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When people hear the words septic, some automatically have negative associations. Whether it’s from information they’ve gathered from the news or from their neighbor’s neglected (and stinky) septic system, it’s easy to be misinformed on the environmental impact of a well-maintained system. Here in Southwest Florida, there is a citywide project underway that is set to place many homes on city sewer. This is frustrating for people who are not only uninterested in the cost it will take to be placed on city sewer, but also because of the negative environmental impact of city sewage.
Septic systems get blamed for a lot of the environmental issues that occur in our waterways throughout the nation. Issues can and do pop up with water quality and septic systems when one is overdue for maintenance and a pump-out. A neglected system can wreak havoc on the groundwater and put those who use that water at risk for illness or death. However, this impact from a single home is often minimal in comparison to the benefits of a well-maintained system. These systems are incredibly efficient and can also be a great way to decrease your carbon footprint.
It is top-of-mind these days on what measures can be taken to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Septic systems are just one way to lower your impact and help your community. Take a look at some of the environmental benefits of septic system use:
No Blue Green Algae
Here in Florida, septic tanks often take the blame for the issue of green algae in our lovely waterways. The truth is that wastewater treatment plants are the largest contributor to this issue. As we’ve mentioned before, 78% of Clean Water Act enforcements from 2006-2011 were against municipal wastewater systems.
This algae not only smells terrible, but it also causes respiratory issues, poisons the fish, decreases waterfront property values and can be deadly to those who come into contact with it. What causes this algae issue? Increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from the presence of pollutants, sewage, manure and fertilizer caused by wastewater being dumped into the Florida waterways.
Restore the Water Table
According to North Georgia Environmental Services, Americans send two trillion gallons of water to the oceans every single week through by being hooked up to city sewer. This is causing our water stores to drop to dangerous levels. When properly maintained, septic tank systems healthfully restore your local water table. This helps to ensure your community holds on to it’s most precious resource – it’s water.
Much More Efficient
According to CircleofBlue.org, approximately 80% of municipal water processing and distribution costs are for electricity. It takes a lot of power to take in wastewater and generate a single glass of crystal clear drinking water. It’s so easy to let the responsibility of clean water to sit on the shoulders of the government, but the fact is that it takes a lot of resources and harms the environment by polluting our waterways.
From processing to pump-out, septic systems use much less energy than wastewater treatment plants.
Septic systems have gotten a bad rep over the years for being the main contributor to issues in local water sources, when the majority of the environmental issues are caused by large wastewater treatment facilities. By watching your own water usage and ensuring that your septic system is well maintained, you are helping to preserve your community’s water supply, as well as your own carbon footprint.
To get more information on septic system installation or to schedule an inspection, please contact us.
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