Over a period of five years, the estimated percentage of SSTS in Minnesota that comply with standards improved from an estimated 65 percent of all systems to 79 percent. The estimated percentage of systems that fail to protect groundwater has dropped from 25 percent to 16 percent of systems. The improving compliance picture is revealed in the MPCA 2012 SSTS Annual Report.
Compliance information local SSTS program administrators report to the MPCA includes:
- Total number of SSTS in their jurisdiction
- Number of SSTS estimated to be in compliance
- Number of SSTS estimated to be an Imminent Threat to Public Health and Safety (ITHPS)
- Number of SSTS estimated to be failing to protect groundwater
Numerous local governmental units (LGUs) did not provide
any information or simply reported it as an unknown value in their
annual report. Other LGUs likely have some reasonably good estimates of
SSTS compliance, based upon their tracking of submitted compliance
inspections through various triggers that require an SSTS inspection and
then calculating the compliance rate.
Figures 18, 19 and 20 in the report provide yearly estimates of SSTS
compliance status for a
period of six years from 2007 to 2012.
Compliant systems
The number of
estimated compliant systems has increased over the past seven years,
from 334,500 systems in 2007 to 430,500 systems in 2012; an increase of
96,000 systems. During this time, LGUs reported that over
53,200 new and replacement system were installed. The estimated
percentage of compliant SSTS increased from 65 percent in 2008 to 79
percent in 2012.
Systems failing to protect groundwater
The
estimated number of systems that would not meet the vertical separation
(systems failing to protect groundwater) decreased over the past seven
years, from 117,000 systems in 2008 to 85,000 systems in 2012; a
decrease of 32,000 systems (Figure 19). The estimated percentage of
systems not meeting the vertical separation distance was reported as 25
percent in 2008, decreasing to 16 percent in 2012.
Imminent threats to public health and safety (ITPHS)
The
estimated number of systems that would be considered ITPHS (i.e. backs
up in house, surfacing systems, ‘straight pipes’ and cesspools; some
LGU’s define seepage pits/drywells as an ITPHS) have decreased over the
past seven years, from an estimated 56,000 systems in 2008 to 28,500
systems in 2012; a decrease of 27,500 systems (Figure 20). The estimated
percentage of ITPHS systems was reported as 11 percent ITPHS in 2007, decreasing to 5 percent by 2012.
The MPCA and SSTS Advisory Committee are looking for volunteers to be part of a committee to modify or create a new compliance inspection form for advanced system compliance inspections.
The new form would be used for systems of 2500 gallons per day or larger and Type IV systems. The volunteer group would discuss the proposed form through email and phone conference calls, so travel would not be required. Interested? Respond by Oct. 15, 2013, to Mark Wespetal at 651-757-2817 or by email.
Butts go in trash, not the can
During the
first-ever SepticSmart Week in September, the EPA encouraged homeowners to take action to
ensure their septic systems are functioning properly. Nearly one quarter
of all American households—more than 26 million homes—depend on septic
systems to treat their wastewater.
“By taking a few
small, simple steps to care for their home’s septic system, homeowners
can help protect the health of their community and their local
waterways, while preventing potentially costly repairs to their septic
system that can occur if the system is not properly maintained,” said
EPA acting Assistant Administrator for Water Nancy Stoner.
Homeowners can do their part by following these SepticSmart tips:
- Have their system inspected every three years
by a licensed contractor and have their tank pumped when necessary,
generally every three to five years.
- Avoid pouring fats, grease, and solids down the drain, which can clog a system’s pipes and drainfield.
- Ask guests to only to put things in the drain or toilet that belong
there. Coffee grounds, dental floss, disposable diapers and wipes,
feminine hygiene products, cigarette butts and cat litter should go in the trash, not the can. Remind guests not to park or drive on a system’s
drainfield, where the vehicle’s weight could damage buried pipes or
disrupt underground flow.
- Be water efficient
and spread out water use. Too much water at once can overload a system if it hasn’t been
pumped recently.
Low-income and rural communities,
especially in the South, are particularly impacted by lack of access to
adequate wastewater treatment, creating an environmental justice
concern. According to the 2009 U.S. Census American Housing Survey,
approximately 46 percent of the septic systems in the United States were
in the South, where rural poverty is concentrated among communities of
color and where more than one in five people in rural areas were living
below the poverty line.
Pollution from old, non-compliant or straight-pipe septic systems is a significant problem in the Cannon River watershed and throughout Southeast Minnesota. Several small communities in the region still discharge untreated sewage directly into a waterway.
Bixby used to be one of them. This small community of 26 homes and one business is located southeast of Owatonna on Highway 218 near the headwaters of the Straight River. The majority of homes in the community were connected to a straight pipe that sent untreated sewage into the Straight River. Construction on Bixby’s new community sewer system, which consists of septic tanks on each of the 27 properties and then a collection system to take the sewage to a large series of drainfields and mounds for treatment, was completed in the fall of 2012. The straight pipe to the Straight River has been abandoned.
The Bixby success story is one of several being written through the efforts of the Southeast Minnesota Wastewater Initiative project, a partnership between the Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP), Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
CRWP has been working with small communities for over ten years. In that time, 15 small communities have upgraded their sewage treatment systems, eliminating 191,250 gallons of untreated sewage per day (69.8 million gallons per year) from entering the lakes, streams, and rivers of Southeast Minnesota. Check out their stories.
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