United States
                  Environmental Protection
                  Agency           	
Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory
Ada, OK 74820
                  Research and Development
EPA/600/S1 -90/006  July 1990
SEPA         Project  Summary
                   Performance  Evaluation at a
                   Long-Term  Food Processing
                   Land Treatment Site
                   Dante J. Tedaldi and Raymond C. Loehr
                   The objective of this project was to
                  determine the performance of a full-
                  scale,  operating overland flow land
                  (OLF) treatment system treating non-
                  hazardous waste. Performance  was
                  evaluated in terms of treatment of the
                  applied waste and the environmental
                  impact of the system, particularly on
                  surface and  ground water quality.
                  Performance data were obtained from
                  the Campbell Soup (Texas), Inc. OLF
                  system in Paris, TX,  which has been
                  in operation  for over 24  years. Field
                  samples of  soil, wastewater,  OLF
                  runoff, and ground  water collected
                  during the project and  long-term
                  process  records  maintained  by
                  Campbell Soup were used as part of
                  the evaluation.  The  long-term
                  operation and  performance  data
                  indicated that the OLF system
                  consistently  achieved a very high
                  level of treatment and pollutant
                  removal,  from a surface discharge
                  standpoint. Removals of  BOD5, COD,
                  TOC, and TSS have been consistently
                  high with  mean individual pollutant
                  removals of  >92% (mass basis) and
                  >93% (concentration basis).  Total
                  nitrogen removals were  between 84
                  and  89%. Effluent mass discharges
                  have  remained well  within  the
                  regulatory limitations for suspended
                  solids and BOD5 over the  24 years
                  that the site  has been in operation.
                  Although the accumulation of  zinc
                  and  nickel was  evident,  the
                  cumulative soil  concentrations  (200
                  kg/ha and 85 kg/ha) were well below
                  EPA recommended limits (1,120 kg/ha
                  and 560 kg/ha) and several hundred
                  years of continued  site use may be
expected at present average loading
rates (3 kg/d and 0.2 kg/d). The OLF
site was underlain by several meters
of a heavy  inorganic  clay (Bonham
Formation).  A semiconfined aquifer,
partially confined from  above by the
Bonham Formation clays  and slowly
recharged by downward  leakage of
treated wastewater and precipitation
through the Bonham Formation exists
below the OLF  site. The aquifer is
confined from below by  the dense,
fissile shale of the Eagle Ford Group.
Ground water below the OLF site was
moderately saline   due  to   the
presence  of  sodium, calcium,
magnesium, chloride, and sulfate. No
purgeable  or extractable organics
were  detected. Geochemical  data
indicated that sulfate-chloride fades
were dominant for the  ground water
collected at three monitoring wells at
the OLF site and for  lysimeter data
collected  in 1968. A pattern  of
increasing  ionic composition  over
time (1968  to 1989) with relatively
small  changes  in  ionic  ratios
suggested  a  trend  toward  the
dissolution (due to the infiltration of
large volumes of treated wastewater)
and concentration  of naturally
present minerals (in the  soil) in the
relatively slow moving groundwater.
  This Project  Summary  was
developed by EPA's Robert S. Kerr
Environmental Research  Laboratory,
Ada, OK, to  announce key findings of
the research project  that is  fully,
documented in  a separate report off
the same title  (see Project Report
ordering information at back).

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Introduction
  The Resource  Conservation  and
Recovery  Act (RCRA)  Amendments of
1984 require the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to assess the
adequacy  of current federal programs to
protect  human  health   and  the
environment  from  mismanagement  of
non-hazardous and  unlisted  hazardous
wastes. Because   the land disposal
options  of concern  for listed  hazardous
wastes include landfills, land  treatment,
waste piles,  surface impoundments and
salt domes, the EPA evaluation of RCRA
Subtitle D  unlisted wastes includes these
options.  As  a result,  information  is
needed to support EPA activities related
to the evaluation of Subtitle D wastes.
  The EPA Office of Solid  Waste (OSW)
has assessed the  extent of land disposal
for  Subtitle   D industrial  wastes.  The
assessment  indicated  that at least  145
million metric  tons of  industrial  non-
hazardous waste (35% of all such waste)
are managed  by on-site landfills, surface
impoundments and land application. The
OSW  assessment  also  indicated
significant missing information, especially
data related to the performance achieved
when such disposal options  are used.
Much of the  available data were over  10
years old and little information  existed  on
the  impact  that  such operating  land
disposal options have on  human health
and the environment.

