I bet you didn’t know that last week was…

 

bdn-septicI bet you didn’t know that last week was a special week.

Yup, it was the EPA’s National Septic Smart Week. Now if you live in a city or live in a town with a sewer system, you probably could care less. You might even care less if you have a septic system.

When we lived in the country, our septic system was on the order of out of sight, out of mind. We had moved from where we had a town sewer and we didn’t have to worry about such problems, unless we had some kind of jam up, and then if we couldn’t take care of it ourselves, we called one of the rotor rooter services.

The EPA apparently knows that most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their septic system – unless they have a problem.

Our septic system happened to be in view of our dining room window, hidden by shrubs and our active bird feeders.

But one spring after snow melt and a lot of rain, we noticed bubbling in that area – and it wasn’t oil. We didn’t know about the EPA’s check list or we might have been all right, but we hadn’t, and the septic wasn’t very much on our minds…until this happened.

Well, what does the EPA suggest?

1. Have your system checked every 3 years.
2. Pump your septic every 3-5 years.
3. Don’t pour paint, oil, and other harsh products down your drains.
4. Make sure roots of your plantings don’t interfere with your septic system.
5. Use low or phosphate free soaps and detergents.
6. Fix leaky faucets so they don’t overload your system.

bdn-septic-2Checking out your septic is especially important if you live near streams, ponds, lakes, or the ocean, because guess what your septic will pollute… .

For more tips, check out www.epa.gov/septicsmart

Good luck! You don’t need our once bubbly septic happen to you!

Bill Baker

About Bill Baker

Bill's interest in a clean place to live is rooted in growing up in the country – a cornfield across the road and fields, sandstone cliffs and hundreds of acres of woods where he spent many hours.