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A Tight Fit Between Water and Woods

An onsite system using low-pressure dosing to GSF modules saves an Upper Peninsula Michigan recreational vehicle campground.

A Tight Fit Between Water and Woods

As seen in the June 2020 cover story of Onsite Installer Magazine.  Read the full article here.

“The owners of a RV campground in Ontonagon, Michigan, faced a complex situation when the onsite system serving the showers, restrooms and camper dump station failed.

Although the owners signed a pumping contract, the Ontonagon County Health Department wouldn’t accept it until they hired an engineer to design a replacement system and a contractor to install it.

The site was too small for a standard pressure distribution mound, so the engineer suggested various alternative technologies. All were beyond the owners’ financial situation. They wanted hard facts and figures, but contractors couldn’t provide them without the design. The Health Department had to submit the design to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, but the agency wouldn’t approve it unless it maximized the available space.

On a recommendation, the owners contacted John Kaat, proprietor of Primrose Acres in Bruce Crossing. Kaat and associate Chris Holmes, P.E., project manager for U.P. Engineers and Architects, designed a low-pressure distribution system using geotextile sand filter modules (Eljen).

The tricky bit was limited space for the L-shaped drainfield. The horizontal leg ended against the house’s deck, a U-shaped asphalt driveway enclosed two sides of the beds, and behind them was a 13-foot drop to the Union River.”

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