Yes, every single septic tank in the world is adding excessive nitrogen to the nearest water source (above or underground). Most community sewage systems make a token effort to clean the water, but it isn't really effective. Add to that all the urine and rained-on manure from feedlot cattle. And high-density horse stables. And add to that all the nitrogen runoff from chemical farming. It's mind-boggling, isn't it? You take your kids fishing at the nearest stream, and it's all edged thick with algae feeding on the nitrogen and phosphorus.
I think if the temperatures stay warm enough, the microbes are dealing with the bacteria. What I don't know is, if temperatures are warm enough all winter (like parts of California, for instance), do cattails grow all year? And, if the tops do die down anyway, are the rhizomes still absorbing nitrogen? And if cattails don't 'operate' in cooler temperatures, are there other plants that do?
Or would it be a better thing to have a tiny marsh in warmer weather and a composting toilet in winter? What happens to waste solids in a marsh, are they remove beforehand? What does a homeowner do with it? Is it collected and composted for fruit trees or something? Is it composted like Joseph Jenkins does with his sawdust bucket toilets? He has tested his soil under his
compost piles, and he said the compost pile eats the pathogens fast enough (even in winter) so they never get into the soil.
One thing I just learned in Art Ludwig's book on water harvesting (I don't have it here for the exact title), if you have a plain ole outhouse and just put poop in it (not urine), the nitrogen stays there. If urine is included, the liquids seep down into the water source.
What I DON'T understand is what happens when you have a lot of rain? Does it liquify the nitrogen in the poop and move into the water sources?
There are still questions I have about composting toilets. In dry areas, I can see them being pretty useful, but here in the PNW, do they still work the same way, or is it another kind of ball game?
I guess it's time to get Art Ludwig's NEW Create an Oasis with Grey Water book from the library.
The more I understand, the more questions I have.
Sue