On-Site Wastewater Treatment

Human waste may contain high numbers of a variety of enteric pathogens. Diseases caused by these microorganisms include gastroenteritis, infectious hepatitis, cholera, typhoid, respiratory illness, myocarditis, encephalitis, and endocarditis. When this waste is treated in an on-site wastewater treatment system, such as a septic tank, the potential for contamination of the underlying groundwater exists. There are numerous factors that affect the potential for groundwater contamination by microorganisms in domestic waste, which are discussed herein.