SepticSmart Week

SepticSmart Week 2024: September 16-20, 2024

SepticSmart Week is an annual event that occurs the third week of September. Communities, national organizations, local groups, and state governments can bring attention to the importance of caring for and maintaining septic systems by organizing homeowner education events, sponsoring workshops or sharing social media from the SepticSmart program.

This year SepticSmart Week is celebrating its 12^th Anniversary!

Downloads for 2024:

Save-The-Date Flyer (pdf) (377.3 KB)
SepticSmart Week Seal

On this page:

Decentralized MOU Partners Blog Posts
Remember these Helpful Tips
SepticSmart Week Proclamations

EPA Decentralized MOU Partners National Rural Water Association, Rural Communities Assistance Partnership, and Ocean Sewage Alliance Share SepticSmart Week Blog Posts

This year, several Decentralized MOU Partners jointly developed blog posts to help their audiences understand the importance of septic system maintenance and healthy communities.

Septic Smart Living: Your Role in Effective Wastewater Management by Larissa Balzer of Ocean Sewage Alliance

Owning a home is more than just having a place to live; it's about taking on responsibilities that ensure your household runs smoothly and sustainably. If your home relies on a septic system, you might not realize it, but you have an important role—you're not just a homeowner; you're also a wastewater treatment operator! While this might sound daunting, embracing this role is crucial for maintaining your system’s health and protecting your shared neighborhood environment.

Let’s delve into why septic system maintenance is important and how you can fulfill your role with six simple principles.

Understanding Your Septic System

A septic system treats and disposes of household wastewater. When maintained properly, it ensures that harmful bacteria and pollutants don't enter water systems, safeguarding your health and the environment. Without proper care, however, it can lead to expensive repairs, groundwater contamination, and potential health hazards.

“Septic maintenance is not a luxury, it is a necessity to ensure that the system is functioning as intended and within the parameters of the design,” said Lynne Seipp, executive director of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians. “Changes to how the system is used: number of people in the home, running a business out of a home, landscaping and many other issues, need to be addressed prior to implementation, not after the system starts showing signs of struggling.”

Your Role as a Septic System Operator

Think of yourself as the operator of a mini-wastewater treatment plant. Your actions directly impact the efficiency and longevity of your septic system. Here are six essential tips to help you become a septic-smart homeowner:

Think at the Sink
Everything that goes down your drain can affect your septic system. Avoid pouring fats, oils, and grease down the sink, as they can clog pipes and drain fields. Use your garbage disposal sparingly and avoid flushing non-degradable items like wipes, menstrual products, and dental floss.
Don’t Strain Your Drain
Conserving water reduces the load on your septic system. Fix leaky faucets and toilets, install high-efficiency fixtures, and spread out laundry loads throughout the week. By reducing water usage, you can help your system treat and dispose of wastewater effectively.
Keep It Clean
Regular septic system inspections and pumping are vital. The EPA recommends having your septic system inspected every three years by a licensed professional and pumped every three to five years, depending on your household size and usage. This prevents the buildup of solids that can clog your system and cause failures.
Shield Your Field
Your drain field is an essential part of your septic system, where the soil filters and treats wastewater. Protect it by not parking or driving on it, planting trees and shrubs a safe distance away to prevent root interference, and ensuring that roof drains and sump pumps direct water away from it.
Protect It and Inspect It
Keep the components of your septic system, like the tank and drainfield, accessible for inspections and maintenance. Know the location of your system to prevent accidental damage during landscaping or construction activities. Regular inspections can catch potential issues early, saving you from costly repairs.
Don’t Overload the Commode
Your toilet is not a trash can. Flushing non-biodegradable items can clog your septic system and lead to failures. Only flush human waste and toilet paper. Educate your family and guests about what can and cannot be flushed to avoid unnecessary damage.

The Added Responsibility

As a septic system operator, you play a crucial role in protecting public health and the environment. Proper maintenance not only ensures your system works efficiently but also extends its lifespan, saving you money and reducing the risk of pollution. Your proactive approach to septic care can prevent contamination of local water sources, safeguarding ecosystems and community health.

“Being a responsible homeowner means understanding the onsite system they are utilizing and how best to manage, service, and maintain that system,” said Seipp.

“As with everything the costs of repairing and/or replacing onsite wastewater treatment systems have skyrocketed. As a homeowner, it is critical that they understand not only how a system, their system specifically, works, but they also need to understand and practice good septic usage as well as the need for regular service and maintenance of their system.”

