An Introduction to Wastewater Sludge Disposal for Professional Engineers: 56

The disposal of sludges and septage generated at treatment facilities is an important consideration in the selection and design of such facilities. This chapter provides an overview of current sludge disposal requirements and restrictions. The current EPA Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge became effective March 22, 1993 (40 CFR Part 503). The new standards attempt to unravel problems that heretofore have caused a number of inconsistencies in the use and disposal of wastewater-generated sludges. These standards address three principal sludge issues: land-applied, distributed, or marketed sludge; disposal at dedicated sites or in sludge-only landfills (monofills); and incineration in sludge-only incinerators. The new standards also affect septage disposal. Generally, burial in landfills, either monofils or with municipal wastes, has been found to be the most cost-effective method of disposal.