O PAPEL vol. 82, num. 3, pp. 82 – 87 – MAR 2021
IMPROVEMENT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY OF WATER SUPPLY SOURCES AFTER
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SEPTIC TANKS
Authors: Sebastião Tomas Carvalho1, Layane Mourão Cordeiro1, Edson Valgas Paiva1, Jacinto Moreira de Lana1, Marcos
Neves Crepaldi1
1 Celulose Nipo Brasileira S/A CENIBRA. Brazil
ABSTRACT
The population’s quality of life depends on its conditions
of existence and access to certain goods and socioeconomic
services, such as: employment, income, basic education,
adequate food, access to good healthcare services, basic
sanitation, housing, transportation, among others. The lack
of basic sanitation is one of the main causes of environmental
degradation, in addition to compromising the quality of
life of the population living in both urban and rural areas.
This work aims to demonstrate the improvement in the
environmental quality of the Suaçuí Pequeno River Basin,
a spring that supplies the headquarters of the municipality
of Peçanha, Minas Gerais, after the implementation of the
septic-tank installation project in rural properties located
along the basin. To meet the objective proposed in the
project, a model septic tank that was compact, efficient and
that could meet the local characteristics of the basin was
planned. The Biodigester tank model that was defined, is a
domestic sewage treatment system composed of a unified
upward flow reactor and anaerobic filter, with satisfactory
efficiency and serving up to 5 people in constant use. After
defining the model and acquiring the tanks by CENIBRA,
mobilization meetings were held with rural landowners,
registration of interested landowners, technical visits to each
of the properties contemplated to mark the tanks would be
installed, preparation of the installation sketch with reference
to the manual provided by the manufacturer, delivery and
installation of the tanks in the properties. The biodigester
tanks were installed in the basin as a way to generate lessaggressive
effluent, which is returned to the environment with
low contamination potential. The project allowed serving
100 families residing in the Suaçuí River Basin and has been
making a significant contribution to improving water quality,
the source of which is responsible for supplying a city with a
population of over 17,000. With the implementation of the
project, 59% of existing residences in the basin now have
a sewage treatment system, resulting in a reduction in the
launch of approximately 7,300 kg/year of BOD and 8,760 kg/
year of TSS in watercourses that makes up the basin.
Keywords: Septic tanks, water quality, sanitation, public
supply.
