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Attributed to the shameful (!) fact that our freshwater inundated Michigan continues to be the only state within the United States of America that has not yet enacted a state-wide law requiring regular septic system inspections and routine maintenance, nearly 300,000 failing septic systems continue to be a major source of e-coli and human feces-laden raw sewage that contaminates our ground water, and in many cases renders the waters of many our lakes, rivers, and streams unfit for total contact water sports such as swimming or snorkeling. The problem in Michigan is illustrated by the fact that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has thus far identified approximately 200 rivers, lakes, and beaches where E. coli concentration levels are well over the United States EPA limit. The steadily escalating environmental and public health threat is derived from that fact that approximately 20%, or 280,000 of the estimated 1.4 million septic systems that are widely throughout Michigan are now failing. The issue of failing septic systems has been exacerbated by the fact that many Michigan homes and their now antiquated and often dysfunctional septic systems were built prior to the construction of sewer systems that now serve even the smallest of towns and villages. The significance of the problem in Michigan is also illustrated by the fact that between calendar years 2013 and 2014 an estimated 5.7 billion gallons of untreated sewage from failing septic systems flowed unabated into our inland lakes, river, streams, and groundwater aquifers. Septic systems, otherwise known as on-site waste water disposal systems, are installed to manage and treat the waste generated by toilets before it reaches ground or surface water. In a properly designed septic system, the septic tank serves to remove larger solids from wastewater. Wastewater that flows out of the septic tank is saturated with contaminants that must be removed before the water can safely be combined with surface and/or groundwater. Public health issues stem from the fact that septic tank effluent contains large concentrations of toxic micro-organisms that make people sick. Moreover, the organic matter present in wastewater effluent creates bad odors, and contains algae growth stimulating nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that are known to have a harmful impact on the aquatic ecosystems of our inland lakes, rivers, and streams. Properly designed septic systems include a disposal field that consists of a mixture of sand, silt, and clay that are often referred to as loamy soils that act to successfully treat bacterial and inorganic compounds. Algae growth stimulating phosphorus that is produced within the household that passes through the septic tank is captured within a properly designed disposal field’s soil. On-site waste water disposal systems continue to be installed in support of residential and commercial development that occurs in rural settings where sanitary sewer systems are not available. According to Michigan State University Extension, when an on-site waste water disposal system is correctly located, properly designed, carefully installed, regularly inspected and properly maintained, they serve as effective waste disposal systems that are economical and that do not pose a threat to public health or to the fragile ecosystems of surrounding streams, rivers, and lakes. Michigan’s on-going failing septic system crisis is best exemplified by Kent County where a volunteer only septic system inspection program allows an estimated 11,250 failing residential septic systems distributed throughout the county to leak approximately one million gallons of raw sewage into vulnerable groundwater supplies each day. In inland lake inundated Oakland County, as another prime example, where public health threatening cases of e-coli contamination of rivers and lakes are reported on a more and more frequent basis, and where county officials have yet to establish a program that would mandate regular septic system inspections, approximately 25% to 30% of the 100,000 septic systems located in Michigan’s most affluent county are known to be leaking. The gravity of the situation is effectively illustrated by the fact that the results of a 2015 field study conducted by Michigan State University researchers on sixty-four Michigan rivers revealed that concentrations of e-coli that were higher than U. S. Environmental Protection Agency permitted water quality standards. The significance of the issue is amplified by the fact that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lake, and Energy (EGLE) reports that approximately one half of Michigan’s thousands of miles of rivers and streams suffer from concentrations of toxic e-coli that exceed minimum water quality standards. Representing a major environmental and public health issue in Michigan that promises to escalate in significance as increasing numbers of septic systems fail and begin to leak with the passage of time, past efforts to enact legislation that would serve to establish a meaningful statewide standard for how septic tanks are designed, built, inspected, and maintained have sadly disintegrated in the face of arguments suggesting that in addition to treading on individual property rights, regulating septic tanks in a manner that would require regular inspections and maintenance would be too costly for homeowners, over burden county health departments, and as the Lansing-based Michigan Realtors continues to argue, make it much more difficult to sell homes. Sadly, one does not need to have earned a graduate degree in political science from Harvard or Yale to recognize that profit margins appear to be more important in Michigan than achieving and maintaining safe, clean, clear freshwater that is safe to drink and that is safe to swim in~! And, frankly we find this disgusting!!! It is important to note, however, that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recognizes the significance of the on-going problem and has declared the week of September 16-20, 2024 as Septic Smart Week that encourages homeowners and communities to inspect and properly maintain their septic systems on a voluntary basis. In an applaudable effort to make low interest loans available to qualifying homeowners, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has partnered with Michigan Saves, the nation’s first non-profit green bank to offer financing for the replacement of failing or near-failing septic systems statewide through the Septic Replacement Loan Program (SRLP). The program provides low-interest financing options for loans of up to $50,000 to qualified Michigan homeowners seeking to replace their dysfunctional septic systems. The introduction of Michigan House of Representatives Bills 4479 and 4480 and Michigan Senate Bills 299 and 300 represent the latest effort to remedy the embarrassing fact that Michigan remains the only state in the nation that has not yet enacted a statewide septic code. The proposed common sense-based legislation would mandate routine inspections and essential maintenance for all septic systems. If passed into law, the bills would also establish a database for inspections, a certification system for inspectors, and a technical advisory committee to provide recommendations for septic system management. Sadly, pro-active efforts sponsored by well-funded Lansing-based lobbyists have thus far prevented the important legislation from moving forward in both the Michigan House and Senate. For more information on how failing septic systems are capable of degrading our precious freshwater resources, visit the U. S. EPA’s web page entitled “How Your Septic System Can Impact Nearby Water Sources” . The always wise inland lakes preservation focused folks from northwest Lower Michigan’s Glen Lake Association have also created a septic smart webpage that contains valuable information regarding the proper maintenance of septic systems. |