Thurston County Environmental Health Fee Increase Approved

The Thurston County Board of Health approved a 10% Environmental Fee Increase. The increase is intended to improve services to both residents and businesses in the County, and reduce wait times when processing land use and septic permits. The fee proposal increases most Environmental Health fees by 10% and these resources will help the citizens by:

• Improving customer service quality
• Reducing permit backlog times for customers
• Reducing overtime costs
• Decreasing deferred/delayed work

To learn more, visit:

https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/tchome/pages/newsreleasedetail.aspx?List-ID=1926

FREE Septic Sense Workshops!

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services is offering Septic Sense workshops throughout September. They cover how to maintain the system to keep it working well. There's no cost for these workshops, but they often fill up quickly. Don't wait to sign up! 

Register here:  bit.ly/2Cz2eTo 

Septic System Management Plan Invests in Clean Water, Safe Food and a Healthier Environment

 Thurston County is working to update the On-site Sewage System Management Plan. The plan, if adopted, puts systems in place to help septic owners better protect their investment and extend the life of their septic system while protecting public health.

You can read the full plan on our website, here we’ll describe a few highlights.

• Regular inspections help find problems while they are still small. The septic management plan calls for routine mailings to all septic owners, reminding them when it is time for an inspection. 

• Leaking sewage is a health risk. Sewage from even one failing septic system can close a beach, cause illness, or contaminate a drinking water well. The plan provides resources to prevent, identify, and correct failing septic systems and water pollution problems caused by sewage.
• The septic plan invests in education such as the septic help line, workshops, and more so that everyone can have reliable information to maintain their septic system. It also provides septic owners help to trouble-shoot their system and programs for financial assistance to help fix failing systems.
• A well-maintained septic system can contribute to a higher re-sell value on your home. A new septic system can cost more than $15,000. Regular maintenance and documentation let purchasers know the system is functioning properly and a good investment. The plan provides resources to create and maintain a septic inventory with easily accessible online records.
• Keeping our drinking water clean for the future is important. Drinking water in your well travels under your neighbor’s property. Your neighbor’s actions or inactions can impact your drinking water. The plan provides resources to investigate problems and makes sure failing systems are repaired. Proven methods are used to assure only failing systems are repaired.

The plan replaces current fees

The new plan, known to some as the “crap tax,” has a tiered fee structure based on the location of a septic system. The charge will replace many septic system related fees like the ones for operational certificates, pump reports, and time-of-transfer (when a home is sold). The charges will invest in clean water, safe food and a healthier environment by supporting the Health Department’s responsibility to protect public health from diseases caused by sewage.

The estimated charges are as follows. The recommendation includes reducing the charges by 50% for those enrolled in the Assessor’s senior/disabled/disabled veteran tax exemption program.  

·         $22/year for septic systems in the Chehalis River watershed.

·         $44/year for septic systems in the Puget Sound basin, but not a designated special area.

·         $66/year for septic systems in a Marine Recovery Area or other designated special area.

Want to learn more about the plan?
The plan, as well as slides presented at open houses and more are available on our website. Representatives from Thurston County Public Health are available to attend and present information about the On-Site Septic Management Plan to community groups. To schedule a presentation, contact Jane Mountjoy-Venning at (360) 867-2643.

What is Next?

Currently, the Thurston County Board of Health is deliberating on the plan and will make a decision at an open public meeting (date to be determined).

Be Septic Smart!

September 21, 2015 marked the beginning of the third annual Septic Smart Week. Septic Smart Week is a program created by the Environmental Protection Agency to educate septic system owners about the importance of proper septic system care and maintenance.

Did you know that approximately one-quarter of American households have septic systems, and nearly 60,000 of those are located right here in Thurston County? Septic systems come with homeowner responsibility - you don’t pay sewer fees, but need to save up for regular maintenance costs such as inspections and pumping. A poorly-maintained system may lower your property values and puts the health of our families and communities at risk. If you are unsure if your home is served by an on-site septic system, contact the Septic Helpline at (360) 867-2669 and ask for the septic system record drawings of your home.

If you have a septic system, take steps to prevent its failure. If you notice any of the following, contact a septic system professional immediately to prevent further damage to your system and pollution of the drinking water in your area.