Taking on the responsibility of septic system maintenance might seem overwhelming, but with these six principles, you can confidently manage your system. By thinking at the sink, conserving water, maintaining cleanliness, protecting your drain field, ensuring accessibility, and using your toilet wisely, you're not just a homeowner; you're a guardian of wastewater treatment. Embrace your role and make a positive impact on your home and local watershed.

Together, we can ensure our septic systems are effective and our water is clean. For more information and resources, visit EPA’s SepticSmart Week, epa.gov/septic/septicsmart-week.

Empowering Communities: Technical Assistance Providers Collaborate with EPA to Promote Septic System Maintenance by David Laughlin (National Rural Water Association) and Seth Johnson, Kaitlin Harris, Sarah Buck, and Andrew Nordbye (Rural Community Assistance Partnership)

National Rural Water Association: Harnessing SepticSmart Week Through Trainings and Social Media

Maintaining a septic system is essential to ensure it works effectively and efficiently with little or no impact on public health. A properly maintained septic tank is a proven and effective method of treating wastewater in rural America, where the closest wastewater treatment plant is often too far away to utilize logistically.

The National Rural Water Association (NRWA), in conjunction with its State Affiliates and through its nearly half-century worth of experience demonstrably impacting rural America, has built a longstanding relationship with countless communities nationwide.

Annually, NRWA utilizes its broad social media reach to carry the SepticSmart torch—sharing the SepticSmart week content with thousands of Facebook and LinkedIn followers. In addition to regularly sharing specifically curated content with its social media followers, NRWA also includes SepticSmart information and content in its weekly Rural Water Wire newsletter, which reaches more than 31,000 subscribers.

The training and marketing material distributed annually for EPA's SepticSmart week is a proven boon for Rural Water – providing critical training materials and talking points that NRWA promotes and distributes to countless communities, reached directly by its State Affiliates that work nationwide.

"The SepticSmart Week graphics and information we get from EPA is something we use every year across our social media channels," Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems (WARWS) Executive Director Mark Pepper said. "We also incorporate it into our technical assistance programs, including our wastewater and source water protection programs. Any time we can highlight the importance of septic tank maintenance and how it relates to source water protection, we consider that a win."

By incorporating SepticSmart materials into various wastewater and source water protection training, WARWS can positively impact individuals, residents, water and wastewater systems, and entire communities.

"This content is something we also incorporate into our meetings and training opportunities," Pepper added. "When working with county or city planners, we try to incorporate this kind of training to drive home the point that properly maintaining septic tanks is a good practice."

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership: Providing Comprehensive Training for Septic System Owners

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP) assists rural communities with onsite/decentralized water and wastewater issues across the nation through its robust technical assistance (TA) and training programs. SepticSmart resources from EPA are helpful and approachable for residents who are often not trained wastewater professionals but want to take care of and understand their septic systems which ultimately protects environmental and public health.

RCAP regions serve decentralized and onsite systems through a variety of TA and training grants including EPA National Priority Area 2, Treatment Works, and our work as an Environmental Finance Center.

Through a partnership with NOWRA, RCAP has provided in-person training for septic owners aimed at understanding the “wastes” in wastewater and appreciating the challenges of providing wastewater treatment including how to best take care of their onsite systems. The self-paced training can be accessed on NOWRA’s website: https://www.pathlms.com/nowra/courses/59159

Under Treatment Works funding, RCAP partners at the University of Illinois developed a septic assessment that TA providers can utilize to better understand a homeowners septic system’s needs.

Remember these Helpful Tips

Think at the Sink! What goes down the drain has a big impact on your septic system. Fats, grease, and solids can clog a system’s pipes and drainfield.
Don’t Overload the Commode! A toilet is not a trash can. Disposable diapers and wipes, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, cigarette butts, and cat litter can damage a septic system.
Don’t Strain Your Drain! Use water efficiently and stagger use of water-based appliances. Too much water use at once can overload a system that hasn’t been pumped recently.
Shield Your Field! Tree and shrub roots, cars, and livestock can damage your septic drainfield.
Keep It Clean! Contamination can occur when a septic system leaks due to improper maintenance. Be sure your drinking water is safe to drink by testing it regularly.
Protect It and Inspect It! Regular septic system maintenance can save homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs and protect public health.