Cassidy Project – Stanley, Idaho
When Sean Flynn with Galena Engineering of Ketchum, Idaho came to us with a sensitive site in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountain Range, we jumped at the chance to help protect one of Idaho’s premiere recreational resources, the Salmon River. Located just northeast of the small outdoor recreation hub of Stanley, Idaho, this property had recently sold, and the new owners wanted to make improvements to include a main lodge, additional cabin, barn and bunkhouse. As planned, each structure is connected to concrete water tight septic tanks provided by Jerome Precast. The tanks would not only provide first stage solids separation and treatment of sewage from each building, but using Orenco high head effluent pumps inside Biotube pump vaults, the settled effluent would be transferred to a centrally located primary treatment packaged system.
Orenco’s AdvanTex treatment package system was the first choice for this pristine site. Using packed bed, attached growth technology, the AdvanTex process is quick to recover from long periods of inactivity and cold temperatures which are likely to occur at this location. After a substantial reduction in cBOD, TSS and total nitrogen, the treated effluent is delivered to a series of 1500 gallon Orenco fiberglass dose tanks for storage and pressure dosing to the newly constructed drainfield system.
Both the 1500 gallon dose tanks and AdvanTex treatment packaged system were preassembled and delivered by R.C. Worst & Co. to the jobsite. Due to year around high groundwater conditions on the property, the chance of infiltration into this system through leaky system components is very high. Additional and unaccounted for flow can quickly destroy the delicate biological balance in even the best treatment package and drainfield system. Although a little more expensive, Orenco’s fiberglass tanks are an excellent choice because they are both structurally sound and extremely water-tight. Each tank was assembled and tested for water tightness at our facility in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and therefore, the chance of leakage was eliminated. Commonly connected, both tanks act as one large dose tank whereby providing excellent drainfield dose control as well as system surge suppression in the event that property occupancy reaches short peak periods. Because the drainfield system was located off-site on an adjacent easement, treatment and drainfield liquid dose control and monitoring were a primary design concern.
To accurately control and monitor treatment and drainfield pump operation, the
Orenco TCOM control panel technology was selected. The TCOM panel logs system pumping information to provide up-to-the minute information if needed. The operator of this system has the ability to pinpoint a specific day in the system’s history and determine pump run times and therefore total daily flow through the treatment and soil disposal systems. All of this information is made available remotely using the TCOM’s telephone and personal computer based interface. Any information about the system operation can be gathered from the comfort of the operator’s office or home computer, eliminating the need for costly visits to the site for minor adjustments.
Infiltrator Quick 4 chambers were selected to provide excellent soil infiltration of the treated wastewater as well as providing a substantial reduction in installation labor over more conventional drainfield products. The drainfield system is pressure dosed using a high head effluent pump installed in the down-stream dose tank. Due to extreme cold winter temperatures, the drainfield distribution laterals were designed and installed to drain after each dose.
Complicated projects are not successful without an excellent team of players to keep them on track and on time. Jay Ferris of Ferris Excavation helped to create an environment of collaboration and cooperation from start to finish. His attention to detail and vast installation experience was a huge asset to this project. Dave TengesDal of
Sawtooth Valley Builders helped to coordinate the project and asked the right questions while the things progressed. Early on, Sean Flynn of Galena Engineering, Inc. coordinated the necessary design and permitting requirements to provide a comprehensive solution that made environmental as well as economical sense.
This project provided an excellent opportunity to replace an old and outdated septic system with treatment and disposal technology that is sure to provide valuable protection for the Salmon River Watershed for many years to come.