. Cottage country : an environmental manual for cottagers. Cottages; Vacation homes; Environmental protection; Pollution. How Does It Work? The only way to dispose ot sewage, as distinjjulslitil troiii nurely sendingil somewhere else. Is to prepare a com- fortable home for the micro-organ- isms that eat it. Many strains, often known as "; perform tiiis useful function They can be di\ ided into two groups: the aerobic ones, wiiich need oxygen, and tile anaerobic ones, which can't abide it The Septic Tank Anaerobic bacteria live and work in the septic tank, w hich is just that, a
. Cottage country : an environmental manual for cottagers. Cottages; Vacation homes; Environmental protection; Pollution. How Does It Work? The only way to dispose ot sewage, as distinjjulslitil troiii nurely sendingil somewhere else. Is to prepare a com- fortable home for the micro-organ- isms that eat it. Many strains, often known as "; perform tiiis useful function They can be di\ ided into two groups: the aerobic ones, wiiich need oxygen, and tile anaerobic ones, which can't abide it The Septic Tank Anaerobic bacteria live and work in the septic tank, w hich is just that, a tank It's big enough to hold several days' worth of sewage and is shaped so that the flow is slow and reasonably uniform. Sew age from the cottage enters the tank, w here the solids settle to the bot- tom as a sludge; fats and greases rise to the top to form a scum The sludge is partly decomposed by the anaerobic bacteria. If the system is working well, the liquid portion that flow s out of the tank is relatively clear, althougli it still has an odor and carries disease. It shouldn't go anywhere but into the leaching bed (or equivalent treat- ment facility) It should never go into a ditch or w atercoursel \\ ith the tank capacities listed in Table 'â ). it may not he necessary to pump out the tank more than once every three years It should, however, be inspected at least once a year and pumped out if necessary. Failure to pump out a septic tank when required will result in sludge or scum being car- ried into the leaching bed. which in turn w ill clog and cease to fimction. In this event, not only will the tank have to be pimiped out, but the leaching bed w ill ha\e to be replaced Operation and Maintenance An on-site sewage system should, w ith proper care and maintenance, provide many years of senice. There are, how- ever, some things which you, the homeowner, should be aware of that will help the system to fimction prop- erly 1. Do not allow roof drains to dis- charge to the
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