Septic System Assistance Program:

Transcription

1 Septic System Assistance Program: Helping People Help their Watershed, One Septic System at a Time Shiawassee Conservation District Andrea Wendt, Watershed Technician

2 Holly Drain Watershed ( ) 12-digit HUC in Shiawassee River Watershed Southeast Shiawassee County History of water quality issues

3 The 3 Mile Creek Incident 1999

4 Illicit Connection Elimination Program % of homes inspected 214 violations E. coli counts from 80-7,100,000 cfu BOTH human & animal

5 3 Mile Creek Study Conclusions A pervasive problem Homes are difficult to access More work to be done! E. coli counts very high Illicit connections are hard to find!

6 Shiawassee Co. Ordinances 2001 Point of Sale Ordinance Administered by SCHD There shall be no sale, transfer, or conveyance of a parcel until the following conditions are met: The seller files and evaluation report stating that the septic system and drinking water well are acceptable, or remediation is completed ~25% of homes out of compliance 1 out of 15 septic systems are failing 2003 Limited moratorium on in-ground septic systems

7 Mid-Shiawassee River Watershed Management Plan 86 miles of streams walked to characterize the condition of the watershed Unnatural waterfowl feeding a problem in the watershed

8 WMP Septic System Research 2011 Home On-site Septic System Approval Dates by SCHD Septic System Approval Date 36% 27% 18% 19% 1990 or older No date 294 rural homes

9 Excerpt from Mid- Shiawassee River Watershed Management Plan, Sept 19, 2011, SCD

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11 Septic System Assistance Program Developed and implemented by SCD Partnership with SCHD First program of its kind in MI Fit criteria for DEQ NPS program (319)

12 Septic System Assistance Program

13 Program Participation Requirements Location Education Inspection Installation Maintenance Conservation District staff conducts a Home Risk Assessment Home*A*Syst with each homeowner

14 EVALUATE HOME POLLUTION AND HEALTH RISKS Liquid fuels Site Assessment Drinking Water Well Yard and garden care Storm water Home *A* Syst House hold Waste water House hold trash Home energy savings Hazardou s products Indoor air quality Lead

15 Home*A*Syst

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17 Home Risk Assessment

18 Homeowner Action Checklist

19 Drainfield Evaluation Assess for surface/point discharges Evaluate condition of stone in septic field

20 SCHD Perc Test Identify soil texture and structure Depth to seasonal high water table Drainage characteristics

21 Engineered Mound System

22 Engineered Mound System

23 Program Outreach Articles Workshops Radio Social media, website Health Department referrals Homeowner referrals

24 E. coli and Your Water E. coli and your health (Public Health Professionals) History of E. coli in Vernon Township (SCHD) Septic Systems basics, signs of failure, POS program (SCHD) Groundwater flow model (SCD) Environmental Canine Services presentation (ECS) Septic System Assistance Program (SCD)

25 Septic System Care Septic Systems 101 (Dr. Ted Louden, MSU) Proper Maintenance of Onsite Systems (SCS Consulting, MSU) Critical Do s and Don ts (MSU) Local Septic System Permitting Procedures (SCHD) Septic System Assistance Program (SCD)

26 Shiawassee County Septic Haulers Meeting Intent: to educate septic haulers about the program Often contractors are first contact for homeowners Shiawassee Co. contractor pumping septic tank through SSAP

27 Canine Investigations Benefits Human Specific Reduced sampling Rapid screening Immediate results On the fly decisions Lower overall costs Scott Reynolds and Sable from ECS with SCD staff investigating bucket samples and field sites Holly Drain Watershed, June 2014

28 Program Participation 14 new systems 3 new systems pending 2 applications pending 6 tanks pumped with inspections 1 required replacement

29 Participation as of March 2016 Septic System Assistance Program Participation

30 Pollutant Load Calculations Calculate existing pollutant loads Calculate pollutant removals with new system Education delivered POLLUTANT REMOVED Septic System Improvement Estimator Tool University of Minnesota, Water Resource Center

31 Pollutant Load Reductions Contaminant At grade New System Mound BOD5 100% 100% TSS 100% 100% E. Coli 100% 100% Nitrogen 25% 50% Phosphorus 100% 100% Removal percentages for new system; source: UMN, Water Resource Center Oct 2013 Impact Lack of management program -10% Homeowner education program (Home*A*Syst) Comprehensive County Inventory Project +2% +2% Target Area Inventory/TMDL +1% Property transfer +1% Impacts of management, education and trigger programs, source: UMN, Water Resource Center Oct 2013

32 Pollutant Load Reductions 14 new mound systems 6 tanks pumped with system inspections 2.72 trillion cfu E. coli Partial body contact 300 cfu Total body contact 1,000 cfu 737 lbs BOD 1,173 lbs sediment 651 lbs phosphorus 690 lbs nitrogen

33 Lessons Learned Getting participants is tricky Word-of-mouth is the best method Homeowners are weary, need reassurance No one wants to have a failing septic system, replacing is expensive Homeowner hires contractor 3 bids strongly suggested

34 Shiawassee Conservation District Andrea Wendt, Watershed Technician , ext. 3 Andrea.wendt@mi.nacdnet.net All photos by Shiawassee Conservation District