Researcher Helps City Solve Sewage Overflow Problems
Karen Mancl knows a dirty job when she sees it. And she has a solution.
Mancl, professor of food, agricultural and biological engineering, has a research project in the works that could assist the City of Columbus in upgrading its sewage system � an endeavor that could end up costing $2.6 billion. Many areas in Columbus have combined sewers, where stormwater and sewage use the same collection lines. The city struggles with overflow problems, sometimes three and four times a year, when there are sudden downpours or extreme wet weather conditions.
Mancl's research focuses on bioreactors that would treat the overflow water on location and send treated water out to the rivers. The testing bioreactor in Mancl's lab, a large column filled with levels of different grades of sand, peat and textile, all work as filters for the untreated sewage water with microbes that breakdown the matter in the fluid.
"We want this system to be a supplement of the city's work," Mancl says. "Our research can be taken into action very quickly, and it's very cost effective."
The City of Columbus has supported Mancl's research with a $100,000 grant to fund her first year of research.
As director of the Soil Environment and Technology Learning Lab and a professor at Ohio State University Extension, Mancl spends a majority of her time conducting workshops for local officials, designers and contractors.
"I've learned that if a contractor is taught the big picture as to how these systems work, they'll pay close attention to detail when installing a system," says Mancl, "because they understand the importance in every step of the process."
Mancl plans to present her research in China this summer to share her sustainable agricultural practice ideas internationally.
Karen Mancl, (614) 292-6007, mancl.1@osu.eduSoil Environment Technology Learning Lab, http://setll.osu.edu July 10, 2007
