NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/misc/rural/2689

Text File | 1992-12-29 | 3.3 KB | 71 lines

Newsgroups: misc.rural
Path: sparky!uunet!nwnexus!beauty!josh
From: [e-mail] (Joshua_Putnam)
Subject: Re: concerns with well water and a septic tank
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Happy Man Corp., Vashon Island, WA 98070-7399
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 17:48:40 GMT
Lines: 58

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Anthony Datri) writes:


>>A septic tank is a "solid" cement tank. It of course does leak like all
>>concrete does, to some extent.

>What I'm really worried about is polluting.  If this tank is supposed to be
>solid, then why doesn't it fill up very, very quickly?

The sewage doesn't run into the tank and just stay there.  The
tank may or may not leak, depending on how it's made.  A lot of
new systems use fiberglass tanks instead of concrete, since the
fiberglass tanks are a lot easier to handle -- two construction
workers can carry a 1,000 gallon tank and position it in its hole
without too much trouble.  Most of the sewage leaves the tank the
way it is supposed to, into the drain field, unless your tank is
damaged.

The sewage runs into the tank and sits for a while.  Anaerobic
bacteria digest most of the biological wastes, leaving a small
percentage of insoluble crud that either sinks to the bottom or
floats to the top.  The liquid left in the middle is relatively
clear.  The amount of solids depends a lot on what you put in
your tank.  In-sink disposals are a major source of non-
digestible crud, so composting is a very good idea if you're on a
septic system.  Other ways people crud up their tanks include
flushing whole boxes full of cat litter, which never dissolves,
and flushing plastics such as cigarrette butts, tampons &
applicators, condoms, etc.  If it won't rot, don't flush it.

From the tank, the cleaned sewage trickles into a drain field
where it is exposed to air, killing the anaerobic bacteria and
allowing aerobic bacteria to complete the rotting process.
Killing the anaerobic bacteria also reduces the risk of disease.

In a properly designed system, the effluent will be safe to drink
after only a few yards of soil filtration.  For safety, and
because lots of installations are far from perfect, health codes
usually set much greater boundaries, often 50 or 100 feet,
between drain fields and fresh water / wells.

A properly functioning septic system will take care of all common
household wastes.  A malfunctioning system can cause serious
problems.  If your tank leaks a lot, unprocessed sewage with a
full load of anaerobic bacteria can enter your water table.  A
drain field that is below the water table will do much the same.
Inadequate soil around the drain field will not provide enough
filtration to remove microscopic particulates and other
contaminants.

If you have any doubts, get your system inspected and your water
tested.  It's cheaper to fix it than to clean up the consequences
of long-term malfunctions.
--
 [e-mail]    Happy Man Corp.  206/463-9399 x102
 4410 SW Pt. Robinson Rd., Vashon Island, WA  98070-7399  fax x108
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