Laurel Loftin
Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office
- 124 E. Hancock Ave.
- Athens, Georgia
- United States
Topics
3 Comments
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Re: Proper Maintenance of Septic Systems
2012-10-19 13:57:41 UTC
Thank you, Ken and Joan. It is nice to know we aren't alone. I think septic systems, wastewater treatment, and human waste still fall into the taboo subjects category. We all use the bathroom, but no one talks about it. Therefore, failing septic systems don't seem to get the attention they deserve in respect to environmental concerns. People do not seek out educational information on such an unglamorous topic, resulting in an uneducated public and so many emailed questions on this subject. The idea of a septic social is wonderful! It gets people talking in a relaxed atmosphere with friends and neighbors.
In addition to the four educational components we plan to emphasize, we want to incorporate into our education the relationship between a failing septic system and poor water quality. Unfortunately, the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing the maintenance of your septic system protected water quality isn't likely to be the motivator of behavior change. Ken, I think you are right - regulation and the threat of fines does serve as a motivator. But our county is not interested in creating an ordinance at this time. Joan, we also have the resistance to top-down government edicts.
If you are able, I would love to see the results from both of your septic maintenance research and projects when it is available. I am sharing your responses with our septic committee and maybe we will borrow from you, too. We are not producing anything formal in regards to research, so I don't know what I have to offer you, but, if you are curious, I can probably send you our survey and the results.
Laurel Loftin
Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office
United States
www.thinkatthesink.com -
Re: Proper Maintenance of Septic Systems
2012-10-18 16:27:07 UTC
Hello,
I notice this topic was posted a few years ago. Was research ever found that identifies barriers to septic system maintenance? I work with a local government and we are currently developing an education program with four main components: 1) know your system (where it is located, how old it is, size), 2) use water wisely (the less water going through the system, the less likely to overload the system), 3) the toilet/sink is not a trash can, and 4) regular & preventive maintenance is key (we recommend inspecting/pumping every 3-5 years).
We have conducted a survey to try and determine the septic system owners' knowledge. One question we did ask was what would prevent them from having the septic tank pumped. Here is the specific question and the responses:
"Please tell me if any of the following reasons would keep you from having your septic tank pumped:"
Fear of damage to the yard 5.5%
Don't think about the septic system 17.4%
System has not shown any signs of a problem 37.3%
Don't think it needs to be pumped 16.7%
Didn't know we were using a septic tank 1.3%
Cost to have it pumped 26.0%
Other 17.4%
In looking at this, I just realized we did not get a summary of the verbatim response for those items in the "other" category. I will have to request these.
From the barriers listed, it seems that most think the system is OK as long as it shows no signs of problems. Of course, the homeowner can miss early signs of trouble, causing groundwater contamination and sewage runoff into our creeks and rivers before the homeowner has problems in the house. It is possible we can tie this barrier in with the second most given reason for not maintaining the system: Cost. If a homeowner maintains the pump BEFORE a problem, the cost for maintaining will be less than a repair. This is similar to going in and paying the routine cost of an oil change to avoid the more expensive cost of repairing an engine. Homeowners can't wait until a problem arises if they want to lessen their septic system maintenance costs. Homeowners also have to realize they depend on their septic system every day. It is one of those items taken for granted.
We are in the process of trying to figure out what type of educational prompt to develop to remind homeowners of their septic system. Because maintenance is not as routine as an oil change, it is a bit more challenging. We aren't going to require pumpers to send reminder cards. (Another item to note: We did speak with plumbers/pumpers. They asked if we could include in our educational materials that we or some other agency, such as EPA, be listed as the one recommending the maintenance. The plumbers/pumpers reported homeowners look at them as if they are trying to scam them into unnecessary repair costs. They would like for us to take this off of them.) We don't have a long-term budget to cover the costs of mailing reminder cards. And is a reminder all that is needed to get one to maintain the septic system?
Another part of our plan is to meet with and educate realtors. Realtors are required to let homeowners know the home is on septic. (It is not required the septic be cleaned prior to closing in our state.) This means the realtors have the first opportunity to educate the homeowner.
The bigger trick is how to educate people already in their homes. We are currently hoping to develop a brochure to mail along with a refrigerator magnet to act as a long-term reminder. But what is the effectiveness of a magnet on behavior change?
Any new information you may have learned over the last two years is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Laurel Loftin
Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office
United States
www.thinkatthesink.com -
Re: Encouraging Water Conservation among Tenants in Low-Income Housing
2012-10-18 13:12:59 UTC
Amy,
I wish I had more to add to your request for effective social marketing, but I would be interested to hear what you try. I recognize the added psychological aspect that comes from not having direct control over your water bill. We live in a college town and I would like to figure out a way to target the college students living in apartments with shared meters. If the student believes their neighbor to be using more water, then why should they conserve? The perception being he/she is sacrificing longer showers, yet suffering a higher water cost due to someone else's behavior. There is no power. There isnt fairness. The incentive to use water wisely is diminished.
My initial thought of how to reach the tenants is through the landlords. Determine what the motivators are for them. If there is a specific amount they charge for rent, rent wont adjust with a higher or lower water bill. This could potentially mean more profit from the rent? This profit could be reinvested for new low-flow/high efficiency fixtures. The landlords may be motivated to put a water conservation sticker/message on each mirror of the bathrooms. The simple conservation message can possibly change the behavior of some of the tenants. If you have complexes that are sub-metered by building, there could be a competition between the buildings to see which group used the least amount of water and gets a one- time reduction in the monthly rent.
Those are a few quick ideas, but nothing I have ever attempted.
Laurel Loftin
Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office
United States
www.thinkatthesink.com
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