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People who live in a home served by a sanitary sewer system place their trust in professionals whose jobs are to design, monitor and maintain the sewer systems. But for others who must utilize an on-lot individual sewage system, commonly called a septic system, the proper use and maintenance of the system is the responsibility of each homeowner. This publication is intended to help you understand, operate and maintain your septic system. Septic systems originally were used to serve individual homes in rural areas where population densities were too low to economically justify sanitary sewers. Septic systems also have been used to serve more densely settled areas where, at least originally, occupancy was seasonal. A functioning septic system, one that is of correct design for its site, will remove disease-causing organisms and some nutrients and chemicals from wastewater. However, it will not remove or treat many liquid pollutants such as solvents, automotive and lubricating oils, drain cleaners and other non-cleaning household chemicals. Proper location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of septic systems is critical to protecting water quality throughout a watershed. This is especially true when systems are located close to lakes and streams or in areas having shallow groundwater zones. Septic systems that are not functioning properly can pose health threats. Bacterial contamination, for example, is a concern if the lake is used as a source of drinking water or for recreational activities involving body contact such as swimming. In addition to threatening human health, malfunctioning systems can also harm the ecology of lakes. Sewage is high in nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, which help plants grow. Untreated effluent that makes its way to lakes or tributary streams, either through surface flow or groundwater seepage, can contribute to increases in algae or aquatic plant growth. This over-enriched system, called eutrophic, can significantly impact the lake’s health over a period of time. Algae overgrowth, for instance, create blooms that cover surfaces, cloud water, block sunlight and deplete oxygen supplies needed by aquatic plants and animals. In extreme cases, oxygen depletion associated with untreated sewage has created massive fish kills. Some nutrients and other pollutants generally are very slow to leave a lake system. Thus, untreated sewage discharges can have lingering effects long after a malfunction has been repaired. Septic systems are safe and effective if selected, designed, located and constructed correctly. However, homeowners must actively monitor and maintain their systems. Because nutrients and other pollutants are generally very slow to leave a lake, a malfunctioning septic system can have a long term impact on the lake’s health. The most common type of septic system consists of two primary components: 1) a septic tank for collecting waste and settling out solids; and 2) a soil absorption field for filtering the liquid waste. Where soil composition or depth is not suitable for a conventional septic tank/absorption field, other systems, such as elevated sand mounds, may be used. Older methods of sewage disposal may use drywells instead of an absorption field or use a cesspool. These methods are allowed to be used, by law, if they were installed prior to the initiation of state regulations, but only until they are found to create a malfunction or be the source of a potential or actual health nuisance. These methods do not provide any certainty of adequate treatment and disposal of sewage. |
