Passive Nitrogen Reduction Study

History

In 2008, the Florida Legislature directed the Florida Department of Health to develop a tool box of cost-effective nitrogen reduction strategies for onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS). The project had two main areas of focus: development of passive nitrogen reduction technologies; and evaluation and prediction of the fate and transport of nitrogen from OSTDS. Objectives included:

  • Development of cost-effective, passive strategies for nitrogen reduction from onsite sewage systems.
  • Characterization of nitrogen removal in the soil and shallow groundwater.
  • Development of simple models to determine fate and transport of nitrogen from OSTDS in soil and groundwater.

In January 2009, the department in consultation with its Research Review and Advisory Committee (RRAC) contracted with a project team comprised of nationally recognized experts led by Hazen and Sawyer, P.C. The department, and its RRAC, directed the Florida Onsite Sewage Nitrogen Reduction Strategies (FOSNRS) Project, with participation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Current Status

As of December 2015, the contractor, in coordination with the RRAC, DEP and the department, has successfully completed the contractual work for this project. The department has submitted the final Legislative report to the Governor, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on Dec. 31, 2015.

Deliverables

The resulting contract (1.9 MB pdf), March 2010 amendment (2.6 MB pdf), October 2010 amendment (1.5 MB pdf), January 2012 amendment (2.7 MB pdf), January 2012 renewal (1.6 MB pdf) and January 2012 amendment to the renewal (2 MB pdf) split the study into five main tasks.

The task descriptions, deliverables and status for all project deliverables are available for download. 

Task A:  Technology Evaluation for Field Testing: Review, Prioritization and Development  

The list below shows highlights of the task deliverables.  

View all Task A deliverables:

The following document contains site and system design drawings for the Nitrogen Study. This document is visual in nature and may not be accessible to screen readers. If you need assistance with the information contained in this document, please contact the Onsite Sewage Program office.

Task B:  Field Testing of Technologies and Cost Documentation

View all Task B Deliverables:


Task C:  Evaluation of Nitrogen Reduction Provided by Soils and Shallow Groundwater  

View all Task C Deliverables:

Task D:  Nitrogen Fate and Transport Modeling

View all Task D Deliverables:

Task E:  Project Management, Coordination and Meetings

View all Task E Deliverables:

Progress Reports to Legislature

Public Education

Contact Us

Please contact the Onsite Sewage Program with any questions or comments.

Last Modified: Wednesday, Jan 17, 2024 - 08:30am