Septage

• What is septage?
• Is septage dangerous for the environment or for my health?
• What can I do to ensure my septic system is not causing harm to the environment?
• Are you a company that hauls, stores, treats or applies septage?
• Are you a municipality seeking to establish septage treatment capacity?

What is septage?

Waste from toilets, showers or tubs, and kitchen or laundry sinks is handled in two ways:

1. Where there are municipal sewer systems, the waste travels through the sewer system and is treated at a municipal sewage treatment plant.  In this case, the waste is called “sewage.”
2. If you are like 15 per cent of Ontarians who have a cottage or live in a rural area where there are no sewers, chances are you have a septic system to deal with this waste.  This waste is called “septage.”  

Your septic system deals with tonnes of waste each year. The tank of the septic system lets heavy solid materials settle to the bottom, while the lighter wastewater stays at the top. This liquid then flows out of the tank into underground perforated pipes, called the leaching bed, where it filters into the ground and is further treated by helpful bacteria and other soil organisms.

A septic system is an excellent means of treating household septage. When properly constructed and maintained, and by watching what you put down your toilet and drains, a septic system can operate reliably for years.

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Is septage dangerous for my health or for the environment?

A septic system does some heavy duty digestion. Viruses, bacteria and organic material are just some of the nasty things that it has to work on. And if not treated, they can travel a long way underground. If they flow into drinking water supplies, these organisms and compounds can cause diseases or other health or environmental problems.

Warning signs of an improperly functioning septic system are many – some obvious, some requiring more effort to notice. The grass over the system may become unusually green or spongy to walk on. Toilets, showers and sinks might take longer to drain. Occasional sewage odours may become noticeable, often after a rainfall. Sometimes, homeowners discover gray or black liquids surfacing in their yards, or backing up through plumbing fixtures into the house.

Leaks from septic systems can also cause weed and algae to grow in lakes and ponds. Just a small amount of additional phosphorus (found in cleaning products?) in a lake or pond can make a huge difference in the amount of weeds that grow during the spring and summer. Lakes sometimes develop “dead zones” as a result of an overload of phosphorous – which can lead to too much algae, deplete oxygen supplies and kill fish.

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What can I do to help ensure that I’m not causing harm to the environment?

Fortunately, regular septic maintenance and watching what you pour down your drains can prevent these problems. Moderating your water use will help, too.

Maintain it regularly

One of the most important things you can do to keep the system functioning properly is to have the septic tank pumped regularly. Many experts recommend pumping a tank every two to three years. But a tank may need to be pumped more or less frequently depending on how many people use the system and whether or not it’s used for garbage disposal. A safe approach is to have the tank inspected annually by a qualified septage hauler.

Watch what you put down the drain

Bacteria are critical in the septic system - they are what make it work.They thrive on wastewater but certain chemicals can kill them. Flushing even small amounts of paints, solvents, thinners, nail polish remover and other common household compounds can poison these helpful organisms.

Laundry bleaches, toilet bowl cleaners and caustic drain openers can also slow the treatment process, allowing sewage to pass through without proper treatment. And often, the chemicals themselves seep into the ground, sometimes contaminating wells or surface water.

Septic systems cannot digest oils, grease and fat. Besides plugging up your pipes, grease can also combine with detergents and flow into the drainage field where it may clog the soils. Fats can form a blob in the top of the tank, and interfere with the work of the bacteria. Oils, grease and fat can be readily composted, in moderation. These materials should go into the composter or green bin, or if needed, out with the garbage.

Using your septic system to dispose of garbage is another no-no. In-sink garbage disposals (garburators are unwelcome strains on the system. Disposable diapers and other sanitary products and many other kinds of garbage can create problems for septic systems.

If something doesn’t break down naturally, don’t flush it into your septic tank.

Keep heavy stuff away from the septic bed

Driving cars or machinery over your septic system will crush it. The soil surrounding the pipes may become compacted, making it less able to absorb the wastewater coming out of the pipes.

Snowmobiles compress the snow cover over the septic field, reducing its natural insulating effect and increasing the risk of freezing pipes.

Planting trees and shrubs (especially willows and poplars) near the field is risky because their roots travel significant distances to seek water and can plug or damage the pipes.

And watering of the grass over the field, whether by inground systems or by hand should be eliminated or minimized. Watering interferes with the soil’s ability to absorb liquids and break down wastes.

Brochure: Your Septic System: Protecting your Investment and the Environment

Septic systems in Ontario are regulated by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing under the Building Code. To find out about the requirements for constructing a septic system, visit http://www.ontario.ca/buildingcode

For more information on care and maintenance, visit http://www.obc.mah.gov.on.ca/Page17.aspx and scroll down to A Guide to Operating & Maintaining Your Septic System.

 

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Are you a company that hauls, stores, treats or applies septage?

Check out our Business Resources section.

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Are you a municipality seeking to establish septage treatment capacity?

Check out our Fact Sheet: Provincial Policy Statement, 2005: Reserve Sewage System Capacity For Hauled Sewage.

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