SAND FILTRATION OF WASTEWATER FROM
MILITARY VEHICLE WASHING FACILITIES
E. Lubieniecki, Jr., Environmental Engineer
C. Watson, Aquatic Biologist
M. J. Staub, Research Biologist
J. E. Matherly, Environmental Engineer
Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Department of the Army
Champaign, Illinois 61820
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) has been conducting research and development studies related to the control of water pollution
originating in motor vehicle maintenance areas at Army Installations. It is estimated that
the total volume of effluent produced at these facdities is greater than 20 bdlion liters
(5.5 billion gal) per year. This wastewater contains a vast array of pollutants including
vehicle lubricants and cleaning compounds, as well as suspended solids. The majority of
these installations discharge their effluent to the surface storm drainage system.
Government regulatory agencies have recently established effluent standards for these
discharges making future mitigation mandatory. To comply, CERL has been evaluating
the potential for utilizing a treatment process involving intermittent sand filtration.
The results of previous studies have been encouraging [ 1 ]. The treatment system involves
filtration of settled effluent through ungraded sand beds in a cyclic pattern of dosing
and "resting" periods. This latter stage encourages slow influent percolation as well as
extensive bed reaeration. If found acceptable, such a process would provide a low
maintenance, low energy consuming treatment scheme for these wastewaters.
Evaluation studies of this proposed system have been in progress on site at Fort
Carson, Colorado, for almost a year. The purpose of this paper is to describe CERL's
pilot treatment process and present the preliminary results.
WASTEWATER CHARACTERISTICS
The cleaning and maintenance of mUitary vehicles is routinely performed by Army
personnel in motor pool areas (Figure 1). Effluent from such areas has historically been
discharged directly to the surface storm water system with little or no prior treatment.
Figure 1. Washing activities at vehicle
maintenance area.
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