Objectives
  The primary objective of this project
was to determine the  performance  of a
full-scale,  operating  overland flow (OLF)
land treatment  facility  treating non-
hazardous waste. Performance was to  be
evaluated  in  terms of pollutant reduction
and removal from the applied  waste and
the environmental impact of the system,
particularly surface  and  groundwater
quality.  Performance data  were to  be
obtained from a land  treatment system
that had been operating for an extended
period of time to permit the evaluation of
long-term performance trends.

OLF Site Description
  The Campbell Soup (Texas), Inc.  OLF
treatment system located in Paris, Texas,
was  utilized for all research described in
this  report. The  plant processes about
one  billion cans of  soup per year and
employs about 1,600  people.  The site
has about  364 hectares (700 ac) that are
being used  for the land  treatment  of
vegetable  processing wastewater by the
OLF  method. About  16,000 cubic
meters/day (4.25 mgd)  are  handled in
this  manner.   Only  the  vegetable
processing!  and  can  preparation
wastewaters are applied to the site. All
sanitary wastewaters from the plant are
discharged tb the Paris, Texas, municipal
wastewater freatment  plant.  In  addition,
all storm water and can cooling water are
handled  separately  and  discharged
directly to surface streams.
  The size of the land treatment system
has increased  over the  years.  The
original site (1964)  consisted of 120 ha
(300   ac). Three  expansions  have
occurred:  each  of approximately  80 ha
(200 ac).  Trje expansions resulted  in a
total of 365 ha (900  ac) being included in
the OLF system. Not all of the  site is
available for!  wastewater treatment  and
over 485  ha (1,200 ac) comprise  the
entire site.  \
  The original  fields  have  been in
operation  the longest, since  the 1960's.
The second set of fields began  to be
used in the early 1970's and  in the  late
1970's the thjrd set  of fields began to be
used.  This allowed the opportunity to
evaluate soiljs'that have* received wastes
for different time periods.
  About 1.5J cm  (hydraulic  application
rate) of wastewater are applied to  the
wetted  acre'age  each  day.   Prior to
application, tne wastewater is screened to
remove large  solids,  and  grease is
skimmed.  The  plant  and  the land
treatment  site   operate all  year.  No
storage is used. The  wastewater is
pumped directly from a  375-cubic meter
sump (100,000-gallon) and is applied by
spray nozzles that have a spray diameter
of 30 m (150, ft). The overland flow slopes
are about 55im (170 ft) in length.,
  The  soils ^t site are  clays and  sandy
clay loams. ^ semiconfined aquifer exists
below the  site. Depth to this aquifer from
the ground surface  varies.between 5 m
and 10 m (15 to 30 ft). The vegetation on
the  land  treatment site  is Reed canary
grass  and [tall  fescue. The  crop is
harvested 2 to 3 times per year and used
as forage in the local area.
  The  Paris,[Texas site was evaluated in
considerable! detail in the late 1960's.  The
early  research focused  on the surface
hydrology  and treatment performance of
the system. |These early studies served
as sources of basic information and as
"background" data.  In addition, many of
the CampbeII Soup personnel and  the
RSKERL personnel who were involved in
the earlier research  were still active  and
were able to  participate in this project.
Thus, considerable  "historical  memory"
and knowledge about the plant, available
data and the operation of the OLF system |
was available to the project.
  Campbell Soup agreed to cooperate asl
actively as possible in the study, to assist!
with the sampling that  was performed!
and to  provide  the  available  historical!
operational and other data. This included I
available wastewater characteristic  data,!
effluent monitoring  data  and  weatherl
data.  The wastewater data represented!
the material from the sump and therefore!
the characteristics of the wastewaterl
actually applied to  the  site. Such datal
had been collected approximately  twice!
per  month  for  10 years.  In  addition,!
effluent monitoring  data  have   beenl
collected three times a week for 10 years
and daily  climatological  data covering a|
15-year period were available.

