This article discusses Aerobic Septic System Certifications (Aeration Septic System Certifications) - Fine bubble septic tank aeration septic systems to meet local building or health department requirements and regulations.

Obtaining Approval & Certification of Aerobic Treatment Units

Here are designs and products for aerobic septic treatment units (ATUs) for onsite waste disposal, also called fine bubble aeration systems.

We address aerobic septic system design, features, inspection, repair, and maintenance.

Aerobic septic system equipment & product sources are also listed.

You will want to obtain documentation of the certification and specifications of your aerobic septic system to provide to local authorities during the process of code approval.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Sketch courtesy US EPA.

AEROBIC Septic system treatment units (ATUs) are tested and certified by the National Sanitation Foundation which in turn uses the ANSI/NSF Standard 40 Class I effluent limits as the functional target for the treatment system.

Before buying and installing an aerobic or aeration treatment system you should ask for and review the documentation about the particular product to confirm that it has been properly specified and is certified as meeting the necessary standards.

Of course, even systems that are designed to meet ANSI/NSF Standard 40 Class I effluent limits will not continue to do so unless they are properly installed and properly maintained.

The single most common reason cited for failure of aerobic or aeration septic systems in one major study was lack of proper maintenance.

See AEROBIC ATU SEPTIC FAILURE RATES, COSTS for details.

The sketch shown just above is of an aspirated mixer aerobic system (click for larger image).

Florida Aerobic Septic System Certifications & Regulations

In Florida state law requires proper and regular maintenance of an ATU or Aerobic Septic Treatment Unit. The homeowner requirements are summarized by the Florida Department of health from which we except below.

Maintaining Your Florida ATU - What are the requirements?

The homeowner must maintain a current operating permit for the life of the system. The operating permit must be renewed every two years. and costs $175.00 payable to the Department of Health.

The homeowner must maintain a valid maintenance contract with an approved maintenance entity for the life of the system. The maintenance contract on new construction will initially be good for two years. Subsequent renewals must be good for at least a one-year term for the life of the system. Prices vary depending on the maintenance entity selected and type of system.

Maintenance entity is required to inspect/service the ATU at least two times per year. Inspection reports must be submitted to the Department of Health in Lee County.

The Department of Health must inspect the maintenance and performance of the ATU at least once per year. - source: Florida A4robi Treatment Units, Lee County Department of Health, retrieved 2021/11/16 original source: http://lee.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-health/onsite-sewage-disposal/permits/aerobic-treatment-units.html

In Florida the construction, maintenance, and operation of aerobic septic treatment units or ATUs are regulated by the Florida Department of Health, Environmental Health Section, and by Florida's Administrative Code Section R. 64E-6.012 whose text we provide below as a downloadable PDF.

Florida septic system installers or maintenance companies are required to be registered and approved by the state and must renew that license each year. The state provides training to meet the licensing requirements.

Florida Aerobic Septic Code

• FLORIDA LIST of CERTIFIED AEROBIC TREATMENT UNITS [PDF] as per (Rule 62-6.012, Florida Administrative Code) retrieved 2021/11/16 original source: https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/245Certified Aerobic Treatment Units_2021_1028.pdf
  
  Excerpt: *Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) nitrogen-reducing requirements differentiate between systems with 24 inches of separation between the bottom of the drainfield and
  the wettest season water table (WSWT) and those that do not.
  
  Existing systems (modifications/repairs) installed with less than 24 inches of water table separation between the bottom of the drainfield and the WSWT (as
  allowed per Rule 62-6) must use systems that are capable of at least 65% nitrogen removal. New systems and modifications/repairs installed with at least 24 inches between the bottom of the drainfield and the WSWT may
  use any system capable of at least 50% nitrogen removal to comply with BMAP requirements.

