EPA Kicks Off Ninth Annual SepticSmart Week

The following press release was published by the US EPA on Sept. 20. It is reproduced in full below.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), supported by state and local governments, the private sector, communities, and academia, will sponsor its ninth SepticSmart Week September 20-24, 2021. EPA’s SepticSmart initiative is a nationwide public education effort offering educational resources to homeowners, local organizations, and government leaders to explain how septic systems work and provide tips on how to properly maintain them to protect public health and the environment.

“Managing wastewater effectively is essential to thriving communities,” said Andrew Sawyers, Director of EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management. “By proactively servicing and maintaining septic systems, owners protect against sewage backups and leaks—saving money in the long run while protecting the environment.”

This SepticSmart Week 2021, EPA supports public awareness about the important role septic maintenance plays in local water quality and shares helpful tips, such as:

More than one-fifth of U.S. households utilize an individual onsite system or small community cluster system to treat their wastewater. These systems treat and dispose of relatively small volumes of wastewater and include a wide range of individual and cluster treatment options to process household and commercial sewage. These systems go by such names as septic, decentralized wastewater treatment, cluster, package plants, on-lot, individual sewage disposal, and private sewage. When properly installed, operated, and maintained, these systems help protect public health, preserve valuable water resources, and maintain a community’s economic vitality.

SepticSmart Week 2021 encourages homeowners, wastewater professionals, and state, tribal, and local officials to design and maintain effective systems to safeguard your family’s health, protect the environment, and save money. Be part of the solution by visiting: www.epa.gov/septic for more resources and information.

Source: US EPA