Benefits
- Up to 5,000 gallons of wastewater treated daily.
- High quality water can be discharged directly into a stream on the property.
- Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions lower than with conventional treatment systems.
- Varieties of flowering plants add to the aesthetic appeal of the environment.
- Educational opportunities abound as the Living Machine becomes a Living Classroom.
Old Trail School is an independent school nestled along the boundaries of Northern Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In such a setting, it's no surprise that one of the school's core missions is to teach its students about "the blessings of place." Sustainability is not just on the curriculum at Old Trail; the school also encourages students to live it-by making good stewardship part of every school day.
When the time came to update the school's failing wastewater treatment system, the administration decided to teach good stewardship by doing good stewardship. They chose a Living Machine® to replace their 40 year old infrastructure.
The Hybrid Wetland Living Machine at Old Trail does more than cleanse the school's wastewater in an environmentally friendly way. The portion of the system installed inside a greenhouse also provides a year-round educational opportunity for the students. With a small demonstration pond and tidal wetland column actively treating wastewater before their eyes, the kids have a "Living Classroom" where they can see close up the ecological processes at work.
They also have a great indoor habitat for plants, fish, and for enquiring young minds learning about the world.
"The Living Classroom at Old Trail School is good for everyone because it keeps our environment clean. There is no pollution. We respect our planet, and are learning ways to protect our friends and neighbors."- Old Trail School Second Grader
The Hybrid Wetland Living Machine® at Old Trail School uses our patented system of three wetland types to produce water up to the highest treatment standards. The quality of treatment is so high that the cleansed water flows directly into a stream on grounds, and from there into the Cuyahoga River.
Obtaining a permit to discharge the water took some effort. An ecological treatment system from another company had failed at a nearby facility, and getting the state's EPA administrators to accept the technology took time and attention. Fortunately, Worrell Water Technologies' engineers and designers have a 100% track record when it comes to getting permits for our systems. It helps when you have a history of dozens of successful installations, many of which have been running for years, to show that your technology is reliable, durable, and effective.
But the high treatment quality of the three-wetland Hybrid Living Machine wasn't the only reason for choosing that design. The school's administrators wanted to maximize the educational value for the students, and a design using all three does just that.
After passage through an initial underground settling tank, the Old Trail wastewater first enters a Horizontal Subsurface Flow Wetland. After initial cleansing, the water then passes through a Tidal Flow Wetland, which is housed inside a greenhouse. The nearly-clean water then returns outdoors for final "polishing" in a Vertical Flow Wetland. A disinfection with ultraviolet rays, and the water is ready for release into the stream.
The greenhouse containing the Tidal Flow Wetland provides a year-round classroom with the Living Machine as its centerpiece. There students can watch as a demonstration tank fills and empties with the tidal cycles that power the machine's cleansing process. They can also enjoy watching the fish and flowering plants that are a thriving part of the ecology of this natural system.