If you think there’s nothing social about septic systems, then you don’t know your — ummm, let’s rephrase that — you have a lot to learn.
A lot.
And if you had attended the “Septic Social” put on last Saturday by the Auburn Water District, Lake Auburn Watershed Commission, you’d know that and much more, and had a good time learning about it.
For instance: The kind of TP you use does matter. And for once, cheaper may actually be better — for the septic system, at least. While the thicker and softer paper may be kinder to your bottom, it isn’t so great for the tank. It doesn’t dissolve as quickly, and what doesn’t dissolve eventually has to be pumped out.
“Flushable” wipes? Forget about them. They flush, but they don’t dissolve. At best they float to the top of the tank, at worst they get stuck in your septic pump and may end up costing you thousands.
Add grease — Public Enemy No. 1 of septic systems everywhere — to the exploding number of personal care products that may fit down a toilet drain but belong in a trash can, and you’ve got the makings of the $350,000 real-life septic system emergency described by Auburn Water District Superintendent John Storer.
And if you are thinking about dumping any unused drugs, over-the-counter or otherwise, down the hopper, don’t. Not only are increasing amounts of these chemicals ending up in our water supplies, it’s unclear what they may do to the good bugs (bacteria) that make a septic system work.
Saturday’s workshop, formally titled “Saving money and extending a septic system’s life: A Septic Social,” was the brainchild of Lynne Richard, education and outreach manager for the Lake Auburn Watershed Commission who wrote the grant that funded the program and the $75 coupon participants received toward a septic system pump-out by W.E. Fenderson of Auburn.
Richard promises the Septic Social was the kickoff of a new way of doing things. “We used to try to solve everything by passing regulations,” she said Monday afternoon. “Now we are asking, ‘how do we help?'”
It’s about working with people, she said, and figuring out how to provide them with the tools to make them successful stewards of the land and water. Part of the the $10,000 grant, Richard said, will be used to provide nutrient management assistance for small-scale farmers as well as providing buffer plantings to help with watershed management.
Saturday’s program was successful in several ways: It provided participants with a wealth of resources and contacts for dealing with septic matters; and it offered an opportunity to informally chat with Storer. Too often, residents only meet officials like Storer when they have a problem.
If it’s hard to imagine 15 or so people spending part of a sunny, warm September morning discussing, and actually enjoying themselves, as they watched (and smelled) a live septic system pump-out … then you need to attend the next septic social. Trust us. It happened.
“I had fun,” Richard said, laughing as she told her husband how the program went.
Saturday’s workshop was a great beginning: informative, interesting and informal.
And it deserves a great follow-up.
We will be watching and you should, too.
hmccarthy@sunjournal.com
Septic Social Contacts
Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission
Lynne Richard, watershed education and outreach manager
c/o Auburn Water District
268 Court St., Auburn
207-784-6469
lrichard@aswd.org
Facebook: look for Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission
David Rocque, state soil scientist, licensed site evaluator
welcomes calls and emails from residents seeking information, expert advice
207-287-2666
David.Rocque@Maine.Gov
Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program
Jonnie Maloney
jonnie@maineevlmp.org
maineevlmp.org
Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District
Jane Heikkinen, office manager
254 Goddard Road, Lewiston
207-753-9400, ext. 400
jane.heikkinen@oxfordnetworks.net
androscogginswcd.org
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