• A strong odor around the septic tank and/or drainfield
• Pooling water and/or surfacing sewage in the area of your septic system
• Bright green, spongy grass on the drainfield, especially during dry weather conditions
• Wastewater backing up into drains in your home

The average cost of repairing or replacing a conventional home septic system can be $10,000 or more, while regular inspection and maintenance typically costs only $150 to $300 each year. Every system and situation is unique and is influenced by four things: size of your household, amount of water used by your household, type and size of septic tank, and soil conditions. Regular care and maintenance of your system protects not only your home’s property value, but your family, your community, and the environment, from exposure to dangerous bacteria and viruses if your system fails.

For more information about how to properly maintain your septic system, visit our website by clicking here, or call our Septic Helpline at (360) 867-2669.

Thurston County Environmental Health maintains a database of septic system professionals who are currently certified to perform services in the county. Click here to access our lists of qualified designers, professional engineers, installers, pumpers, and monitoring specialists. When hiring any contractor, be sure to get multiple estimates, check their references and certifications, and be clear about what services you are requesting.

Septic Sense: Regular Maintenance Saves Money

We know that regular maintenance of large investments such as tools, cars, and homes can save money. Regular maintenance of our septic system can do all of that and protect our drinking water, lakes, rivers, streams and Puget Sound.

What many of us want to know is, what exactly does “regular maintenance” of our on-site septic system really mean? 

Annual inspections can help find problems when they are small and easier and less costly to fix. Hire a professional to do the regular inspection or learn how to do it yourself. This septic system inspection video and can help you inspect your own septic system. We suggest that you watch the video and hire a professional for your first inspection. You will learn a lot about how your septic system works, and be better able to maintain it, even if you decide to keep hiring a professional for future inspections.

Set up a regular pumping schedule. All septic systems need to be pumped at some point. Most of them need to be pumped every 3-5 years, depending on how many people live in the home, types of products used and the amount and type of waste put into the system (like water, fats, oil, wipes). The professional who does the initial inspection can help you determine how often to pump your tank.

Everyday ways to keep your septic system healthy

• Be careful of what goes into your septic system. Only water, poop, pee, and toilet paper are meant to enter your septic system. Other items like wipes (even flushable ones), condoms, tampons, cotton swaps, medicine, food, and pet waste (even flushable litter) should not be flushed or put down the drain.

• Keep your drainfield in good condition. Plant only shallow-rooted, low-water-use plants on and near the drainfield. Keep cars and livestock off of your drainfield and make sure to never pave or park over it. This includes the reserve drainfield area that you (hopefully) have in case the drainfield ever needs replacing.

• Use safer products for household cleaning. Baking soda, castile soap and vinegar can tackle most of your cleaning needs. Check out these green cleaning recipes. Avoid using household products labeled with the words “Danger” or “Poison” to protect your septic system and your health.

• Avoid the use of septic tank additives. These are not proven effective and do not replace the need for regular maintenance. 

• Conserve water. Remember the statement above that says pumping schedules depend on the amount of waste treated? All of the water that goes into your system goes through the tank for treatment. Less water means less treatment is needed.

Regular septic maintenance can save you money and protect the health of you and your family. Septic system care begins with you.

Financial Assistance for Repair & Replacement of Failing Septic Systems

Did you know Thurston County Environmental Health offers financial assistance to homeowners for the repair or replacement of their failing septic systems?

The Septic System Financial Assistance Program offers loans and grants to qualified applicants. 

Why are failing septic systems a health concern?

When septic systems fail, raw sewage from the systems can contaminate the surface and groundwater. Groundwater is our main source of drinking water, so we want to keep it safe for us all to drink and use for cooking, bathing, washing dishes and clothes and so much more. We depend on groundwater. When surface water is contaminated it can harm wildlife and close local beaches and shellfish beds due to unsafe bacteria levels in the water.

How can I keep my system from failing?

Repairing and replacing septic systems is costly.  Proper maintenance of septic systems greatly lowers the risk of failure and it prolongs the life of the system. To learn how to protect your investment, attend one of the Free Septic Sense Workshops this month.

Some simple “Dos” and “Don’ts” will help extend the life of your septic system, save on maintenance costs, and protect water quality. Read them on this past blog post, “Septic System Care Begins with You.”

Septic System Financial Assistance Program

The health concerns related to failing septic systems are why Thurston County Environmental Health receives funding from Washington State Department of Ecology and a federal clean water grant to implement a financial assistance program. So far, the program has helped 124 homeowners fix or replace their failing septic systems.

