Officials in lower Michigan’s Atlas Township, near Flint, Mich., are blaming high sodium levels in a community septic system on water softener discharge and are speculating that the salt is going to lead the system to failure. In this story, a local regulator says softener discharge is threatening the system: 

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/02/too_much_salt_in_atlas_townshi.html

Of interest to pumpers and system maintainers, the story says there are 27 properties using the system and homeowners are charged $368 each annually to maintain it. Officials are trying to determine which home or homes is responsible for the water softener discharge.

Talk of damage due to water softener discharge might be a little premature, however. As I am reminded by Jim Anderson, emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota’s Water Resources Center and education coordinator for the National Association of Wastewater Technicians, septic industry leaders are currently studying the impact of water softener discharge on systems and they have yet to announce their findings. Anderson says a report on the topic is expected to come in the future, maybe later this year.

That the industry is still waiting for some definitive evidence on the topic might be of interest to the folks in Michigan. They might also like to know the regulator, John O’Brien, director of the Genesee County Water and Waste, is giving readers wrong advice about caring for their septic systems.

In the story, O’Brien advocates for pouring yeast into septic systems once a month to improve performance. Anderson says that advice is wrong, and compares it to the old wives’ tale that it’s good to put raw meat into a septic tank. “His credibility went sideways on that one,’’ Anderson said. “(Yeast) has no impact one way or the other.’’

O’Brien may have showed his hand on the bigger wastewater issue in further comments, saying that the best solution is to get rid of community septic systems in favor of the public sewer. If a shared system is able to be regulated and works properly, why opt for hooking up to the Big Pipe?

Do you have a comment on this blog? Post it right here or send me an email at editor@pumper.com.