"Out of sight, out of mind," is not a helpful phrase when talking about your rural septic system. Keeping an eye on your septic system and maintaining it properly will help prevent the cost of replacing a system that has completely failed ($5,000 or more) as well as help prevent the hassle and costs associated with winter freeze-ups.
In addition, a septic system that is working well helps prevent pollution from contaminating nearby waters or posing a threat to human health. In Becker County alone, there are more than 11,000 septic systems serving rural residents. Statewide there are more than 500,000.
In a rural septic system, liquid and solid waste from a home flows to a large concrete holding tank, where solid waste settles to the bottom. Liquid waste then drains out of the top of the tank at the far end and into several rows of buried perforated plastic pipes that allow the liquid waste to seep into the ground.
Given the right type of soil and amount of flow, bacteria will act on the waste as it passes through the first few feet of soil and allow only purified water to seep further down to groundwater. It's important that this water be clean, because the groundwater it enters may eventually end up traveling to a neighbor's well or to a nearby lake or stream.
Generally speaking, septic systems tend to fail because of one or more of the following causes:
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- Solid waste from the holding tank can enter the drain field and clog it up;
- Cold temperatures can cause the pipe leading to the septic tank or the drain field pipes to freeze;
- Too much water enters the system;
- Too much garbage disposal and other matter flushed to the tank;
- Flushing of medications such as antibiotics and chemotherapy chemicals (these should be sealed and disposed of in the trash).
Every so often, the solids that collect in a holding tank should be pumped out by an operator who is certified to do this type of work to prevent the accumulated solids from entering the drain field. The best pumping schedule will depend on how much waste the household generates, but every two or three years is average.
The University of Minnesota has a worksheet available on its Web site for determining a pumping schedule, as well as other useful information about septic systems.
Winter freeze-ups generally occur for two reasons, very cold temperatures with not enough snow on the ground to provide insulation to help prevent frost from going deep into the ground. It's also important to keep vehicle traffic and even foot traffic away from areas covering the pipes that lead to and from the holding tank as compacting the soil will also allow frost to more easily penetrate downward.
More information about rural septic system will be shared at the next Natural Innovations speaker forum, which is this Thursday, April 12 from 5 to 6:15 p.m., in Room C103 of Minnesota State Community & Technical College in Detroit Lakes. This talk will include a discussion of the local and state rules associated with rural septic systems as well as additional maintenance tips.
The forum is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. This is the latest in a series of environmental speaker forums sponsored by Natural Innovations, a local nonprofit organization created to promote environmental education and stewardship in the lakes area. For more information, call 218-847-0025, visit the Web site, www.naturalinnovations.org or send an e-mail to ni@lakesnet.net .
Dan Olson is a public information officer with the Detroit Lakes regional office of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He can be reached at 218-846-7390. Natural Innovations is a collaborative effort of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and citizen volunteers.
