To ensure the continued protection and preservation of the high quality surface and subsurface Pinelands water resources, an amendment to the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP), at NJAC 7:50, took effect August 5, 2002. The new rules, establishing a Pilot Program for Alternative Design Wastewater Treatment Systems, will significantly reduce water pollution from residential septic systems.

The Pilot Program is the culmination of a two year effort, which involved the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Alternative Septic Systems comprised of representatives from the Pinelands Commission, the Pinelands Municipal Council, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the New Jersey Builders Association. The Ad Hoc Committee undertook extensive research to identify emerging onsite treatment technologies with the ability to remove nitrate-nitrogen from domestic wastewater prior to its release to groundwater aquifers. The Committee was assisted in these efforts by DEP=s Bureau of Nonpoint Pollution Control, Commission staff, professional consultants and other state and national experts in the field of advanced onsite wastewater treatment technologies.

"These new rules will result in on-site wastewater treatment systems that are two- to three-times more effective than conventional septic and pressure-dosing systems in reducing nitrate pollution," said Annette Barbaccia, Executive Director of the Pinelands Commission. "Pinelands groundwater resources are at the core of Pinelands protection programs, and this newest effort will help us to better meet and exceed the stringent water quality standards of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan."

Five advanced treatment technologies were selected for inclusion in the Pilot Program. The Commission will require the use of these technologies for all new residences on lots smaller than 3.2 acres. The treated effluent from the treatment units will be dispersed to subsurface disposal fields, which comply with existing NJAC 7:9A standards. Based upon the Pinelands Septic Dilution Model, lots which are larger than 3.2 acres provide adequate dilution of wastewater prior to its release beyond property boundaries.

The technologies utilize innovative microbiological treatment processes to remove nitrate nitrogen from wastewater through biological nitrification and denitrification processes. The technologies selected represent a wide range of treatment mechanisms and include a modified trickling filter, fixed film-activated sludge bio-filters (attached growth), a sequencing batch reactor (suspended growth), and a recirculating sand filter.

Removal of nitrogen from domestic wastewater effluent is considered important, particularly in the Pinelands, for several reasons. Excess nitrate concentrations, above the 10 ppm MCL, in shallow aquifers used for drinking water pose a public health risk due to methemoglobinemia or "Blue-Baby Disease" and have also been implicated in some forms of gastrointestinal cancer. Ecologically, nitrogen in the form of ammonia is toxic to certain aquatic organisms. In the environment, ammonia is oxidized rapidly to nitrate, creating an oxygen demand and low dissolved oxygen in surface waters. Organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen may cause eutrophication problems in nitrogen-limited freshwater lakes and in estuarine and coastal waters. The invasion of non-native plant species in Pinelands aquatic and wetland habitats may also result from excess nitrogen discharges to the Pinelands environment, which naturally contains very low levels of nitrogen.

The Pilot Program requires the systems to be covered under a five year parts and labor warranty and to be regularly serviced by qualified personnel under a renewable, non-cancelable operation and maintenance contract. Treated effluent must be sampled and analyzed by a New Jersey certified laboratory on a quarterly basis during the first three years of operation to confirm conformance to nitrogen discharge limits. The systems will be authorized by the DEP for use within the Pinelands Pilot Program and subject to local administrative authority approval through a generic treatment works approval.

The Pilot Program is a means to test whether these systems can be maintained and operated to meet the water quality standards contained in the CMP in a manner which homeowners can be expected to follow. The Commission will maintain a database in which the analytical results of system monitoring will be compiled. The Pilot Program will assess the operation and maintenance requirements, equipment cost, installation issues, and the overall ability of each technology to meet the objectives of the Pinelands Protection Act. The Commission is working toward developing long term institutional arrangements for system management in accordance with the EPA Guidelines for Management of Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Systems discussed by Dr. Fred Bowers in the Winter 2001 issues of the New Jersey Discharger.

For additional information on the treatment technologies and the requirements of the Pilot Program visit the Commission's web site at www.state.nj.us/pinelands, or contact:

Edward Wengrowski, REHS Wastewater Management Coordinator New Jersey Pinelands Commission

Phone: 609-894-7300 E-mail: wastewater@njpines.state.nj.us