Fla. Admin. Code R. 64E-6.012 - Standards for the Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of Aerobic Treatment Units

Excerpt: When Florida aerobic treatment units are used for treating domestic and commercial sewage waste, each unit shall be installed, operated and maintained in conformance with the provisions cited immediately below:

• FLORIDA 64E-6.012 - STANDARDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF AEROBIC TREATMENT UNITS [PDF]

Also see

• FLORIDA TITLE XXIX Chapter 381.0065 ONSITE SEWAGE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL SYSTEMS; REGULATION [PDF] (2021) retrieved 2021/11/16 / 2026/04/28 original source: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.0065.html

Florida Onsite Sewage System Training Programs

• Contact the Florida Department of Health Training Center, Bureau of Environmental Health, Onsite Sewage Programs 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-08 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1710 Tel: 850-245-4070, Email: AskEH@flhealth.gov Website: http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/onsite-sewage/training/index.html
  
  For information on courses or to register contact:
  Sherrill Parr
  
  Florida Onsite Wastewater Association, Inc.
  PO Box 665
  Winter Haven, FL 33882
  Phone: 863-845-5262
  Fax: 1-877-832-9434
  
  Excerpt: To help fulfill the credentialing and continuing education training needs of onsite wastewater contractors and county health department field staff, the Department of Health staff provide and support training at various locations across the state.
  Much of this training takes place at the Florida Onsite Wastewater Association's Training Center in Polk City, Florida.

Texas Aerobic Septic System Certifications & Regulations

Texas USA limits on aerobic septic system chamber types?

(Mar 10, 2014) ANDY HANCOCK

In TEXAS under the 2012 International Plumbing Code, are there limitations/restrictions for Aerobic 3/4 chamber septic systems? and can the non potable water from these systems be used for plants and food plant irrigation - we only have 18ft above sea level of elevation so these would seem toi be a viable option

Reply:

Andy,

In Texas a common aerobic design permits disposal of effluent by surface spraying as both an evaporative disposal method AND as a surface watering method for lawns; I'm more doubtful about using it for food-plant irrigation;

although some aerobic output is treated to a very high level, perhaps higher than surrounding surface runoff, the history of system maintenance is nothing to brag about - so a poorly-maintained system might end up contaminating food plants. In my OPINION.

...

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Reader questions Aero-Stream marketing

I believe it is misleading to state that the Aero-Stream design is the subject of the Journal of Environmental Quality article referenced above. Nowhere does the article refer to the Aero-Stream product, and apparently it is actually an aerobic system designed by one of the article's authors that was tested. On 2019-05-23 by Mark Callahan

Reply by (mod) - Effects of Aero-Stream aeration on septic systems

Thank you Mark for the comment - and we very much welcome criticism and correction, as fairness and accuracy in reporting are our chief concern.

But I'm a little confused. The article expressly states that it is describing a product **marketed** by Aero-Stream. The original citation is in the References Section of this page. That citation describes the product being marketed.

It was AreoStream who referred us to this study as one supporting their product.

• David A. Potts, Josef H. Grres, Erika L. Nicosia, and Jos A. Amador, "Effects of Aeration on Water Quality from Septic System Leachfields", JEQ: Journal of Environmental Quality 2004 33: 1828-1838. [September issue]
  Copy also provided in HTML at the Journal's website jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/full/33/5/1828
  [http://jeq.scijournals.org/] [or see the Journal's archives at jeq.scijournals.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml]
  ASA-CSSA-SSSA Headquarters at (608)273-8080.
  
  (JEQ http://jeq.scijournals.org/ ) is published by ASA [American Society of Agronomy https://www.agronomy.org/ ], CSSA [possibly the Crop Science Society of American https://www.crops.org/] , and SSSA [The Soil Science Society of America https://www.soils.org/] . Since 1994 it has been published bimonthly; before that (1972-1993) it was published quarterly.
  
  The JEQ editorial board consists of the editor; associate editors; the managing editor; the Headquarters associate or assistant editor or editors working on the journal; the editors-in-chief of ASA, CSSA, and SSSA; the executive vice president; and the director of publications.
  
