Source:- http://www.whoindia.org/LinkFiles/Publications_Water_Sanitation_Chapter12.

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12.14 Septic Tanks
Septic tanks are commonly used in houses with more people and for
institutions such as schools hospitals and for small communities. The septic
tank, in conjunction with its effluent disposal system, offers many
of the advantages of conventional sewerage. However, septic tank systems
are more expensive than most other on-site sanitation systems and are
unlikely to be affordable by the poorer people. Hence, it may
be Ideal for institutions, hostels and community halls. Many problems with
septic tank systems arise because inadequate consideration is given to the
disposal of the effluent from the septic tank.
12.15 Operation and maintenance
The settled material forms a layer of sludge at the bottom of the tank which
must be removed by desludging periodically. This mostly depends upon the
retention time, the inlet and outlet arrangements and the frequency of
desludging. Organic matter in the sludge and scum layers is broken down
by anaerobic bacteria with a considerable amount of organic matter being
converted into water and gases. Sludge at the bottom of the tank is
consolidated owing to the weight of liquid and solids above.
12.15.1 Stabilization of liquids
As per a study the liquid in the septic tank undergoes biochemical changes.
It was found that although 80-90% of Hookworm and Ascaris eggs were
removed by the septic tanks, in absolute terms very large numbers of
viable eggs were still in the effluent, with 90% of effluent samples
containing viable eggs. Since the effluent from septic tanks is anaerobic
and likely to contain large numbers of pathogens which can be a potential
source of infection, it should not be used for crop irrigation nor should it be
discharged into canals or surface-water drains and should be disposed
through dispersion trenches or soak away pits.
12.16 Design principles
The guiding principles in designing a septic tank are:
to provide sufficient retention time for the sewage in the tank to allow
separation of solids and stabilization of liquid;

 to provide stable quiescent hydraulic conditions for efficient settlement

and flotation of solids;
to ensure that the tank is large enough to store accumulated sludge and
scum;
to ensure that no blockages are likely to occur and that there is adequate
ventilation of gases;
provision for effluent disposal.
A sewage retention time of 48 hours is assumed to be sufficient. In theory,
improved settlement results from a longer retention time, although the
maximum rate of settlement is usually achieved within the first few hours.
The minimum capacity required for 48 hours liquid retention is:
A = P x q liters, where
A = required volume for 48 hours liquid retention;
P = number of people served by the tank;
q = sewage flow per person (liters per person per day x 2 for two days).
Volume for sludge and scum storage
B=PxNxFxS
Where
B = the required sludge and scum storage capacity in liters;
N = the number of years between desludging (often 2-5 years; more
frequent desludging may be
assumed where there is a cheap and reliable emptying service);
F = a factor which relates the sludge digestion rate to temperature and the
desludging interval, as shown in Table 12;
S = the rate of sludge and scum accumulation which may be taken as 25
liters per person per year for tanks receiving water closet waste only,
The total capacity of the tank (C) is:
C = A + B liters tank may be divided into two or more compartments by
baffle walls.
Most settlement and digestion may occur in the first compartment with
some suspended materials carried forward to the second. The following
guidelines can be used to determine the internal dimensions of a
rectangular tank.
The depth of liquid above the tank floor to the outlet pipe invert should not
be less than 1.2 m; a depth of at least 1.5 m is preferable. In addition a
clear space of at least 300 mm should be left between the water level and
the under-surface of the cover slab.
The width should be at least 600 mm as this is the minimum space in
which a person can work when building or cleaning the tank. Some codes
of practice recommend that the length should be 2 or 3 times the width.

 These guidelines give the minimum size of tank. There is no disadvantage

in making a tank bigger than the minimum capacity. It may be cheaper to
build larger tanks. The tank can be raised above the ground level
depending upon the water table. Accordingly, the squatting platform can be
raised proportionately.
12.16.1 The tank floor
Some codes of practice recommend that the floor of a septic tank should
slope downwards towards the inlet. There are two reasons: firstly, more
sludge accumulates near the inlet, so a greater depth is desirable;
secondly, the slope assists movement of sludge towards the inlet during
desludging. For a two-compartment tank, the second compartment should
have a horizontal floor and the first compartment may slope at a gradient of
1 in 4 towards the inlet. When calculating the tank volume, it should be
assumed that the floor is horizontal at the higher level. The effect of sloping
the floor provides extra volume.

Septic Tank with soakaway pit