Raw Waste Characteristics
  Comprehensive records  of raw  waste I
characteristics  and flow,  covering the
period between  1977 and  1988,  were
made available by  Campbell  Soup  for
this research. Composite samples  were
collected from  the  sump several  times
each  month  (two to three composite
samples) and typically were analyzed  for
BOD5, COD,  oil  and grease, TSS,  VSS, [
chloride, and  sulfate.
  Application rates  (wetted  area basis)
have  varied  substantially  over the  24 |
years of operation; however, statistical
analyses  of  the cumulative  raw  data
revealed that waste  characteristics and
mass loading were  relatively  constant
over the 10-year period of record.
  The  sump  wastewater characteristics
for the 10-year period between  1977 and
1988 are  summarized in  Table  1.
Comparison  of  several  of  these
parameters with values reported from the
1960s  indicated that  most  values  from
the 1960's data were within  or very near
the limits  of 95% confidence  intervals
about the mean of the 1977-1988 data. In
general,  it  appeared  that waste
characteristics have remained  relatively
constant without significant deviation from
the mean  over the  life of the  site. This
constancy permitted direct  comparisons
to be  made of process performance over
the 25-year period of operation.

OLF System Performance
  Because  Federal and  State regulatory
limitations have been established for flow,
BOD5 and  TSS loads discharged  from
the Paris, Texas site, an evaluation  of the
degree of compliance within these  limits
served  as a  convenient and  common
measure of  system performance.   Daily
average waste  loading values  (monthly

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Table 1. Long-Term Mean Wastewater Concentrations and Loading to OLF Site Period: 1977-1988
Wastewater Mean Standard Deviation. Standard Deviation,
Parameters Concentration, mg/L mg/'L Mean Load kg/d kg/d
BODg
COD
Oil/Grease
TSS
VSS
cr
SO42'
NH4*-N
Org-N
NO3-N
NO2-N
Total-P
Sodium
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Iron
Manganese
Aluminum
Zinc
Strontium
550
1,190
125
425
370
66
40
0.7
27
0.33
0.03
6
47
24
45
4.0
0.71
0.04
0.72
0.17
0.08
210
520
80
210
200
47
40
0.7
27
0.33
0.03
6
16
12
24
1.4
0.41
0.03
0.63
0.11
0.08
8.950
19,600
2,170
7,085
6.330
1,060
633
13
480
6
0.4
91
760
390
725
65
11
1
12
3
3
4.100
9,555
1,345
3,730
3.640
780
320
9
178
10
0.2
39
255
195
380
22
7
1
10
2
1
 means) over the period  between  1974
 and 1988 indicated that the water quality
 in  Smith Creek  (representing  the
 combined flow of OLF runoff and natural
 stream  flow  from  offsite)  was
 continuously well below regulatory limits.
 A  summary  of these data  (Table 2)
 illustrates  the  exemplary  permit
 compliance achieved by the OLF system.
   Mass balances were made around  the
 Paris, Texas land treatment  site using
 daily upstream  and  downstream  (Smith
 Creek)  flow and concentration  data; and
 daily raw  waste  flow and  concentration
 data supplied  by  Campbell  Soup.
 Because  no monthly or seasonal trends
 were observed for either raw wastewater
 loading  or in-stream loading   in  Smith
 Creek,  the daily data were used for the
 mass balance calculations.
   Since the  actual  land treatment site
 runoff was not measured, an assumption
 of the applied  wastewater  that  was
 discharged  as  runoff  was   needed.
 Previous research  has  shown  that  the
 runoff percentage at the Paris, Texas site
 varied seasonally, between 44 and 72%;
. with 60% as the  mean.  In   addition,
variation in  application  rate, wetted
acreage and  soil  properties  could  have
also affected the runoff percentage.
Therefore, it was assumed that a value of
60% was a  suitable estimate for the
percentage of runoff flow. As  a result, the
concentration  values  shown  in  Table  3
are not exact, but are estimates  which
provide an approximation  of the overall
system performance.
  The  data in Table 3 indicate that  mass
removal and concentration  change
percentages  for  all parameters  are
generally in  excess  of  90%. The data
from 1969 show excellent agreement with
the estimated  values  from  the 1977-1988
period. Thus, it  appears  that  process
performance  remained relatively  stable
and a high  degree  of efficiency  was
maintained over the entire 24-year life of
the system.

