Section 1.  LAND DISPOSAL
LAND APPLICATION OF WASTEWATERS
UNDER NON-IDEAL CONDITIONS
J. R. Ryan, Research Specialist
T. S. Steenhuis, Assistant Professor
Department of Agricultural Engineering
R. C. Loehr, Director
Environmental Studies Program
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, 14853
INTRODUCTION
This two-part study was undertaken in the fall of 1979 to: (1) evaluate the combined
lagoon-land treatment system of a food processor in New York State, and (2) determine the
feasibdity of treating sauerkraut wastewater with the existing treatment system. Results
from the first part of the study are presented in this paper. Additional monitoring data
are being acquired to evaluate the impact of applying the sauerkraut wastewaters to the land
treatment system.
The food processor currently processes green beans, wax beans and cabbage, and produces canned beans and sauerkraut. Wastewater generated from the bean canning and cabbage cutting operations is screened by two vibrating screens and treated in an aerated lagoon
prior to land application. The storage capacity of the lagoon is 10 mdlion gallons. The land
application site which has been in operation 2 years consists of a 140-acre spray irrigation
field located 2.25 miles from the processing plant.
Wastewaters generated from the sauerkraut canning operations are screened and treated
in the aerated lagoon prior to discharge to a municipal system. A yeast fermentation process
is used to treat the brine generated from the sauerkraut fermentation process prior to discharge to the aerated lagoon. Cooling waters from the canning operations are sent to a cooling tower prior to discharge to nearby creeks. Solid wastes generated in the processing operations are sent to a local landfill. Figure 1 presents a schematic of the waste treatment process.
The land treatment system appeared hydraulically overloaded during the spray season
of 1978 and 1979. Most of the system was initially designed for wastewater application
rates of two to three inches per acre-week. Actual application rates during 1978 and 1979
were slightly greater than one inch per acre-week. Despite the lower application rates, ponding and water tables less than one foot from the ground surface were evidenced during both
spray seasons.
The objectives of this paper are to: (1) evaluate the cause and extent of the hydraulic
limitations observed at the spray field, (2) determine the overaU treatment performance
of the combined preapplication-land treatment system, and (3) discuss the application of
study results to general design criteria for preapplication-land treatment systems.
WASTE CHARACTERISTICS
The wastewater flows vary throughout the processing season and with the product being
packed. Table I summarizes total monthly flows to the lagoon from November 1978 to
November 1979.The bulk of the wastewater flow results from the bean processing operation.