Operational characteristics of a small sewage oxidation lagoon

With the rapidly increasing population in the United States the adequate disposal of sewage has become one of the major technical problems which the sanitary engineer has to solve. In most areas it is no longer acceptable practice to discharge domestic sewage or industrial waste products directly into streams or lakes because of the resulting pollution of the water, which may later be used for drinking or recreational purposes. Many larger cities have, therefore, adopted some method of sewage treatment which renders such wastes safe and unobjectionable before they are discharged into a lake or stream. Most of these methods of sewage treatment, however, are very expensive and require the constant attention of trained personnel. The cost of such sewage treatment facilities is usually prohibitive for small towns of one or two thousand population. Even if a town of this size could afford to pay for a treatment plant they could not provide for adequate operation, and a poorly operated sewage treatment plant may create a bigger nuisance than no treatment of the sewage at all. An important problem, then, is to provide adequate sewage treatment facilities which are especially suited for small towns, camps, or subdivisions. The initial cost of such facilities must be low and the maintenance a minimum. The author believes that sewage oxidation lagoons will, in many cases, be the answer to this problem --Introduction, page 1