The program provides loans and grants depending on the situation. Homeowners in Thurston County with any income level can apply for low interest loans to replace their system or to connect to sewer. There are small grants available for eligible repairs (does not include regular maintenance) and larger grants available for the replacement of a septic tank, a pumping chamber, or an entire on-site septic system. There are income requirements for the grants.  There are also grants available specifically for homeowners in the Henderson Inlet or Nisqually Reach Shellfish Protection Districts.

To find out if you qualify for the Septic System Financial Assistance Program, contact Debra Baker at (360) 867-2628 (TDD 360-867-2603). 

For more information, visit:  www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehoss/loan_program.html  

Got a specific septic system question you need answered?

Call the Septic Help Line (360) 867-2669

Healthy Holidays: A letter from your on-site septic system

Dear Harold Homeowner,

I’m Oscar, your on-site septic system, and I’m writing you this letter to save both of us from big headaches this holiday season.

With the holidays upon us, I know that I am going to be working harder than usual. I am prepared to be functioning at my very best. But, I can’t do that alone.

I need your help ensuring that no one sends me waste that could make it more difficult to do my job. Do you know how important my work is to you?  Do you really think about my well-being at all?  If I receive any wastes other than those from bathrooms, laundry rooms, the kitchen sink and the dishwasher, I might just go on strike. Trust me, you don’t want to pay for a replacement! 

Every year, I have nightmares when I think about you pouring your leftover used cooking oil from the holiday bird down the drain in the kitchen sink. Isn’t it bad enough that you use your garbage disposal to grind up the turkey carcass and other holiday leftovers, and send it all down the drain? The fats, greases and oils coat the inside of all the pipes that flow into me, and create big globs of materials that I just can’t get rid of. 

You just had me pumped out last year, and I’m getting full of scum and solids already. I am baffled that you think that lots of hot water and soaps will clear out any blobs and globs – that only makes me warmer and full of bubbles!!

This mistreatment needs to stop now!

Here are some better ways to dispose of your holiday leftovers:

• Recycle large amounts of used cooking oil at the ThurstonCounty Waste and Recovery Center – a self-serve tank in the public recycling area is open whenever the facility is open.

• Use curbside organics composting services to recycle large amounts of food wastes. 

•  Never use kitchen sink garbage disposals to get rid of food, fats, oils, and greases. Scrape or wipe excess food residues off cookware and dishes before washing.

Please share this message with your friends and family, even those folks that don’t have a septic system. My city cousin, the sewer system, is even busier during the holiday season, and shares horror stories with me about the things he sees every day. 

If you want to ring in the New Year with peace and joy, please show some goodwill to all sewer and on-site septic systems.

Happy Holidays!

Oscar, your on-site septic system

Septic Help Line - for all of your septic system questions!

Did you know Thurston County Environmental Health operates a Septic Help Line?

If you have any questions about septic systems, all you have to do is call and leave a message. A staff member will get back to within a few days. You can choose to remain anonymous as long as you leave a phone number for an expert to get back to you. However, county staff may have to access your records to provide you with the best possible assistance.

 Septic Help Line: (360) 867-2669

For more information, including brochures and videos, visit Thurston County's Septic Systems website. For the Dos and Donts of caring for a septic system, check out our blog post, Septic System Care Begins with You.

Septic Systems and Groundwater

When you flush the toilet, wash clothes, wash dishes, take a shower… where does that water and everything along with it end up?

For many of us that are not connected to a sewage treatment plant, the wastewater from our homes ends up in our own backyards.  All of that wastewater is treated by an on-site septic system and as long as they are working properly, septic systems do a pretty good job of treating sewage.

Septic systems are designed with a septic tank that works as a settling chamber to treat sewage by holding it in the tank while it breaks down with the help of bacteria.  The “gray” water then passes through that settling chamber and goes out into the drainfield where it slowly filters through the soil.  The soil treats the bacteria that filter through it before the treated water joins the groundwater below it.

In Thurston County, we drink groundwater!

Septic systems that are not functioning properly can contaminate the drinking water supply for an entire community. When this happens, bacteria from the septic system can make their way into the water supply that is then pumped into private wells. These contaminants can make people sick with hepatitis, giardiasis, dysentery and other water-borne illnesses. 

Even well-functioning septic systems are not very effective at removing nitrates and many household chemicals from the treated water.  This is one reason why there are regulations about how close septic systems can be to one another and how close they can be to wells.

A functioning, well placed, and well maintained septic system will protect the groundwater quality and the health of your family and neighbors.

To be sure that your drinking water from your well is safe, you can have it tested through Thurston County Environmental Health Division. Read about how to do this on our Blog Post, “How to test your well water”.