Times-Advocate, 1999-03-31, Page 1918
Exeter Times–Advocate
Wednesday, March 31,1999
Community
..,....� �., -•
Maintenance the key to septic success
isseptic stems which can - lead to human health .risks
Increased water usage stressing rural p y -
By Kate Monk paints, solvents, clean studies, he.won't recom- months."
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF ing agents, garbtfrators mend any products. The Zurich lagoons are
and water softener. It's released over a 10 -day
best to follow the saying, ' Faulty ems pose period in April and late
"If in doubt, do not pour health ris' 1 October or November
it out." Laura Harrell of the into a municipal drain
Seeger said several Huron County Health
which outets to Huron at Stl Josephs. Lake
signs indicate a septic Unit told the audience
system is malfunctioning sewage contains many While Boland admitted
including odours in the bacteria that can make the effluent has higher
house from vents and a person ill. e.coli levels than are
electrical outlets. Faulty septic systems acceptable for swim -
ZURICH — With new
septic systems costing
up to $15,000, the 40
people who attended an
information evening on
March 23 had 15,000
good reasons to listen
closely.
The meeting was spon-
sored by several local
organizations and
municipalities.
Domestic water con-
sumption has, increased
greatly in the past 30
years, putting stress on
septic systems to safely
treat domestic waste-
water.
At the infor-
mation meet-
ing in Zurich,
homeowners
received some
pointers on
maintaining
their private
septic systems.
Klaus Seeger,,
Huron County's senior
public health inspector
told the audience that
before 1971, people
used 40-60 gallons of
water per person per
day in ' their homes.
Today, use has
increased to 87 gallons
per person per day.
"Even though I like to
think we are a more
conserving society,
we're still using more,"
Seeger said.
Faulty septic systems
have the potential to
endanger public health
and the environment.
One of the -main rea-
sons septic systems pol-
lute is that the tank is
too small to allow
enough time to treat the
sewage.
"A major component of
the septic tank is it
needs time to do treat-
ment," Seeger said. "If
it's too small, it doesn't
have enough time for
solids to settle out. (The
solids) will start settling five years.
out in the weeping bed." He spreads
Eventually, sludge will the sludge on
accumulate requiring farmer's fields
the owner to pump out and rotates the
the tank. If the tank is application
not pumped out, too with the crops to the
much sludge will be in crops use the nutrients.
the second chamber and In the best weather
create problems, Seeger conditions, O'Brien can -
said. not spread within 200'
The leaching bed of a stream. From Nov.
treats the sewage fur- to April, the distance
ther once it leaves the increases to 400'. If he
tank. After the effluent cannot get his equip --
comes into the tile field, ment into the fields,
it seeps into the stone O'Brien has a storage
layer and then the soil facility for the sludge.
and is purified along the O'Brien has several
way. Concerns with additives
The distance to the that 'claim to improve
groundwater table has the performance of sep-
to be large enough so tic systems. He said the
it's treated before it gets Florida
ssn d ation of Septic
to the water table.
Seeger said several Haulers is testing five
things can harm septic products and until the
systems including association finishes its
Sanitary sewage backup can cause several dis
into the house, sewage
"break out" over the tile
bed and water well con-
tamination are more
visual indicators of
problems.
Andy O'Brien of Grand
Bend Sanitation said
maintenance is the key
to keeping a
septic sys-
"Whatever you've tem working
got, look after it:, properly.
—ANDYO'BRIL'N mainte-
GRAND BEND nance is
SANITATION probably
your best
insurance to
get your
(weeping) bed working
properly," he Said.
The cost of $30 per
year in maintenance is
minor compared to the
$10,000-$15,000 price
tag for new systems in
heavy soils, he said.
"Whatever you've got,
look after it," O'Brien
stressed.
The building code says
tanks must be pumped
out when the sludge and
scum layer layer reach-
es one-third of the
tank's capacity (most health unit.
tanks have four feet of Some pathogens can
capacity) but O'Brien cause illness in many
said he doesn't like to people in a community. •
see the sludge layer "There certainly have
greater than one foot been outbreaks associat-
d e e p . {gid with a
Depending on ontami-
the volume of"There certainly n .ate d
use and the water
tank size, have been outbreaks supply,"
O'Brien said associated with a Farrell
the tank shouldcontaminated water said • cit -
contaminated
be cleaned outing exam -
every two to supply. pies of
— LAURA FARRELL c r y p --
HURON COUNTY tosporidi-
HEALTH UNIT um out-
breaks in
eases which can be
transmitted to people
from direct or ' indirect
contact. Farrell gave the
examples of contaminat-
ed drinking water sup-
plies or of children play-_
ing on a lawn where the
leaching bed is not
working properly.
Whether or not a per-
son becomes ill depends
on many factors such as
a person's age, disease
history, lifestyle, heredi-
ty, nutritional status,
immunizations status,
occupation and the dose
of the organism.
Farrell said some
pathogens are very
potent.. -
"The range depends on
the illness you're talking
about," she said, adding
it's understandable one
member of the family ,.
may only get sick.
While . there are 10
confirmed cases pf peo-
ple getting sick from
pathogens in Huron
County each year,
Seeger estimates only 30
per cent of the diseases
are reported to the •
ming, he said the
lagoons are . not dis-
charged during the
swimming season.
The effluent is tested
at the lagoon outlet for
several components
including bacteria
(e.coli), BOD (a measure
of organic content),
solids and ammonia.
John Gillespie of St.
Josephs said the proper-
ty owners tested the
water north and south
of the ravine where the
septic discharge enters
Lake Huron and noticed
a "spike" in the e.c,oli
levels but couldn't
determine if the lagoons
are the source.
The lagoon study will
recommend whether the
best solution to the over-
flow problems is to
remove up to one and
one-ihalf feet' of sludge
from the bottom of the
lagoons or upgrade the
capacity. A mechanical
treatment plant such as
was recently installed
for Arkona, Ailsa Craig
Andy O'Brien of Grand Bend Sanitation illustrates
the operation of a septic tank at an information
meeting on March. 23.
and Lucan are "much
more expensive,"
Boland said.
He promised the public
would be invited to give
their input on the pro-
ject in the near future.
Next workshop July 10
A similar information
•
y
-j/, yi ii i i/%
,
.4_
4 iii/, % % / % j i., % / 4 /
AoaydA
meeting will be held on
July 10 for people.
unable to attend last
week.;'s ,.p,eoinig{; 1For
more information,, call
Dave Morlock at the
Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority
at 235-2610.
Milwaukee, Wis. and
Waterloo, Ont.
Zurich lagoon upgrade
The Village of Zurich
has received funding
approval to improve its
sewage lagoons.
The lagoons over-
flowed in the spring of
'97 and Bruce Boland of
the Ontario Clean Water
Agency, which manages
the lagoons, said the
lagoons would overflow
again this spring before
its regular release date.
"It's far from' raw.
sewage," Noland said of
the effluent."Anything
in there has been in
there for three-four