Disposal of salt water

Sherry Whitlock · #1 02/10/2006, 02:38 PM

I am moving and will no longer have "city water." I am concerned about draining the water from my reef tank into the yard and possibly contaminating our well. Any suggestions for disposal?

REV · #2 02/10/2006, 02:53 PM

My guess it that it would take a LOT of water to carry the dissolved solids from you water to a well depth. I'm no expert, but I wouldn't worry about a few gallons of salt water versus the ground... Am I way off?

beerguy · #3 02/10/2006, 02:55 PM

[welcome]

Sherry Whitlock · #4 02/10/2006, 02:59 PM

I guess I left out a key detail -- my house caught on fire, so I had to combine three reef tanks into one BIG TANK . . . 745 gallons. I'm talking more than a few gallons of water change a week!

R33f3r · #5 02/10/2006, 03:03 PM

I pump mine down the toilet.

REV · #6 02/10/2006, 03:03 PM

Again, I'm no expert, and I'd love for someone who really knows to chime in, but... the ground does filter to soem degree. Even salts from freshwater (tap water) will accumulate on the surface of the soil over time. I still think worst case scenario is sterilizing the ground and killing the grass or some plants.

llamart · #7 02/10/2006, 03:19 PM

I have a 120g and I have only dumped a total of ten gal down the toilet. I doubt a septic can handle much salt water. I generally dump it behind the barn. The well is about 50 feet from that spot.

Your well should be deep enough to not be affected, I just wouldnt dump it within 30' radius of it. 700 gallons is a lot and where ever you dump it, the nearby soil and plant life will not be happy. With that much, you might want to think about digging a shallow well with the water getting piped into it.

Nabber86 · #8 02/10/2006, 07:23 PM

First off, dont dump salt water into your septic system.

Secondly, if you dump salt water on the ground, make sure you dump it down-gradient (lower in elevation) from your well.

Pandora · #9 02/10/2006, 08:42 PM

Hey, now I'm curious. Why should you not dump salt into the septic system? Or are you only referring to someone with their own septic tank? Is there any issue with dumping SW in the sewer system (down the toilet) if you live in the city?

Opiy · #10 02/10/2006, 09:12 PM

Im kinda curious if the algaes and bateria in salt water would help break down stuff in a septic system. But at the same time salt in the ground seems like it can be bad.

Maybe call up a septic cleaning company or three and ask them what they think about it. Whos knows septic systems more than them ya know. My 2 cents.

nathan1 · #11 02/10/2006, 09:16 PM

saltwater is the least thing we need to worry about cantaminating our water!!
remember most of our planet is, saltwater is natural and does no harm to the environment. even with the wastes in it. remember too fish and inverts poop in lakes and those are connected to our water system.

Pandora · #12 02/10/2006, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nathan1
saltwater is the least thing we need to worry about cantaminating our water!!
remember most of our planet is, saltwater is natural and does no harm to the environment. even with the wastes in it. remember too fish and inverts poop in lakes and those are connected to our water system.

Wow, where do I begin.

I don't think anyone is worried about trace fish or invert waste here. It's the salt part that's an issue, a lake is FW (and usually not directly connected with well water anyway)! Just because something's "natural" doesn't mean you want it in your kid's drinking water. Mercury & lead are natural, and guess what, so are some forms of cyanide.

Caulerpa is natural, and look what it did to California waterways.

nathan1 · #13 02/10/2006, 09:46 PM

i live in florida where salt and it's trace elements are found in the soil every were also too salt water does mingle with fresh through under water caverns that flow through aquafer and mine along with others have perfectly clean water. and yes lakes do filter through to the water supply. yes.on mass scale of millions of gallons going directly to the water supply it would have an effect but, simply 700-800gallons going through millions of cubic feet of soil and roots from plants and trees has no effect. and like you said these elements are trace to begin with.

nathan1 · #14 02/10/2006, 09:47 PM

p.s. and why was the caulerpa a problem?
because of high nutrients from pollution.

Nabber86 · #15 02/10/2006, 09:48 PM

You dont want large amounts of salt water in your septic system because too much will inhibit the bacteria growth in your solids tank. Plus the salt will pass through the system and eventually kill all life above the lateral lines. The "life" above the lateral lines is usually grass that removes septic effluent from the subsurface through evapotranspiration.