  Abstract:
  
  We conducted a pilot-scale study at a research facility in southeastern Connecticut to assess the effects of leachfield aeration on removal of nutrients and pathogens from septic system effluent.
  
  Treatments consisted of lysimeters periodically aerated to maintain a headspace O2 concentration of 0.209 mol mol
  1 (AIR) or vented to an adjacent leachfield trench (LEACH) and were replicated three times. All lysim-eters were dosed with effluent from a septic tank for 24 mo at a rate of 12 cm d
  1 and subsequently for 2 mo at 4 cm d
  1.
  
  LEACH lysimeters had developed a clogging mat, or biomat, 20 mo before the beginning of our study.
  
  The level of aeration in the AIR treatment was held constant regardless of loading rate. No conventional biomat developed in the AIR treatment, whereas a biomat was present in the LEACH lysimeters.
  
  The headspace of LEACH lysimeters was considerably depleted in O2 and enriched in CH4, CO2, and H2S relative to AIR lysimeters.
  
  Drainage water from AIR lysimeters was saturated with O2 and had significantly lower pH, five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and ammonium, and higher levels of nitrate and sulfate than LEACH lysimeters regardless of dosing rate. By contrast, significantly lower levels of total N and fecal coliform bacteria were observed in AIR than in LEACH lysimeters only at the higher dosing rate.
  
  No significant differences in total P removal were observed.
  
  Our results suggest that aeration may improve the removal of nitrogen, BOD5, and fecal coliforms in leachfield soil, even in the absence of a biomat.

That said, help me out if you can by suggesting any clarifications on this topic.

How do I learn to install and maintain aerobic septic systems?

I would like to learn to install and maintain these systems as there is only one guy here and he's a pain on the *** On 2018-08-30 by Terry rossell

by (mod)

Commendable, Terry, I don't blame you for avoiding people who are unpleasant.

It's not just the unpleasantness it's that you can expect poor workmanship and resistance to any requests you might have.

You'd start by identifying the brand of aerobic system you have installed,

continue by obtaining all of the installation, operation, and maintenance information that the manufacturer has for that system,

and after reading that, you might discuss training with the manufacturer if they're open to that.

Watch out: some septic system chores involve extremely-dangerous steps that should not be taken without training and that can never be performed alone - for example entering or falling into a septic tank, even just leaning over an open septic tank can mean a quick ugly death.

How do I get an Aerobic Septic System certification in Texas?

Can I get a certification for the state of TEXAS ? On 2020-10-06 by Roberto Cumento

Reply by (mod)

Yes Roberto. Check with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality department of occupational licensing at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/licensing

TCEQ, P.O. Box 13087 , Austin, TX 78711-3087 Tel: 512-239-1000

How do I obtain self certification for my aerobic system?

How do I obtain self certification for my aerobic system? On 2017-12-13 by Jim Avery

Reply by (mod) -

Jim,

The procedure will depend on the country and state or province where you live. So I'd start with the local health department.

In general, your state or province licenses septic system installers and maintenance technicians, and your state or province also maintains a list of aerobic septic system providers whose septic system has met the state's acceptance and certification criteria. Examples of those are above on this page.

Frankly in our OPINION it's not likely that a single private individual would find it feasible nor cost-reasonable to build her own home-made aerobic treatment septic system and then obtain a state certification for that one-off design.

...

Continue reading  at AEROBIC ATU SEPTIC FAILURE RATES, COSTS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• AEROBIC ATU SEPTIC FAILURE RATES, COSTS
• AEROBIC SEPTIC SYSTEMS, ATUs - home page for Aerobic Septic Systems
• AEROBIC Septic System Disinfection with CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE - Use of calcium hypochlorite tablets for aerobic septic systems
• AEROBIC Septic System Disinfection with CHLORINE TABLETS - US EPA declares use of swimming pool chlorine tablets illegal for septic system disinfection
• DESIGN ALTERNATIVES for SEPTIC SYSTEMS

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AEROBIC SEPTIC ATU CERTIFICATIONS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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