Maintaining Your Shoreland Septic System, Minnesota Extension Service, Duluth 

Disposal of Industrial Wastewater and Alternatives, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

Best Management Practices for Vehicle Maintenance Facilities, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

Video: Some counties provide videos on correct operation/maintenance to homeowners. This educational tool could also be used by public water suppliers. Depending on the number of septic system owners within a WHP area, videos could be purchased for each household or several copies of the video could be made available locally for loan (for suggested locations, see Table 1). Another idea would be to arrange for airing of the video on your local cable station. Costs for this educational activity would vary depending on the number of videos purchased. 

Resources:

"Wastewater Management in Unsewered Areas," National Small Flows Clearinghouse. 24 minutes.

News media: News stories and public service announcements carried by local news media will reach large numbers of septic system owners and other audiences. Staff time will be needed to develop news releases and respond to news media inquiries. Paid advertising in news outlets is another option for reaching audiences through the news media. 

Newsletters: Articles in newsletters can be useful in educating a wide variety of audiences about septic systems. A number of existing newsletters can be used to provide this information: newsletters from Extension, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, lake associations, water planning newsletters, rural water systems, and even church bulletins. In addition, Public water suppliers may consider developing a newsletter specifically for landowners in the WHP area, which could highlight a variety of issues including septic systems.

Including information on septic system practices in existing newsletters is a low-cost method of educating a variety of audiences. Staff time will be needed to develop articles and to coordinate with editors of the various newsletters. Developing a newsletter specifically for the WHP area will help to stress the concept of the "special protection area" and will allow the Public water suppliers to reach landowners on a variety of topics.

Displays: Two types of displays may be used to help educate homeowners about septic systems: permanent displays and displays located at seasonal events or locations. Permanent displays can be set up for a long period of time in a location where community members frequent (banks, city or county offices, etc.) Displays can also be used at seasonal events such as county fairs, environmental fairs, environmental fairs for youth, health fairs, business expo's, water test sites, etc. In either case, print materials should be made available with the display for community members to take home. 

Resources:

For domestic septic systems:

Septic Tank Model, available from: Goldleaf Plastics, Inc., P.O. Box 426, 6646 County Road 137, Waite Park, MN 56387, 612/252-8810 ($128.00); or check with your county water planning or extension office. 

Soil Treatment System Model, available from: Goldleaf Plastics, Inc., P.O. Box 426, 6646 County Road 137, Waite Park, MN 56387, 612/252-8810 ($295.00); or check with your county water planning or extension office.

Personal contacts: Public water supply staff or other local staff where available (county staff, Soil and Water Conservation District staff, trained volunteers) can contact each domestic and commercial/industrial septic system owner within a wellhead area to directly educate them about their systems. As part of these contacts, which can be made by phone, letter or in-person, print materials or a video should be distributed.

Personal contacts can be an effective educational method. In considering this method, however, Public water suppliers should consider numbers of domestic and commercial/industrial septic systems in the WHP area and staff time available. Personal contacts can be an excellent way of reaching cooperating audiences (local officials/staff and contractors/pumpers). Public water suppliers can visit city/county offices and contractor/pumper businesses to discuss the educational program and to solicit assistance and support. Presentations to county boards, city councils and township boards is another way of making personal contact to these cooperating audiences.

Special events: As an educational technique, public water suppliers can sponsor special events and invite all interested audiences to attend. One suggestion is to plan an initial open house, "Welcome to Wellhead Protection," after the delineation and inventory is complete. At this event, the significance of the WHP area can be explained, and information on the importance of managing each of the contaminant sources found in the inventory can be provided. Information on septic systems can be a part of this event.

Follow-up special events specific to septic system owners and operators can also be planned. These could include demonstration projects for domestic septic system owners, such as cleaning demonstrations or proper operation demonstrations. Special events can also be planned for commercial/industrial septic system owners and for contractors. 

Services:

In addition to education, public water suppliers can provide services to help manage a particular contaminant source. These services go beyond education but do not involve regulation. For septic systems, services can include both technical assistance and financial assistance.

Activities undertaken by public water suppliers to assist homeowners and businesses with installation, upgrade, and proper maintenance of septic systems fall into the technical assistance category. Also included here are monitoring activities that may be instituted to track changed practices and potential problems.

System Cleaning and Septage Disposal: Public water suppliers can provide a service to encourage regular cleaning (pumping) of septic tanks. The service provided may take a variety of forms:

· Send reminder notices to households when cleaning is due. This will require setting up a database to track
  cleaning dates and to alert households when cleaning is due.

