Laserfiche WebLink
5.3 Description of all current on-site sources of nitrate to soil and groundwater and the <br />contribution of nitrate load from these sources to the project site: The only source of <br />nitrates stem from the existing septic system in use by an existing parcel for industrial uses. The <br />existing septic system was considered for when determining the approximate nitrate <br />concentration the site could expect with the proposed development. <br />5.4 Discussion of all proposed future on-site sources of nitrate to soil and groundwater and <br />the contribution of nitrate load from these sources to the project site: The existing use for <br />this site is industrial. The proposed site expects to have 40-45 employees. Assuming 45 <br />employees from 6:00 am— 8:00 pm and that an industrial site would generate 25 gals/person/day <br />when a cafeteria is provided. The expected value of generated liquid waste is 609.4 gals/day. <br />This project site can sustain this flow as shown on the included calculations. <br />The average total nitrogen concentration of domestic wastewater is about 20-85 mg/L-N, <br />although 35-45 mg/L-N is a better approximation (Crites and Tchnobanglous). The value <br />selected for this site was 35 mg/L-N. <br />The site will experience a process of denitrification as the soil naturally treats surface material <br />through natural forms. Denitrification is a process that occurs when bacteria uses oxygen in the <br />nitrate (NO3) and release nitrogen (N2) into the atmosphere. Denitrification can be variable to <br />the type of soils, chemical properties, moisture content and other variables. Based on the sandy <br />loams on site and the high percolation rates, this site's soil has low levels of denitrification. <br />Denitrification is an important process which occurs with the leach field whereby certain bacteria <br />utilize the oxygen in the nitrate(NO3) and release nitrogen gas (N2) to the atmosphere. <br />Denitrification is expressed as a percentage, and the normally accepted range is 10 percent to 35 <br />percent. Soils with higher clay content, moist soil conditions, high pH, and organic material <br />denitrify by about 35 percent, and soils with high sand content and fast percolation rates are <br />estimated to denitrify at a lower rate, about 10 percent to 15 percent. <br />A denitrification factor of 25 percent was used for the Site. <br />5.5 Calculate mass balance of nitrogen loading considering all potential sources identified <br />using .Hanztch/Finnemore equation: <br />Using the data mentioned within this report and the attached Soil Suitability Report, the mass <br />balance of nitrogen loading for this site was calculated, this was done using Hanztch/Finnemore <br />formula. Based on the Hanztch/Finnemore equation this 19.93 acre site would contain a Nitrate <br />Load (Nc) of 2.29 mg/L-N. The maximum volume the site can handle is approximately 3600 <br />gal/day, a flow surpassing that amount could cause an impact to the site's nitrate load and surpass <br />the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10.0 mg/L-N for Nitrate in drinking water. <br />