SepticSmart Week
This week is national SepticSmart Week! If you live on Cape Cod and own a septic system, you have an important role to play in protecting our precious water resources.
For more information about Septic Smart Week, go here. >
The Barnstable Test Center has additional local information. >
This week's tips:
Grease
Let’s talk about grease. What goes down your drain can have big impact on your septic system. Leftover cooking grease should always be disposed of in the trash. Scrape hot grease into a cup to cool before putting it in the trash can. Grease in your septic system can clog your leach field, leading to costly repairs.
Pharmaceuticals
Let’s talk about getting rid of medications. Old or leftover medications should never be flushed – it’s best to bring them to your local police or fire department for proper disposal. Remember: Always think about what you’re putting down the drain.
Pump it out
Your septic system needs a little looking after. Protect your system by having your septic tank pumped out every 3-5 years – hundreds spent today can save you thousands in replacing a failed system tomorrow.
Advanced
Every septic system needs looking after. If you have an advanced septic system, also called Innovative/Alternative or “I/A”, make sure to have it maintained to keep it in top working order.
For more information about Septic Smart Week, go here. >
The Barnstable Test Center has additional local information. >
This week's tips:
Grease
Let’s talk about grease. What goes down your drain can have big impact on your septic system. Leftover cooking grease should always be disposed of in the trash. Scrape hot grease into a cup to cool before putting it in the trash can. Grease in your septic system can clog your leach field, leading to costly repairs.
Pharmaceuticals
Let’s talk about getting rid of medications. Old or leftover medications should never be flushed – it’s best to bring them to your local police or fire department for proper disposal. Remember: Always think about what you’re putting down the drain.
Pump it out
Your septic system needs a little looking after. Protect your system by having your septic tank pumped out every 3-5 years – hundreds spent today can save you thousands in replacing a failed system tomorrow.
Advanced
Every septic system needs looking after. If you have an advanced septic system, also called Innovative/Alternative or “I/A”, make sure to have it maintained to keep it in top working order.
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The United States is getting its first-ever certification site for alternative, non-sewered toilet systems, and it's going to be on Cape Cod. -
The town of Yarmouth and the Barnstable County Commissioners are urging the state to back off a proposed limit on the amount of state assistance towns can get for their projects to install sewers. -
Barnstable County provides low- and no-interest loans to residents who need help paying to fix, replace or upgrade their septic systems, or hook up to municipal sewers. That loan program, called Cape Cod AquiFund, just got a $13 million cash infusion.
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Can we be making better use of our abundant, nutrient-rich urine? That'll be the topic of the Rich Earth Summit, a three-day conference in Marlboro, Vermont happening in November. -
The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center—or MASSTC—is a Barnstable County program that has done cutting-edge wastewater management research for the past 25 years. Now, with a $3.3 million infusion of state and federal funds, MASSTC is getting a major makeover.
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Two years ago, the town sewer system’s critical central vacuum system malfunctioned, after heavy rain caused a failure in the electrical panel. The results, for many, were unpleasant. -
Forget the era of volunteers getting water quality data every five days. Data loggers are collecting information every 10 minutes. -
The feds could eventually release rules limiting the use of treated sludge as fertilizer, meaning more towns will be trying to dispose of theirs. The team at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center call this scenario, "Sludgement Day." -
Research happening at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center is examining if wood chips could help remove the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from the environment.
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Towns throughout the Cape have to cut down nitrogen pollution to waterways as part of the state’s new rules on septic systems.