· In wellhead areas with many septic systems, organize septic tank cleaning on a regular basis (for example,
  contract with a pumper to offer cleaning services to households and businesses on a specific date)

· Arrange for septage disposal at a wastewater treatment facility (to prevent dumping on properties in the
  wellhead area)   Arrange for pick up of holding tank wastes from businesses . 

System evaluations: A program for evaluating the design, installation and operation of existing septic systems can be instituted by the public water supplier. This evaluation can be conducted at several levels, listed below:

• Gather basic information: Using local records, the county soil survey and topographic maps, public water suppliers can evaluate systems through a "process of elimination" approach. For example, the public water supplier can contact appropriate local units of government to determine if there is an existing permit program for septic systems and based on these local records, determine compliance. If no records exist, the local Natural Resources Conservation Service may be able to assist in reviewing soil types and topography in the wellhead area (much of this information may have been gathered during delineation of the wellhead protection area). In reviewing this information, you will need to note the depth to the high ground water table or depth to bedrock in the area. Areas with less than three feet of unsaturated soil to the water table or areas with other soil limiting characteristics (bedrock, heavy clay, etc.) need to use mound septic systems to adequately treat wastes.
   
• Mail surveys: The status of septic systems in the wellhead area can also be determined through a survey mailed to residents (a survey example is provided as Appendix A). A 100 percent return rate shouldn’t be expected, and you will receive a higher return rate if you make it clear that the information will not be used for future enforcement actions.
   
• Windshield survey: This is a low-tech method to determine whether septic systems in the wellhead area are adequate. For example, in an area with a high ground water table, you can drive by properties and look for mound systems (small hills in yards). If you don’t see evidence of mound systems, you can make a reasonable assumption that the properties do not have adequate systems. Appendix B provides a procedure for conducting windshield surveys.
   
• House-to-house survey: Local governments and lake associations conduct house-to-house surveys. With this method, properties are visited, owners are asked to identify the location of their systems (if they can), and the systems are visually inspected. To undertake this type of evaluation, additional knowledge of septic systems and soils is necessary. In some cases, lake associations have hired student interns in the soil science or wastewater engineering fields to conduct the evaluations.
   
• Compliance inspection: Compliance inspections are usually linked to further enforcement actions where inadequate systems are found. Compliance inspections are discussed on page 10.

System Design/Upgrade: Public water suppliers can assist septic system owners in designing new systems or upgrading existing systems. Lists of licensed designers and installers can be provided by the MPCA (call the MPCA’s Individual Sewage Treatment System information line: 651/282-6246). When providing lists of licensed professions, be aware that lists can become outdated quickly; make sure the list is current. Cost-share assistance or loans may also be provided for these activities (see Grants and Loans section below). 

Monitoring: Monitoring can include a variety of tracking/evaluation activities. Public water suppliers could undertake any of these monitoring activities as part of a management strategy. In general, monitoring activities may require follow-up actions if monitoring indicates potential problems.

• Monitor planning and zoning activities of local governments as they affect the wellhead protection area. For example, request notification of proposed land use discussions that may result in installation of on-sites in the wellhead area. In addition, you may want to work with local planning and zoning commissions to address non-conforming septic systems in wellhead areas.
   
• Monitor cleaning (pumping) frequency of septic systems within the wellhead area to detect potential problems. This will require seeking the cooperation of local pumpers.
   
• Monitor behavior changes within the wellhead area to determine if pollution prevention practices are being adopted. For this activity, the public water suppliers could use surveys or other methods (e.g., monitor water use to determine if water conservation is being practiced).
   
• Monitor housing changes and evaluate how these may affect septic systems.

In some situations, public water suppliers may want to financially assist septic system owners within wellhead protection areas in order to ensure that septic systems are installed, upgraded, maintained and abandoned properly. Assistance can take the form of grants or loans, buy-outs, tax credits or other methods.

Grants and Loans: Public water suppliers may choose to make grants or loans available for owners of domestic and business septic systems.

Grants or loans made available can be used by homeowners and businesses for: construction of new systems; replacement or upgrade of existing systems; maintaining systems; retrofitting homes and businesses to be more water conserving; extension of sewer systems or creating sewer districts; or monitoring adequacy of systems. For business septic systems, grants or loans can also be made available to repair or upgrade their systems and to change plumbing in side business facilities to ensure that problem connections are re-connected properly (for example, problem connections can include such things as floor drains connected to the septic system).