A little bit here and there wont hurt, but if you are talking about consistant water changes for a 745 tank (like Sherry's), that is way too much for a typical septic system to handle and you will end up with problems (blow out and puddling of nasty water at the ground surface).

As far as the city sewer system goes, if you are connected to one, I wouldnt worry about dumping change water down the toilet. It will be combined (diluted) with all the other waste water streams from the thousands of other people connected to your city/counties waste water treatment works. You probably wouldnt want to advertise the fact that your are doing this to the local authorities though.

gfk · #16 02/10/2006, 09:49 PM

dump it in your neighbors yard!!!!!

i just dump mine in the driveway, and it just runs into the street and drys... doesnt reach storm drains or anything

Nabber86 · #17 02/10/2006, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gfk
dump it in your neighbors yard!!!!!

i just dump mine in the driveway, and it just runs into the street and drys... doesnt reach storm drains or anything

That was going to be my next suggestion. I dump everthing from dog droppings, BBQ pit gease, motor oil, and used antifreeze over the fence in my neighbors yard.

nathan1 · #18 02/10/2006, 09:55 PM

and if you have any palm trees in your yard like i do pour it on them. saves buying palm salt at the nursery.

Stile2 · #19 02/10/2006, 10:02 PM

Nabber

Is that the definition of a "good" neighbor?

Hopefully your kidding.

If I lived out in the country, I would pick a spot well away from the well, and just keep dumping there. Maybe after nothing will grow there you can use it for a firepit.

Keith

Kent E · #20 02/10/2006, 10:02 PM

I've dumped thousand of gallons in my septic. No matter how hard I try I can't kill the grass.

The salt water would be very quickly diluted. What about water solfteners? That is adding salt to the water?

Just don't plant a white pine on your leachfield

Nabber86 · #21 02/10/2006, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Stile2
Nabber

Is that the definition of a "good" neighbor?

Hopefully your kidding.

If I lived out in the country, I would pick a spot well away from the well, and just keep dumping there. Maybe after nothing will grow there you can use it for a firepit.

Keith

I know it is bad thing for me to do, but you dont know my neighbor. We are talking about uncontrolled ferrel cats (12 to 15 at a time) that constantly dig and crap in my garden and flower beds. Plus she hasnt mown the lawn since her mower broke down last May. At least you can no longer see the mower beacuse it is covered by weeds and brush right there in the front lawn where it broke down. Then my kid went over there to pet one of the cats (un-vacinated I am sure, the cat not my kid) )and stepped on a rusty nail from the broken down fence pieces that are lying around the yard.

dunham16 · #22 02/10/2006, 11:17 PM

I think the only way saltwater can have a bad effect on your septic system is if you have a lot of clay in your leaching fields over time it will clog up the fields.

chirocato · #23 02/10/2006, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gfk
dump it in your neighbors yard!!!!!

i just dump mine in the driveway, and it just runs into the street and drys... doesnt reach storm drains or anything

Man, you crack me up! LOL!

Spuds725 · #24 02/11/2006, 03:11 AM

How deep is your well Sherry?? Whats the water table like there... I live near lake Erie (about 20 miles or so) and there is a fairly shallow aquafier in the ground--- any salt getting down that deep would be diluted I think...

Softeners don't exactly add salt do they?? the salt is used to regenerate the softener resin-- I use about 15 pounds of salt per week for my softenter which ends up in a drywell out in my yard (not sure exactly where)... I don't believe it has contaminated my well... I drink RO water though so maybe I'm filtering it out??

My saltwater (from changes) does go through my septic tank-- no problems apparent after 4+ years-- not a 745 gallon tank though.

I don't think it would be a problem I live in a cold weather climate, you think all the salt they put on the roads would cause problems before your salt from your tank would??

JR719 · #25 02/11/2006, 03:27 AM

I have a septic and don't dump it down the drain. I dump it on my gravel drive. So far has not killed the grass growing in it, thought it would. Tossed it in the wifes flower beds a few times, and has not killed anything. Was told not to put it in the septic due to killing the bacteria that is needed, so I just dump it wherever now. I usually just toss it in the yard.