healthysaginawbay

[healthysaginawbay]

How exactly does a septic system work? Most consist of a buried, watertight tank that captures heavy solids and a subterranean drain field where liquid wastewater is discharged to be filtered through gravel. 

[healthysaginawbay]

[healthysaginawbay]

Michigan is the only state in the nation without uniform standards about how sewage treatment systems are designed, built, installed and maintained (It's left to the cities and townships)

[healthysaginawbay]

On average, an American uses 88 gallons of water per day (U.S. EPA n.d.). In Michigan, with an average household size of 2.5 people, this means households generate about 225 gallons of wastewater daily, adding up to over 82,000 gallons each year (U.S. Census 2010). When septic systems fail, untreated wastewater can seep into the environment, posing risks to public and environmental health. In counties around Saginaw Bay, failing septic systems contribute between 1.4 million and 3.5 million gallons of sewage daily. Annually, this adds up to between 505 million and 1.26 billion gallons of sewage, assuming failure rates of 10% and 25%. While some septic systems provide partial treatment, reducing pollution, this is still a significant environmental concern.

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While the impact of an individual failing septic system may seem marginal, in regions where many systems fail, the cumulative effect can be significant. These systems can contribute pathogens into the environment that cause diseases such as giardia, hepatitis, and cholera (MDEQ 2018). When pollution levels are too high, the result can be closing beaches and rivers to recreational access. 

[healthysaginawbay]

Coastal counties along the Saginaw Bay are predominately rural. Aside from Bay County, which has the highest population, most of the region relies on septic systems to treat household wastewater. In total, more than 60,000 homes in the region have septic systems, representing approximately 50 percent of all the houses in the region. By comparison, there are more homes with septic systems in these five counties than the total number of houses in Bay County. 

Estimating the number of systems that may be failing is a challenging task because many variables can affect how well an individual system works. Furthermore, definitions of what constitutes a system failure vary from one jurisdiction to the next. Failure rates of 10 and 25 percent were established as the upper and lower bounds of a range that may be realistic for Michigan communities. These estimates suggest that there may be between approximately 6,000 and 15,000 failing septic systems in Arenac, Bay, Huron, Iosco, and Tuscola Counties. 

[healthysaginawbay]

On average, an American individual uses 88 gallons of water per day (U.S. EPA n.d.). In Michigan, the average household size is just over 2.5 people per house, meaning that, on average, households generate approximately 225 gallons of wastewater every day, totaling more than 82,000 gallons annually (U.S. Census 2010). If homes are relying on a septic system that is not operating as designed, this effluent can contribute sewage to the environment, increasing public and environmental health risk. In counties along the Saginaw Bay, households with failing septic systems generate between approximately 1.4 million and 3.5 million gallons of sewage each day. Annually, these households generate approximately 505 million and 1.26 billion gallons of sewage, assuming a 10 percent and 25 percent failure rate. While these estimates represent a substantial amount of sewage that may be entering the environment, some systems may provide partial treatment, which decreases pollution levels making their way to the environment. Similarly, not all the discharges immediately reach waterways, but they can still be present in the environment. 

By comparison, permitted wastewater treatment facilities in these counties have largely eliminated discharges of untreated sewage into the Saginaw Bay from CSOs, which were historically a significant source of pollution to the Saginaw Bay. In 2017, for example, no CSOs were reported.4 

[healthysaginawbay]

Community leaders identified many opportunities to improve public and environmental health in the Saginaw Bay region. Representatives of the health departments with jurisdiction over the five counties along the bay also offered valuable insight and perspectives on septic management practices. Building from these conversations and research regarding the potential impact of failing septic systems, community partners should consider enhancing collaborative efforts, working to improve information management as it relates to septic systems, building greater understanding of water quality conditions and the potential impact of failing septic systems, raising public awareness of water quality conditions and septic management practices, developing and augmenting financial assistance mechanisms for residents, and evaluating updates to the sanitary code. 

[healthysaginawbay]

When properly designed, sited, installed, and maintained, septic systems provide cost-effective and environmentally safe disposal of wastewater. Similar to other household infrastructure, like a furnace or roof, septic systems have an expected service life and require periodic maintenance. Many septic systems are designed to operate for approximately 30 years, depending on individual use and upkeep. When septic systems outlive their useful service life, they may no longer effectively treat wastewater and can discharge sewage into the environment.