Soils
  Soil  samples were  collected at specific
wastewater application areas and at one
location onsite  which  had not  been
subjected to  wastewater application. The
soil properties within this  "control"  area
provided  a comparative measure for the
evaluation of the  long-term  impacts of
wastewater application on  soils within the
treatment  area.  In  addition,  where
appropriate  data were available,  direct
comparisons of soil  properties were
made  between  recently  collected
samples and previously published results
for the Paris, Texas site.  The soils were
analyzed for organic carbon, pH, cation
exchange  capacity,  24 metals,  and
chloride and sulfate.
   Several statistically  significant (p <
0.05) trends were discerned  for the total
metal soil concentration  data  and the
calculated  pore water concentrations.
With  respect  to  the  control  area,
accumulation  of  organic  carbon,
potassium,  magnesium, zinc, and nickel
in the soil at the wastewater application
areas were evident, as well as leaching of
calcium, sodium,  and sulfate  and
possibly chloride,  zinc,  and  nickel.
Neither  accumulation nor  leaching of
chromium was evident.
   Although the accumulation of zinc and
nickel was evident, the accumulation was
so  small that several hundred  years of

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                       Table 2. Effluent Loads in Smith Creek and Permit Limitations
                                                      \

                            Parameter3          Mean Load
                      95% Confidence
                          Interval
                              eoD5
                               rss
                               vss
         80

        445

        190
 71
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                      Table 4. Groundwater Quality at Campbell Soup Site: Mean Values and Standard
                              Deviation3
                           Constituent13
       MW-1
                                                                  MW-2
                      3Mean values and standard deviation.
                      h All units in mg/L, except pH.
                      cSingle analysis performed.
                      dRange provided for pH.
                                                                                    MW-3
Calcium
Magnesium
Manganese
Nickel
Potassium
Sodium
Zinc
Chloride
Sulfate
Alkalinity as CaCO3
roc
pH
472 ± 42
247 ± 65
0.52 ±0.11
0:03 ± 0.02
7.9 ± 1.7
2,870 ± 452
0.02 ± 0.01
2,151 ± 322
5,268 ± 834
610 ± 42
<10
6.9 - 7.2
525 ± 32
129 ± 38
1.79 ± 0.18
0.03 ± 0.02
8.8 ± 1.55
2,026 ±415
0.02 ± 0.01
1,856 ± 440
3,447 ± 76
655 ± 7
<10
6.8 - 7.0
496 ± 6.5
169 ± 49
4.20 ±0.18
0.35 ± 0.0
13.5 ± 3.7
1,623 ± 623
1.61 ± 0.21
1,200C
3,1 00C
27 ± 10
NA
4.9 - 5.4
  Several graphical  techniques  were
used to visually examine the similarity in
water quality among the three monitoring
well locations  and  lysimeter  data
collected  at  the site in  1968. Schoeller
plots  of  major-ion  concentrations
indicated  that  water collected  from all
three monitoring wells  exhibited  similar
ionic composition ratios (Figure 1). Ionic
ratios  (Figure 2) of  major  ions  in
groundwater  data  collected  from
lysimeters at the site in 1968 exhibited
excellent agreement with comparable
ionic ratios  for more  recent  samples
(MW-2,  1987-1989).  The pattern of
increasing  ionic  composition  with
relatively  small changes in ionic ratios
strongly suggested a trend towards  the
concentration of dissolved minerals in the
relatively slow moving groundwater.
  The  geochemical data indicated  that
sulfate-chloride fades were dominant for
groundwater  at all  three monitoring wells
(MW-1, MW-2, and  MW-3) and for  the
lysimeter  data  collected in 1968. Thus,
the similarity of water quality among well
locations  as  well as the similarity in  the
pattern  of geochemical evolution over the
past 24 years was suggested.
  The  infiltration of treated wastewater,
development of semiconfined aquifer, the
dissolution of soluble minerals from  the
soil and resultant effects on the quality of
gorundwater  below the site were strongly
suggested  by the   ground  water
geochemical  data, soil data, the expected
rate of  infiltration,  field  hydraulic
conductivity   and   water  level
measurements, and the magnitude of the
volume of wastewater applied.


