the conversations was a new research project that would evaluate several aspects of water softener operation to determine the impacts on septic tank performance. In this presentation, you will hear the most up-to-date information related to research on water softener effects on septic tank performance showing that appropriate softener settings can be a useful tool for optimizing septic tank performance and effluent water quality.

MP3 Presentation Slides

Pauli Undesser, CWS-VI

Water Quality Association, Lisle, IL

Pauli Undesser is the director of regulatory and technical affairs for the national Water Quality Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in biochemistry from Northern Illinois University. After 12 years of applied laboratory work ranging from wet chemistry and organic chemistry to molecular biology and protein expression, her technical background was applied at the Water Quality Association managing third party certification of drinking water treatment products and developing a toxicology program. In 2010, Undesser transitioned into her current role as director of regulatory and technical affairs.

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