c. Replace funnels when necessary.
d. Do not let oil or grease get into the pit, as this may cause the pit to become
clogged and thus necessitate the digging of a new one.
e. If the latrine is located some distance from the sleeping area, a large can or
pail may be placed at a convenient location in the area for use as a urinal at night. The
can used for this purpose must be emptied into the soakage pit every morning and
washed with soap and water before being reused.
f. When a urine soakage pit is to be abandoned or has become clogged, it
should be sprayed with insecticide and mounded over with a one-foot covering of
compacted earth. Then a rectangular sign is placed on the mound indicating the type of
pit and date closed. In nonoperational areas, the unit designation may also be included.
6-17. KITCHEN LIQUIDS
Liquid wastes from food service operations contain particles of food, grease, and
soap. Consequently, this liquid requires some kind of treatment before it is allowed to
drain into a sewer or is disposed of by other means.
a. Grease Traps. In permanent or semipermanent camps, this waste, after first
having passed through a grease trap, drains into the sewerage system. In temporary
camps, however, kitchen waste must be absorbed by the soil and here, too, grease
traps (para 6-18) must be installed to take the grease from the liquid to prevent clogging
of the soil and stopping absorption. These grease traps must be cleaned frequently and
the removed grease either burned or buried.
b. Soakage Pits. In temporary camps, a soakage pit, constructed like a urine
soakage pit (para 6-15a), normally will dispose of liquid kitchen wastes for a total of 200
persons. The only difference in the construction of urine soakage pits and kitchen
waste soakage pits is that in the kitchen waste soakage pit, a grease trap is substituted
for the pipes or troughs used in the urine soakage pit. If the camp is to last for several
weeks, two kitchen waste soakage pits should be constructed, each pit to be used only
on alternate days, since a rest period will help to prevent clogging. A soakage pit that
has become clogged will not accept additional liquid; it should be abandoned and a new
one constructed. When such a pit is to be closed, it should be mounded over with one
foot of compacted earth and properly marked (para 6-16f).
c. Soakage Trench. If the ground water level or a rock formation exists close to
the surface, a soakage trench may be used. This trench consists of a pit, 2 feet square
and 1 foot deep, with a trench radiating outward from each of its sides for a distance of
six feet or more (figure 6-14). These trenches are dug 1 foot wide and vary in depth
MD0008
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