Conclusions

Raw Waste Characteristics

1. Over a 10-year period between  1977
   and  1988 the main characteristics
   (BOD5, COD,  chlorides,  sulfates and
   solids mass  loadings)  of  the raw
   wastewater   exhibited  normal
   distributions.

2. Statistical  comparison  of  raw
   wastewater quality between recent and
   old  data  indicated  long-term
   consistency with respect to  flow and
   pollutant concentrations.

3. Individual  metal loadings were variable
   over a 12-month period.

OLF System Performance

4. Seasonally heavy  precipitation (>7.5
   cm/month) resulted  in small increases
   in TSS mass discharges  (200 kg/d to
   500 kg/d) within Smith Creek. These
   increases  were well  below  regulatory
   mass  loading  limitations  (values) and
   no statistically  significant correlation (p
   < 0.05) was found between the TSS
   loading and precipitation.

5. Small  increases in  TSS loading  in
   Smith  Creek during periods  of heavy
   precipitation  were  due to upstream
   (off-site) sources rather than losses
   form the OLF site.

6. The  long-term  operation  and
   performance  data indicated  that the
   system consistently achieved a very
   high level of treatment, from a surface
   discharge  standpoint.  In-stream
   concentrations  of BOD5,  COD,  TOC
   and TSS indicated that mean removals
   were greater than 93%.  Total nitrogen
   removals were  between 84 and 89%.
   Effluent  mass  discharges  have
   remained well  within the  regulatory
   limitations for solids  and  BOD5 over
   the  past 24 years.  Percent removals
   (mass basis) for BOD5, COD, TOC and
   TSS have been consistently  high
   (>92%) over  the 24-year  life of the
   site.
Soils

7.  With  respect to  a control  area,
   accumulation  of organic carbon,
   potassium, zinc and  nickel  in the soil
   at the wastewater application  areas
   was evident, as  well as leaching of
   calcium,  sodium,  and sulfate. Neither
   accumulation   nor  leaching  of
   chromium, magnesium,  and chloride
   was evident.

8.  Although the accumulation of zinc and
   nickel was  evident,  the rate  of
   accumulation was small  and several

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   1000 c
       Ca           Mg          Na'K<           Cl           SO4          HCO3


Figure LSchoeller diagram for mean ionic' concentrations (major ions) at 3 monitoring wells.
                                   Lysimeter G-4      -£3- Lysimeter G-11
       o.or
          Ca           Mg           Na'K         Cl           SO4         HCO3

  Figure 2.  Schoeller diagram for mean ionic concentrations (major ions) over 24 years.

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  hundred  years of continued  site use
  may be  expected at present loading
  rates.

Hydrogeology

9.   The results  of  the  hydrogeologic
    investigation indicated that an aquifer
    exists below the OLF site. The data
    suggested that the aquifer was semi-
    confined.

