When Tiny Township’s new Official Plan is finally put in place and the enabling By-Laws enacted, the watchword in Tiny will be Environment First in all planning decisions. All of us recognize the need for this and it has been exciting to see the way our planners have incorporated protections for the township’s groundwater, its rivers, the Bay and its wildlife into the document which will guide us through the next 20 years.

As individuals we make decisions every day that affect the quality of the environment around us. A major area of social and private responsibility concerns the septic systems that most of us depend on. Those of us who live close to the shore or to streams have a special responsibility to make sure that we do not contaminate the water of the Bay that is a joy and a fundamental resource for everyone.

A septic system can be an excellent means of treating household waste water. On sandy, gravelly soils like those in this area, and where dwellings are spaced well apart, septic systems operate reliably for years. By treating sewage on-site, they eliminate the need for costly municipal sewage treatment and associated sewers.

A septic system—a two-compartment tank, a network of drainage pipes, and billions of microscopic organisms—treats tons of organic waste each year. It copes with the effluent from every flush and every shower and with everything that is poured down the drain. The tank treats sewage by letting the heavy solid materials settle and allowing the bacteria in the tank time to decompose and liquefy the organic material in the sewage. Then the partially treated liquid flows into perforated pipes, called the leaching bed, where it percolates into the ground and is further digested by bacteria and other organisms in the soil.

But if mistreated, septic systems may become health and environmental hazards. When they malfunction, untreated sewage enters the soil and real problems may result. Some components of sewage are very mobile once they enter the soil. Nitrates and bacteria, for example, may migrate from sewage and contaminate wells and waterways. Wells actually encourage such migration. As a well draws groundwater toward itself, it creates a funnel-shaped depression in the water table around it. This “cone of depression” may encourage septic effluent to follow a downward or lateral path toward the well. Well water that has been good for years may suddenly contain dangerous contaminants.

What Goes Wrong? And What Can Be Done?

Sludge Build-Up
Over time, a septic tank accumulates inorganic solid material. As it builds up, this sludge gradually decreases the treatment time in the tank, time which is needed for solids to settle and for contaminants to be processed by microorganisms. If allowed to accumulate, sludge may reach the outlet level and begin flowing into the leaching bed. There, it can plug the pipes or the bed and contaminate the surrounding soil.

The smaller the tank, and the more people using it, the faster the sludge accumulates—and though larger tanks have more capacity, these too will eventually fill. We will know when the drainage field is too congested to do its job: drains and toilets slow down, stop or may even start to run backwards. When these things happen, damage has already been done.

The answer? Have the septic system pumped and inspected every two years. Pumping should be done in summer or early fall so that there is time before winter for the tank to refill and for bacterial action to become re-established. The tank should not be pumped in the spring if the spring water table is high as the emptied tank may float.

If the tile bed becomes plugged with solids, the only solution is the replacement of the tile field. A septic system pump-out is less than a hundredth the price of a new tile bed.

Overuse
Over the years, many septic systems are subjected to increased usage. Some were built for small cottages and homes, and were not enlarged as additions were made. The additional volumes of water strain the septic system, and it eventually gives up. Heavy use of water moves waste water through the septic system too quickly for it to function properly. Heavy use of water also tends to draw septic effluent and associated contaminants toward wells—ours and our neighbours’.

Regular septic maintenance and moderate water use is the answer. When sizing and installing a system, it is a good idea to allow some extra capacity to meet future needs. Bigger is better and more capacity can mean a longer service life. But no matter how large the system is, it is best to minimize water use, so that a septic system has more time to work on each litre of waste, and so that waste is not pushed too quickly through the tank, carrying untreated solid material into the drainage field.

We would be smart to—
• Keep showers short.
• Run dishwashers and clotheswashers only when full.
• Use the cycles with the lowest number of rinses.
• Try to spread the clothes washing over several days.
• Compare water usage rates when buying appliances.
• Fix dripping taps.

Chemical Indigestion
Septic systems thrive on wastewater, but some chemicals can cause major problems. Flushing even small amounts of paints, solvents, thinners, nail polish remover and other common household compounds (or pouring them down the drain) can poison the organisms that break down organic material.

Laundry bleaches, toilet bowl cleaners and caustic drain openers can damage the tank or slow the treatment process, allowing undigested sewage to pass through. Often, the chemicals themselves seep into the ground, sometimes contaminating wells or surface waters.

Septic systems cannot digest oils, grease and fat. Poured down the sink or toilet, they congeal in pipes, sometimes plugging them. Grease can also combine with detergents and flow into the leaching bed where it may clog the soils. Fats can form a blob in the top of the tank, and interfere with the biological activities taking place. All oily waste should go out with the garbage.

In-sink garbage disposals (garburators) strain the system. Disposable diapers, tampons and their holders, condoms, wrappers and many other kinds of refuse can plug and impair septic systems. If something doesn’t break down naturally, it shouldn’t be flushed into the septic tank.

Here, the answer is prevention. Experts have found that preparations marketed as septic tank cleaners, starters or enhancers are of little value. Some may kill essential bacteria in the tank, others may flush septic solids into the drainage field. At best, these products are entirely unnecessary.

Sluggish Operation
Septic tanks work better at warmer temperatures. Covering the top of the tank with polystyrene insulation helps and can keep sewage from freezing under extreme conditions.

Physical Damage
Roots of trees and shrubs—especially willows and poplars—travel significant distances to seek water and can plug or damage pipes. So keep trees and shrubs well back from the septic field. And the watering of grass over the field should be eliminated or minimized as watering interferes with the soil’s ability to absorb liquids and break down wastes.

Driving cars or machinery over the septic system will crush it. The soils surrounding the pipes may also be compacted, making it less able to absorb sewage flows. Snowmobiles compress the snow cover over the field, reducing its natural insulating effect and increasing the risk of pipes freezing.

Act Quickly
When problems present themselves—slow drains, backed up toilets, bad odours—it’s time for immediate action.

Regulations
We are required by law to report septic problems to the local Building Official since septic systems under 10,000 litres are regulated by the Ontario Building Code. Then a licensed contractor must be contacted. He will need details of the full extent of the problem—including specifics as to when symptoms first appeared. The contractor will require building permit approval before repairs can commence. These can range from clearing a few lines to replacing entire drainage fields and landfilling contaminated soil. Costs vary from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

A Building Permit must be obtained prior to the construction, installation, extension, enlargement or alteration of any septic system or any building connected to a septic system. And the Ontario Building Code requires that a final inspection be carried out and a Use Permit granted, before a new or altered septic system may be used.

An Ounce of Prevention
It is wise to keep a maintenance schedule on the septic system which records its physical layout, the dates it was inspected, the kind of work done, and the name of the licensed contractor who performed the work. A well maintained septic system can run for decades while an abused or neglected one can fail tomorrow.

(Source: Care and Feeding of Your Septic System, a publication supported by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Concrete Precasters Association of Ontario, and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. Also the Ontario Building Code, Part 8.)
For information on standards for septic systems and for a trouble-shooting guide on problems see “environment” on FoTTSA’s website— http://www.tinycottager.org