Short-term Wastewater Retention Ponds

Short-term wastewater retention ponds can be an effective way to control excess wastewater in wet years. There are a few requirements when using a short-term wastewater retention pond:

• The wastewater must be <2’ in depth.
• The wastewater must not be stored in the short-term retention pond more than 90 days in a year. Days are cumulative. Having the retention pond dry out in between doesn’t reset the count.
• Short-term retention ponds do not need liners.

If you need wastewater storage for more than 90 days in a year, or you need a deeper retention pond, you will need to meet certain liner requirements. See UT NRCS Standard 313 Waste Storage Facility Table 2b for specific soil and liner requirements.