The public water supplier's role in providing grants and loans can take one of the following forms, depending on the local situation:

· act as an information/referral resource to existing sources of grants and loans

· actively seek funding for the community (for example, apply for funding for septic system
  upgrades community-wide)

· create a city-owned fund for cost-shares or loans

Buy outs: Public water suppliers can establish a system of buying back common equipment, such as garbage disposals, which may contribute to improper functioning of septic systems. Residents in a wellhead protection area who bring in the identified items would receive a rebate from the public water supplier.

Related to the concept of buy outs is a system of buying down the amount of hazardous materials stored on properties in the wellhead protection area. (This option is discussed in the chapters on hazardous materials and waste.) Buying down hazardous materials may be of interest to public water suppliers managing septic systems, due to the potential for hazardous materials to be disposed into septic systems.  

Tax or utility credits: For homeowners and businesses within the wellhead protection area who upgrade their systems or demonstrate proper operation and maintenance, tax credits or utility-bill credits can be offered. Utility-bill credits may be easiest to institute by public water suppliers.

Regulation:

Regulation is another category of methods a public water supplier can employ to manage septic systems in a wellhead protection area. In undertaking many of the regulatory activities listed below, public water suppliers will need to work closely with city, township or county planning and zoning commissions, whichever has jurisdiction in the wellhead protection area.

Currently, state law and rules already require certain standards for septic systems. Among these are requirements for newly installed systems to meet state standards and for disclosure of the existence of a septic system at property transfer. In wellhead protection areas, state law also requires that existing systems must meet the state standard of 3 feet of vertical soil separation . In addition, counties are required to adopt area-wide septic system ordinances. City and township ordinances must be as restrictive as the county ordinances, and county ordinances prevail where cities and townships choose not to adopt ordinances.

Additional regulatory options for businesses using septic systems within wellhead areas can also be considered. Current federal regulations require that underground disposal of wastewater does not pollute drinking water sources. Upcoming federal regulations will restrict discharge of certain types of commercial and industrial wastewaters into septic systems. Additional regulatory options at the local level can also be considered.

Below are listed a variety of regulatory options which can be enacted by ordinance for both domestic and business septic systems in wellhead protection areas, depending on the local situation:

Inspections and Upgrades: Ordinances can be adopted requiring periodic inspections and upgrades of non-conforming systems within a specified period of time. A qualified professional needs to conduct these compliance inspections. The local unit of government’s planning and zoning staff, building inspector or environmental health professional may be qualified to conduct these. Financial assistance could be provided for upgrading systems. A variation of the periodic inspection concept would be to require inspection and upgrade at the time of property transfer. 

Water Conservation: Ordinances requiring water conservation can be adopted for wellhead protection areas. 

Sanitary sewer hook-up: In areas where sanitary sewer service is available, households and businesses can be required to connect to the sanitary sewer within a specified time period. Depending on local situations, installation of new septic systems may be restricted, however, public water supplier should work with the appropriate planning commissions on these issues. 

Septic system operation: A variety of requirements can be adopted related to proper operation of septic systems. These include requiring owners to report to the public water supplier when their septic tanks are cleaned (pumped); requiring tank cleaning every two years; prohibiting the use of all septic system additives and cleaners; requiring owners of septic systems to use water-conserving appliances and fixtures as outlined in the state building code; and prohibiting the use of garbage disposals. Public water suppliers will need to develop a method for enforcement of these requirements. In some counties, county assessors or building officials may be able to assist. Inspections may take place at the time of property transfer.  

Minimum Lot Size: Establishing a minimum lot size for septic systems within the wellhead area can also be considered. Public water suppliers will need to work with the appropriate Planning Commission to implement this requirement. 

Ordinances for Business Septic Systems: Public water suppliers may choose to work with MPCA to identify existing facilities and discuss other regulatory options. For example, local authorities could require plumbing modifications to ensure commercial and industrial wastes are not discharged to septic systems. Or, local authorities could require, by local ordinance, that businesses follow federal underground injection control regulations (public water suppliers who adopt federal regulations by ordinance would be responsible for enforcing the regulations). 

Prohibition of business septic systems: Adopt local ordinances or modify existing ones to prohibit business septic systems within wellhead protection areas. 

Septage storage and disposal: Within wellhead protection areas, public water suppliers may choose to regulate septage storage and disposal. One way to do this is to prohibit storage and land application of septage within the wellhead area. In many areas, however, alternate disposal options are unavailable or unnecessary -- wastewater treatment plants may be unwilling to accept septage or the area may have suitable conditions for land application. Another option is to restrict land application within the wellhead area. For example, land application in the wellhead area can be restricted to areas where soils are suitable for this practice.

Primary Audiences Cooperating Audiences {individuals who can assist/support (with suggested delivery mechanisms/sites) educational efforts, with suggested delivery mechanisms/sites)