The Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance in Missouri sent invitations to homeowners to enjoy a free meal while hearing expert advice on the care and maintenance of their onsite systems. The program is paying off as more residents are being encouraged to have their septic tanks pumped. The program, funded by a grant from the state’s Department of Natural Resources, began in April 2008 and ran through September.
Presentations open and close with a test to calculate what attendees learned. LOWA executive director Donna Swall reports seeing a 20-percent increase in knowledge. Those who sign up for a pump-out receive a $10 coupon for attending the workshop, a $25 grant from LOWA, and a $10 to $15 discount from Bob Arnall of A & A Septic Pumping Services in Camdenton, Mo.
The lake district is unlike other counties in the state. As a resort and vacation destination, it’s common for properties to change hands every three years. Arnall talked to Pumper about doing business in this environment, and the benefits and challenges of his company’s partnership with LOWA.
Pumper:
How long have you belonged to the Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance?
Arnall:
My dad joined in 2006 when LOWA incorporated. It’s a citizen-led group formed to protect and preserve our lakes and the Missouri Watershed. Eighteen local, state and federal agencies serve as our technical advisors.
Because Lake of the Ozarks is a vacation area, people arrive from the city assuming that their toilets connect to sewers. They buy property without realizing they own an onsite system until sewage backs up into their homes.
That scenario prompted these lunch-and-learn seminars. LOWA wanted to find and educate people who know nothing about septic tanks, and in this area, that’s a lot. Since we all swim in the lake, the cleaner we can make the water before it enters, the better.
Pumper:
What benefits have you seen from this partnership?
Arnall:
The biggest is protecting the environment. We’ve pumped about 75 septic tanks so far, and at least 10 percent of them had never been serviced. Many tanks in this area are metal, and severe corrosion is the most common thing we see. In four instances, had we pumped the tanks, the walls would have caved in because there was so little material left.
My agreement with LOWA is to report any onsite problems to only the homeowners. The people with corroded tanks did the right thing. They replaced them, and called me to pump out the old tank when the new one was installed.
I’ve seen some failed drainfields, too. They failed because they were too small to handle the hydraulic flow. When originally installed, 20 feet of laterals in soils that won’t percolate was more than adequate for a small cabin and one fisherman. Twenty years later, the cabin’s been sold 10 times and people are living there year-round. They’ve remodeled, built additions, and never upgraded the onsite systems. I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. For example, one fisherman dug a hole and made his own tank using field stone and cement.
Pumper:
When did Missouri enact its septic code?
Arnall:
In 1999, and it helped a lot. Any system installed since then must have concrete or fiberglass tanks. When a house is sold, the onsite system must be inspected, and the owner is responsible for knowing where the septic tank is and keeping it accessible. Before that, it was potluck finding systems in 90 percent of the yards.
Having said that, my biggest problem still is locating tanks. I can’t give the promised discount if we spend an hour walking the yard with a metal detector. Sometimes we dig where they say the tank is, but it isn’t there. Once we dug and found a dry, empty tank. The homeowner swore it was his, so he used the toilet, then ran back out to wait for the stool to arrive. It didn’t. The tank was his all right, but not the one hooked to the house.
Overall, things are improving. Some small communities and subdivisions are putting in their own cluster systems. That’s encouraging.
Pumper:
How can you offer a discount and still make an adequate profit with customers spread out all over the place?
Arnall:
Donna Swall asked those who came to the meeting to recruit their neighbors, making service routes as efficient as possible. Everyone in a certain area who wanted a pump-out is on that list.
The problem was getting a hold of them. Most drive up Friday night, stay the weekend, then return to the city. How do you contact people like that? When I did reach someone or he returned my call, that person often wanted me to pump the tank next year, or said that the tank was pumped last year, or he didn’t want the service. I spent a lot of time chasing people who went to the meeting just for a free meal. That complicated things, but the reason is that we are in a tourist area. I’m confident it won’t be half as much trouble in other counties.
For example, we pumped 75 tanks, but the list had more than 100 names on it. That’s normal for a vacation area. One day, I called 12 people and found one who was home. You’re not going to see that anywhere else. Joe Fisher and I did most of the phoning. As soon as someone said yes, we sent Gary Denton to pump the tank. Gary did most of the pumping, freeing Joe and me to make phone calls.
Pumper:
After a pump-out, do you suggest a maintenance agreement?
Arnall:
That’s a waste of time because most properties change hands every three years. Sometimes people ask us to service the tank again next year, but we don’t even put their names on a callback list. When we did this in the past, we too often wound up knocking on someone’s door who didn’t know us. Today, we thank that customer for his business and ask him to call next year.
My company has a solid reputation and my phone rings a lot more than it needs to. We pump millions of gallons a year from a 50-square-mile service area covering Morgan, Miller, and Benton counties. I take 1 million gallons of effluent out of my small lagoon annually and have a backup lagoon that holds 2 million gallons. I need the second lagoon because regulations prevent me from taking septage off the property or having it touch an adjoining property.
Pumper:
How do you dispose of your decanted effluent?
Arnall:
After lime stabilization, we apply it to 50-acre alfalfa fields on six different farms. The application sites rotate and the farmers tell us where to spread the fertilizer. They like it because they get a second cutting off those fields.
Pumper:
Are you or LOWA encouraging other pumpers to promote similar partnerships in the state?
Arnall:
They hired another pumper for the counties that were too far away to service without charging more, and that would defeat the purpose of the program. As the workshops move farther away from the lake, it’s easier for me to contact owners. The odds are higher that I’ll find someone at home and, if not, that person will return my call in a day or two..
Pumper:
Will LOWA continue with the lunch-and-learn program throughout 2009?
Arnall:
Yes, and I’ll be onboard.
Bob Arnall may be reached at 573/346-5123.
