Conservation Improvement Projects through Soil & Water Conservation Districts

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Periodic Maintenance for On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems

The key to preventing on-site wastewater treatment system problems is to follow a regular septic tank pumping schedule — every three to five years Septic tanks trap solids and floating materials and prevent them from entering the soil treatment field. After anaerobic bacterial action, these materials are converted into sludge and floating scum. Solids or scum that escape a septic tank plug soil pores and slow the soil\u27s acceptance rates of septic tank effluent and cause on-site systems to backup. Pumping septic tanks after backup problems occur only provides a short-term remedy, usually 2-3 days, until the tank refills with wastewater

Solving On-Site Wastewater Treatment System Backups

Daily household routines can be greatly impacted by on-site wastewater system backups. Heavy rainfall, spring snow melt, or extended rainy periods that result in high water tables can cause backups. Other factors such as lack of system maintenance, changed family size, careless flushing, new water-using devices, inadequate design and sizing, and age of the system all can add to the problem

Homeowner\u27s Responsibilities for Using On-site Sewage Treatment Systems

Do not generate more wastewater than the average daily flow (gallons per day) for which the on-site system was designed. Install a water meter to measure the volume of water being used by the household (or other facility) to determine the flow released into the on-site treatment system. If the system has a pump/lift station delivering septic tank effluent to the soil treatment unit, install an electrical event counter on each lift station. Install a water meter to measure water usage. The event counter will tally the number of pump operation cycles, which, if multiplied by the gallons pumped per cycle, will determine the amount of effluent delivered to the soil treatment unit

Septic System Failures

An existing septic system (on-site sewage treatment system) may function well or it may fail due to a number of causes. Evaluating septic system failures is a skill that anyone involved with septic systems should have, including installers, building inspectors, system designers, septic tank pumpers, and the homeowner. Perhaps the single greatest cause of septic system failure is extra water entering the system. The extra water may come from leaky plumbing fixtures, but it commonly comes from poor surface drainage around the septic tank or pumping station. The soil absorption area may have been installed in a seasonally saturated soil that is at or above the rock level in the trenches or bed

Septic System Additives - Not Needed

If your on-site wastewater treatment system develops problems or fails, don\u27t be so anxious to find a solution that you\u27ll try any product that comes along. Many people with septic systems are confused by magazine and TV advertisements, as well as telephone solicitations, for onsite system additives. On-site system additives are not needed and are not recommended by the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service

The Association of Hormonal Contraception with Depression

Hormonal contraceptives are widely used by women during their reproductive years. Currently, over 100 million women worldwide use the pill, and 82% of sexually active women in the USA will use oral contraceptive pills at some time during their reproductive years (Carrol, 2017). Oral contraceptive use, especially among adolescents, is associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression may be a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use (Skovlund, 2016). This project focused on educating health care providers at the Community Health Center of Burlington, VT (CHCB) about the association of depression and oral contraceptives. The data was presented to physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, and pharmacists at CHCB, and subsequent providers were interviewed for more specific reactions to the data.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1457/thumbnail.jp

Recommended Method for Checking Homes with Septic System Failures

A septic system failure may be cause by one or a combination of several factors. This document contains a checklist that can be used to inspect the system, and to eliminate potential contributing causes of septic field failure

Troubleshooting Septic Systems

This document contains a chart used to describe septic system problems along with a corresponding list of possible causes of system failure

After Hurricane Katrina, devastated Black neighborhoods created an “opportunity” for redevelopment that focused on gentrification

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused enormous devastation across the Gulf Coast of the U.S. But while many considered the hurricane to be a tragedy, in the aftermath, many city officials in the region saw it as an opportunity. Kate Derickson looks at how two Gulf Coast cities, Biloxi and Gulfport, used the destruction wrought by Katrina as an impetus for regional development. She writes that this development has been largely focused on poor African American neighborhoods that had already been squeezed by urban development strategies prior to the disaster, and that the nature of these neighborhoods helped to justify officials’ narrative that the storm had rendered them as ‘blank slates’