7 Fate of Phosphorus in Septic System Plumes
The fate of phosphorus in septic system plumes is dependent on acidity of water in the unsaturated zone and reactions involving phosphorus minerals. The first two, short, subsections of this section provide the most common chemical reactions that are relevant to acidity of unsaturated zone water and precipitation of minerals in the unsaturated zone that contribute to removal of phosphorus from the water. Section 7.1 describes how acid is buffered in the unsaturated zone and Section 7.2 describes common precipitation reactions involving phosphorus. The fate of phosphorus is discussed in Section 7.3.