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DAVID ALLEN PASK
...... inventor of the Contour Disposal Beds

Professional Biography

July 15, 2021       

Contents:

• Education
• Professional Memberships
• Final Appointment
• Previous Appointment
• Experience
  • Investigations
• Publications
  • Developments in On-site Sewage Disposal (and water Supply)
    • Monitoring Effluent Plumes, USEPA’s Small Flows Clearinghouse at the University of West Virginia
• Language
• Interests
• General Attributes

Education

• B.Eng.(Civil), Sheffield University, U.K.
• M.Eng.(Env.) Techical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS; now Dalhousie University): A contour drain disposal field for septic tank effluent in low permeability soils, 1983

Professional Memberships

• Institution of Civil Engineers, Fellow (UK)
• Institution of Water & Env. Management Fellow (UK)
• Assoc. of Prof. Engs. of N.S. (Canada)
• Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax

Final Appointment

• (January 1992 to November 2003) Engineering Scientist, Adjunct Associate Professor, National Environmental Services Center of West Virginia University serving as Technical Advisor to the National Small Flows Clearinghouse, the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse and the National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities. Supervision of "Hot Line" information service to small community public sewer and water utilities, development of bibliographic and other Data Bases, assistance in research, development, training and publication. Project Coordinator, National On-site Demonstration Project. Regular guest lecturer at local and national conferences. Taught annual module to WVU Health Sciences Tropical Medicine Summer School on “Tropical Water Supply and Sanitation”.

Previous Appointment

• Public Health Engineer, Nova Scotia (Canada) Dept of Health (Specialist in water & sewage treatment, on-site sewage disposal, coordination of research, development, training, education, review of legislation)
  10 yrs. Research Associate, T.U.N.S.(now Dalhousie University)

Experience

• U.K.- Construction Industry, site Engineer on sea defence, highway, bridge & sewer construction. – 2 years. Water Industry - operation, design and construction of new works (30 MGD water treatment plant, numerous reservoirs and pipelines). Including two years in tropics - 20 years. Final U.K. appt. Depute Engineer, East of Scotland Water Board.
• Canada - Consulting Engineering (hydro-electric, hydrological (inc. flood plain) and municipal studies and works in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia) - 5 years
• Developing Country Experience:
  • Mauritius - Town and Water Engineer, Port Louis 1960-62
  • Kazakhstan - Investigation of water supply and distribution & sanitation in the Aral Sea Disaster region.(September/October '95)
  • Ukraine - Investigation of water loss in distribution systems and training in leak detection. (Nov. 1997)

Investigations:

• Performance of 21 extended aeration packaged sewage treatment plants in N.S.
• Modes of failure of mound disposal systems.
• Mode of failure of simple siphons.
• Lateral flow of moisture in soils.
• Distribution of effluent in perforated pipes under trickle flow conditions.
• Low cost measurement of flow in sewer systems.
• Coagulation and settling of highly coloured water at low temperature (potable).
• Attenuation of organics in soil treatment systems.

Publications

• Flow measurement in sewage treatment plants, Thirumurthi & Pask, 1978
• Recent research & development in on-site sewage disposal systems in Nova Scotia, Pask, Casey, Vaughan & Thirumurthi, ASAE 1984
• Contour trench disposal fields and other Nova Scotia experiences, Pask, CWRS, 1987
• Hydro-geological aspects of on-site sewage disposal into surficial soils in Nova Scotia, Pask, IAH, 1988
• Effluent distribution in long perforated pipes, Pask, ASAE 1989
• Lead and Copper Rule – Basic Decision Process for Small Communities. On Tap 1993
• Jar Testing – Getting Started on a Low Budget. On Tap 1993
• 50% Loss? – How to Detect Small Utility Water Leaks. On Tap 1993
• Examining Microbial Treatment Technologies. On Tap 1994
• Lateral Thinking in Groundwater Flow – Introducing Contour Disposal Fields. Small Flows 1994
• The National Onsite Demonstration Project – Monitoring Guidelines. NSFC 1996
• The Biomat and Soil Remediation – The Leaching Bed as a Biological Treatment System SEO Workshop 1999
• Lessons Learned from the National Onsite Demonstration Project. 1999
• Tropical Water Supply and Sanitation. (for participants in WVU school of Tropical Medicine)
• Eutrophication – Phosphorous Overload or Phosphorous Recycling? Small Flows, 2000
• Performance Based Site Evaluation. Small Flows, 2000

Developments in On-site Sewage Disposal (and water Supply):

• Initial concept of Contour Disposal Field based on lateral flow of effluent plume.
• Imported fill (mound) contour disposal field.
• Computer program - design of long perforated distribution pipes (basic).
• Simplified method of measurement of permeability of soils in-situ (Pask Permeameter).
• Permeameter test for fill materials at a standard compaction.
• Deep draught automatic siphon.
• Lateral flow under-drained sand filter.
• Lateral Flow sand filter as a low tech., low maintenance potable water filter
• An alternative system for water pricing in restricted infrastructure situations.

Language

• English
• limited French

Interests

General Attributes

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