Page 14 - SLPOA Spring 2014 Newsletter

SPRING 2014 NEWSLETTER SHARBOT LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION

2013 Septic Voluntary Inspection
Extracted from the 2013 Septic Re-Inspection Report prepared by
Eric Kohlsmith of the Mississippi Rideau Septic System Office.

A working sewage system is an integral part of any home or cottage not serviced by the municipality. For rural
homeowners, the proper maintenance of a sewage system is integral to ensure the continued health and
longevity of the system. A sewage system re-inspection program ensures that the community is aware of how to
maintain their systems, and holds individuals accountable for ensuring that their system is not a health or
environmental risk to the community.
The improper operation of on-site sewage systems can have both health and environmental impacts beyond the
property on which it is located. Nutrient and bacteria rich effluent can travel through soil and rock fractures to
surface water bodies, and ground water sources. High nutrient levels can cause excess plant growth,
eutrophication and alteration of the natural habitat of fish. This places a responsibility on the homeowner to
ensure that their sewage system is working properly, not only for their health, but also that of the community.

During the 2013 septic re-inspection program 65 properties were inspected on Kennebec and Sharbot Lakes and
one property on the Salmon River. This property was included in the results for Kennebec Lake. The goal for
this season was 77 properties. Information packages were mailed out to 645 property owners, rendering 65
responses or 10%.
The inspections began on August 1 and the last inspection was
completed on November 22. Most of the inspections were completed
in August and September.

48 of the inspections were completed on seasonal properties, 15 on
residential properties and 2 on properties designated as business use.
While residential properties generate more wastewater and have the
potential to contribute more nutrients to the environment, seasonal,
properties often have older under sized systems which can lead to a greater environmental impact.
Of the 60 Tanks inspected, 57 were concrete. One of the unforeseen problems with inspecting the tanks is that
some people will wait to respond with their questionnaire until they have had their tank pumped. This made it
essentially impossible to provide the property owner with
any information regarding how frequently they should
pump. The positive aspect of this issue is that it created an
incentive for property owners to have their tanks
maintained, knowing that someone was coming to inspect it.
As a result of the re-inspection program, it was recorded that
40% of concrete tanks had signs of corrosion (Illustration
1). Concrete corrosion can be caused by a build of gases,
from normal operation, reacting with the concrete. The
corrosion can cause baffles to fall off and/or effluent to
escape around the outlet pipe.
Concrete Corrosion around Outlet Baffle
Sewage System Status

When completing an inspection of the existing sewage system the MRSSO has developed the following terms
to identify the overall septic system status or condition.
No Concern – At the time of inspection there were no operational and/or maintenance issues identified.

Remedial Work Required – At the time of inspection operational and/or maintenance issues were identified,
but generally do not require a permit to remedy.

14