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Uncovering Septic Secrets
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NOVEMBER 3, 2003 -- Out of sight, out of mind. At least until somebody gets sick.
All around the Great Lakes, a mixed bag of about 100 agencies and governmental units are charged with making sure that one family's sewage doesn't end up in their neighbor's water glass. However, as in the case of Houghton's Peepsock neighborhood, where a rash of illnesses was traced to septic tank juice leaking into local wells, problems aren't usually identified until someone gets an upset stomach or worse.
About one quarter of all American households depend on septic systems, and in some regions, the percentage is much higher. Only about 15 percent of homes in the 10-county region around Traverse City are hooked up to municipal sewer systems.
The agencies charged with regulating septic systems, often local health departments, usually lack the tools to act on problems until after the fact. Health departments have neither the staff, the funding nor the authority to inspect existing systems.
Plus, local standards, which often balance environmental and economic values, can vary tremendously. In such a climate, water quality, arguably the Great Lakes region's highest and best asset, is at some risk of being flushed down the toilet.
To address the problem, the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation is funding a variety of initiatives to evaluate risks posed by septic systems around the Great Lakes and offer solutions. As part of this effort, a team of Michigan Tech researchers led by Associate Professor Kathleen Halvorsen (Social Sciences) has received an $80,000 grant from the foundation to survey how local jurisdictions around the Great Lakes regulate septic systems, especially in the face of development pressures.
The survey will yield information on permit processes and any programs to monitor septic systems after they are installed. Plus, agency professionals will be asked if they think current policies are sufficient to protect public health and the environment over the next 20 to 30 years.
"We're using a recently issued set of EPA standards," Halvorsen says, which includes five models for use in areas ranging from the least environmentally sensitive to the most. "Areas around the Great Lakes are generally going to be environmentally sensitive, and I don't think most of them will even meet the standards of the least sensitive model."
Most problems come to light when the damage has already been done. "People report their neighbors when sewage ponds on the surface," Halvorsen notes. By then, the failed system has already wreaked havoc.
Infants are particularly vulnerable to contaminated well water. In methemoglobinemia, better known as blue baby syndrome, nitrates ingested in formula or drinking water can reduce the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, starving the body of oxygen. In rare cases, the condition has proven fatal.
When septic systems go bad, they do more than ruin well water. The tanks emit nutrients such as nitrates and phosphorous, which have the potential to turn a small, clear lake into a scum-covered pool. In addition, bacteria from waterfront septic systems can contaminate beaches.
Septic systems that are properly installed on a suitable site can work well for 30 years or more, Halvorsen says. However, not all tanks are properly maintained, and not all sites are suitable, particularly along desirable waterfront properties. And alternatives, such as the Wisconsin mound, built on the ground and covered with earth, are expensive to install and maintain, not to mention regulate.
The current hodge-podge of septic system regulation probably took root 30 or 40 years ago, when septic tanks began replacing cesspools and people began moving out of urban areas and out into the country. "I think that at that time, we looked at septic systems as temporary," Halvorsen says. "People really thought that soon everything would be developed and eventually we'd all be hooked up to a sewer system."
That hasn't happened, and, as rural development continues, the opportunities for pollution are increasing.
When the Michigan Tech survey is completed, researchers hope it won't just take up space on a shelf.
"The Joyce Foundation hopes that it can be used to improve regulations," Halvorsen says. "It could also be used for a public information campaign," to explain the scope of the problem, offer solutions and encourage homeowners and businesses to maintain their septic systems properly.
And, ultimately, persuade communities to address these issues before their citizens get sick.
Other co-principal investigators on the Joyce Foundation grant are Kristine Bradof, community programs coordinator for the GEM Center; Hugh Gorman, associate professor of social sciences; Mary Durfee, associate professor of social sciences and special assistant to the provost; and Salvadora Keith and Melanie Barbier, graduate students in environmental policy. |
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