PSU wastewater grows 'northern rainforest'

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Sunday, May 05, 2002 | The Associated Press

[Willie Green]

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Something seems out of place in these lush woods just outside State College. The sycamores and silver maple just don't belong -- and neither does the sprinkler system.

For years, Penn State University used its treated wastewater for irrigation, showering about 1 billion gallons per year on the state game lands north of State College and on nearby university-owned farmland.

[waxhaw]

This story reminds me of a system my dad used to use. Years ago, long before the EPA came into existance and when my father was a aircraft (piston) engine mechanic he had a habit of draining the used motor oil into 55 gallon drums. He rigged up a pump system and about twice a year (when he had two or three drums full) he would flip the pump switch and the waste oil was pumped through a small pipeline which passed under the airstrip and came up through a sprinkler head sitting in the middle of a patch of scrubby loblolly pines (this was in North Carolina). The pump had enough pressure that the waste oil would be sprayed over about half-an-acre of ground. After a few years of doing this my dad became curious as to what effect this waste oil was having on the plant life. He was barely able to find the sprinkler head due to the "jungle" which had sprung up in this half-acre circle. No sign of any oil at all, just lush and hearty growth. No oil has been sprayed here now for well over thirty years and yet this old circle is still well-marked, not only by the now-large loblolly pines but also quite a few hard-woods which are scarce in the rest of the woods. Makes you wonder.

[snopercod]

Wow man, you could really grow a lot of weed with all that water!

[Carry_Okie]

He was barely able to find the sprinkler head due to the "jungle" which had sprung up in this half-acre circle. No sign of any oil at all, just lush and hearty growth.

I wonder if anybody has assayed those plants for lead? Harvesting that vegetation may be a way to get it out.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

I thought your punch line was going to be that the oil lubricated the kudzu so that it grew faster than ever. ;-)

[doc11355]

What's to wonder. Petroleum is a naturally-occuring, biodegradable organic product that has been oozing onto the surface of the earth for millions of years. (The oozing is what identified the early oilfield finds, of course)

This is why even huge oil spills, initially called "environmental disasters" by the media because they're ugly, are gone almost without a trace after a few years.

[TONEMAN]

Second attempt at a post. Please forgive this if it is a dupe. One of hunting's best-kept secrets is the existance of Pennsylvania's state game lands. Crops are grown there, but not harvested, with the intent of providing forage for game animals. A renewable resource being renewed every year. It's been 30 years since I have hunted in Pennsylvania, but then it was some of the best pheasant country I have ever seen. They were tasty, too, as they were corn-fed. Anyone got an update?

[r9etb]

Interesting post. Here in Colorado Springs the city uses this sort of "grey water" to water the municipal golf course and other parks -- not a bad thing, since most of our water comes from elsewhere.

One wonders if this approach would be scalable to larger areas -- like, say, piping LA's treated sewage to the farmers, who currently have to compete with the city for fresh water.

[Kay Ludlow]

This is a great system. Fortunately for PSU, it pre-dates the DCNR and EPA regulations on spray-irrigation systems. This type of system is no longer an option (at least in PA) because the environmental agencies limit the days when spraying can be done (no wind, temperatures restrictions, etc.) so much that there either aren't enough days left to spray, or the storage capacity has to be so huge as to not be cost-effective.

Several developers in the State College area have wanted to use this type of system over the years since PSU demonstrated that it works, but when they went to meet the regulations, they found that it would not be workable. Ironic, eh? That the very area that proved this works can't meet the regulatory restrictions to make it work here again!

[WFTR]

I guess when I was there ('86 to '88) the program was just starting. I would love to see before and after photos.