Town Sewer?

Town Sewer?

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

On Friday the Town Sewer Committee met with Paul M. Nikituk, a senior environmental scientist with CH2M HILL in Reston, about the possibility of using an articifial constructed wetland to treat sewage in Washington.

Mr. Nikituk told committee members a wetland removes polutants by slowing down water movement allowing them to settle and by removing nitrogen to grow plants.

He said an artificial wetland could be attractive to wildlife and people and his firm would be interested in developing a proposal for the town. He said the town could even develop part of the project as a park, and it could be used for nature study.

He said the town might consider more than one wetland because the town has several small watersheds. Otherwise it will be necessary to pump, he said. He estimated a total of one to two acres but said a larger area will be needed if there is to be no discharge.

He said artificial wetlands are generally less expensive to operate than conventional sewer plants that require fossil fuels, but they are more land intensive.

Mr. Nikituk said other possibilities include a subsurface flow artificial wetland such as the town of Monterey, Va., has, but that technology is less used today because the water travels through gravel below the surface, and that is Wore expensive.

He also advised against aLemna system, such as was recently installed at the elementary school saying harvesting the duckweed is expensive.

He said septic tanks that are regularly pumped could serve as the primary treatment with the wetland handling only the liquid that normally flows in drainfields.

Member Ed Barton said the town might want to consider a system that could treat septage since none is available in the county. Tipping fees for taking septage could help pay for the plant, he said.

.The Sewer Committee is trying to get all the pieces in place to sent out a request for proposals from engineering

See Sewer, Page A-6