10.  The  results  indicated  that  the
    erosional contact between the  lower
    confining  unit (Eagle Ford Group)
    and the aquifer  (Bonham Formation
    within the Austin  Group) may  serve
    as  a  transmission   zone  for
    groundwater  within the  relative
    impermeable clays of  the  Bonham
    Formation.  Measured  hydraulic
    conductivity  values  (average  k
    between 1CH and 10-3 cnrvs) within
    the erosional contact zone  between
    the Eagle  Ford  and Austin Groups
    were  substantially  greater  than
    typical values  for unweathered
    marine  clay  and shale  (k  between
    10-11 and  10-8cm/s).

11.  Groundwater level data indicated that
    the general flow direction was to the
    northwest with a  hydraulic gradient of
    approximately 0.004 m/m.

Groundwater Quality

12.  Twenty-six  groundwater  samples
    collected from three monitoring wells
    between  1987  and  1989  were
    analyzed.  The  waters  were
    moderately  saline (TDS  between
    7,000 and 13,000  mg/L)  due to the
    presence  of  Na", Ca2*, Mg2*, CI".
    and  S042".  No  purgeable   or
    extractable organics were detected.

13.  Statistical  analysis  of   the
    groundwater  data  indicated that, for
    the major ions present,  groundwater
    quality  at each well remained uniform
    over the three-year sampling period.
    Statistically significant differences  (p
    = 0.05)  in water quality (including
    calcium,  magnesium,  manganese,
    sodium, and sulfate)  between the
    well locations were found.

14.  State records indicated  that no well
    casings  in  Lamar  County  were
    screened within  the  contact zone  of
    the Austin Chalk-Eagle  Ford Groups.
    In addition,  no  springs  which issued
    from the  Bonham Formation  were
    identified within Lamar County or any
    adjacent counties.
15.  The   major-ion   chemistries
    (expressed  as  ionic ratios)  of the
    groundwater samples collected from
    the confined aquifer were similar  at
    all three monitoring wells. The major-
    ion composition data suggested the
    groundwater below the site have
    undergone  similar  patterns   of
    geochemical evolution.

16.  Ionic  ratios  of  major  ions   in
    groundwater data  collected from
    lysimeters at the site in  1968 closely
    agreed with comparable ionic ratios
    for more recent  samples  (1987-
    1988). The pattern of increasing ionic
    composition with  relatively small
    changes  in ionic  ratios  strongly
    suggested  a  trend  towards the
    concentration of dissolved  minerals
    in  the  relatively  slow  moving
    groundwater.

17.  The geochemical data indicated that
    sulfate-chloride facies were  dominant
    for  groundwater  at   all  three
    monitoring wells (MW-1, MW-2 and
    MW-3) and for the lysimeter data
    collected in  1968. Thus,  the similarity
    of water quality among well locations
    as well as the similarity in the pattern
    of  geochemical evolution  over the
    past  24  years   were  strongly
    suggested.

18.  The moderately saline aquifer below
    the  OLF site  was  apparently the
    result  of  the enhanced leaching  of
    naturally  present,  soluble  soil
    minerals  due  to the infiltration  of
    large volumes  (based on estimated
    percolation   rates)  of  treated
    wastewater over the past 24 years.

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    Dante  J. Tedaldi and Raymond C.  Loehr are  with The University of Texas at
          Austin, Austin, TX 78712.
    Bert £ Bledsoe is the EPA Project Officer (see  below).
    The complete report, entitled "Performance Evaluation at a Long-Term Food
          Processing Land Treatment Site,"  (Order No.  PB 90-195 389/AS; Cost:
          $23.00, subject to change) will be available only from:
              National Technical Information Service      ,
              5285 Port Royal Road
              Springfield, VA 22161
              Telephone: 703-487-4650
    The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:          \
              Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory
              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
              Ada,  OK 74820                           :
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S1-90/006

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