Winneberger was hired by Jim Kriesl of the EPA in the '70s to do a 2-month study on nitrates and sewage. His research indicated that nitrates were not a health hazard, except for the very rare occurrence of hemoglobinemia in infants. With septic systems, he found, some denitrification goes on in the tank, and most nitrates are removed by the soil. He said the EPA wanted him to find a problem, and when he didn't, they did nothing with his report. He says that sewage surfacing in the backyard is a mess, but does not cause disease.
Soils scientists have training in how water moves through soils.
Many soils engineers and sanitary engineers are not trained in soil analysis and do not have adequate training and background in septic systems. They spent a fortune trying to prove nitrates were harmful. We have tried to find info on these studies on the web, to no avail. For the discharge area, the plan calls for taking over a beautiful meadow on a ranch by eminent domain, and paying the owners, who have had the ranch for generations, a fraction of the real value. The plan is by Questa Engineers, of Pt.