Filtering Run Off/Old Reservoir Water

[Theoneandonly Z]

Farmers, a friend of mine started up a grow a little of the grid-ish. Meaning that the individual has well water (some of the best) and septic tanks. He does not wish to add this nutrient rich water to his septic system nor to the ground due to leaching and what not.

My question(s): what type of filter can he purchase that will cleanse his water enough to be considered "safe" to return into the environment? Or is their a better method via recycled tire pellets, carbon such as bio char, and sand? (u know, in a 55 gal drum, ran through).

ive talked about regular sediment and carbon filters such as the Tall Boy but im not sure how long those filters would last using a nutrient rich solution. looking for a cost efficient filter that can filter 100+ gallons of water a week in a manageable time. ive came across some commerical filters but the price is pretty crazy for waste water. any input is appreciated.
Z

 

[Ohiofarmer]

Build an "eco filter", you put a whole lot of thick gravel in the bottom of a plastic barrel, then a fine grade stone or pebble, then peat moss layer, sand, then peatmoss again then small pebbles again or medium sized gravel and some kind of debris filter ontop of that if the water has sticks or anything like that in it. There are varying designs, some that incorporate clay and what not, but this is the standard model. This barrel design is very similiar to whats used in "earthship" homes and are being implemented in many permaculture homes in "grey water" systems. After 3 to 6 months of use(depending on the amount of particles in the water) the peat moss and sand are taken out and put into compost piles where the microbes further digest nutrients, making rich fertilizer or soil conditioner. Hope this helps; sounds like your friends got a cool setup and is like minded in looking for nutrient drainage options besides " dump it in the septic"

 

[Theoneandonly Z]

Build an "eco filter", you put a whole lot of thick gravel in the bottom of a plastic barrel, then a fine grade stone or pebble, then peat moss layer, sand, then peatmoss again then small pebbles again or medium sized gravel and some kind of debris filter ontop of that if the water has sticks or anything like that in it. There are varying designs, some that incorporate clay and what not, but this is the standard model. This barrel design is very similiar to whats used in "earthship" homes and are being implemented in many permaculture homes in "grey water" systems. After 3 to 6 months of use(depending on the amount of particles in the water) the peat moss and sand are taken out and put into compost piles where the microbes further digest nutrients, making rich fertilizer or soil conditioner. Hope this helps; sounds like your friends got a cool setup and is like minded in looking for nutrient drainage options besides " dump it in the septic"

thanks ohio, this is what ive been leaning towards. the only downfall is the labor of changing/cleaning parts of a biofilter. my buddy has a medical condition that really puts him down and out any given day, so i know a "labor-free" filter would suit him best. but then that brings in more of a cost. damn trade-offs

edit to add - i like ur "recipe" for the bio filter. have u had a chance to test this outta curiosity?

 

[Ohiofarmer]

thanks ohio, this is what ive been leaning towards. the only downfall is the labor of changing/cleaning parts of a biofilter. my buddy has a medical condition that really puts him down and out any given day, so i know a "labor-free" filter would suit him best. but then that brings in more of a cost. damn trade-offs

edit to add - i like ur "recipe" for the bio filter. have u had a chance to test this outta curiosity?

yep i've tested it and it definatly works; however i hav never tested it with sythetic nutrient run off so can't really give input there. When it's fresh peat moss and sand it'll get the water down too 100 ppms, maybe 200 ppm if dirtier, there are more effective bio filter designs online, that i'm sure could get the water cleaner, but for me the limited amount of work and time i put into mine was well worth gettin it down to the 100 ppm range; However if your using all organics there are far better ways of making use of the run-off that i have learned now then filtering it and putin it in the septic.

 

[Seamaiden]

Farmers, a friend of mine started up a grow a little of the grid-ish. Meaning that the individual has well water (some of the best) and septic tanks. He does not wish to add this nutrient rich water to his septic system nor to the ground due to leaching and what not.

My question(s): what type of filter can he purchase that will cleanse his water enough to be considered "safe" to return into the environment? Or is their a better method via recycled tire pellets, carbon such as bio char, and sand? (u know, in a 55 gal drum, ran through).

ive talked about regular sediment and carbon filters such as the Tall Boy but im not sure how long those filters would last using a nutrient rich solution. looking for a cost efficient filter that can filter 100+ gallons of water a week in a manageable time. ive came across some commerical filters but the price is pretty crazy for waste water. any input is appreciated.
Z

Honestly, I would dilute it and use it. If it's dilute enough it should not pose any kind of issue to the biota in his area, and it's far more efficient than trying to filter it first.

I would expect chemical filtration, such as carbon, to last as long with that as it does in a saltwater environment, which is roughly a month or so, depending on a few factors such as salinity (ppm/TDS/EC), biological activity within the media, media quality, etc.

 

[Jalisco Kid]

evaporation works if the weather is favorable. Feedin the land is good except what is he going to do in 8 moths when everything is saturated. It depends on how much land there is I guess.
There might be a way to lock up all nutrients and have them precipitate. One of my famous patients must have perfected this by now. JK

 

[Cort]

I live in a dry climate where plants need lots of water. Id not hesitate to build up a secondary irrigation system for my ornamental. I did it with RO runoff with great success, but I think I'd have to spread out nute water lots further than my few plants to avoid the salting, lockouts and ground water leaching if doing it in quantity.