3 Fate of Pathogens During On-site Wastewater Disposal

Bacteria and viruses are present in septic tank effluent at concentrations typically in the range of 105 to 108 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL (Table 1). These are colloid-sized particles that can be immobilized by both filtration and attachment (adsorption) during subsurface flow. The smaller size of viruses (~ 0.1 µm), compared to bacteria (~1 µm) make them less vulnerable to physical filtration, but increases their susceptibility to adsorption (Bales et al., 1995).

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Septic System Impacts on Groundwater Quality Copyright © 2021 by William Robertson. All Rights Reserved.