Gianna Petito

Vermont has more than 800 lakes and ponds, many carved out by the glaciers centuries ago and others created by dams. The crown jewel is the 490-square-mile Lake Champlain, which the state shares with New York and Québec.

As in other states, the lakes are threatened with pollution, some of which comes from failing septic systems. To confront that issue, in 2019 the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District held a daylong seminar called Waterfront Living in Vermont: A Septic Solutions Conference.

The conference, at the University of Vermont Dudley H. Davis Center in Burlington, was a venue for exploring design and financing solutions to deal with the state’s aging septic system infrastructure. It attracted onsite designers and installers, along with lakeshore and riverfront homeowners, Realtors and equipment vendors.

Presenters at the free conference shared basic information about septic systems, innovative treatment systems for small lots and more. Licensed septic designers earned continuing education credits.

The conference was funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. Partners in the event included Lake Champlain Sea Grant, University of Vermont Extension, the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Lakes and Ponds Management and Protection Program, and the department’s Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division.

Gianna Petito, district manager of the Winooski district, oversaw the conference planning. She offered her perspectives in an interview with Pumper. Recordings from the conference are available at www.winooskinrcd.org/past-events.

Pumper: Why did your district choose to undertake septic system education?

Petito: The early charge of conservation districts was to help farmers manage their soil and water. Our role has evolved over time, and our charge is very broad: It’s to promote the wise use of natural resources. We’ve expanded into managing urban runoff, helping people build rain barrels and helping towns remove culverts so fish can travel up streams. We look at projects for which there is a need in our district.

Pumper: Why is septic system knowledge so important as related to waterfront properties in Vermont?

Petito: We have Lake Champlain, which is a huge lake, and we also have many small lakes. The lakeshores in Vermont are actually the most densely populated areas in the state — not downtown Burlington or downtown Montpelier, but our lakefronts. Some ponds, streams and lakes are impaired due to E. coli. At a lot of these properties, the septic infrastructure is reaching or well past its 20- to 30-year life span. Our district and the Lake Champlain Basin Program agreed that this is a critical issue.

Pumper: How did you develop the curriculum for the day?

Petito: We had technical expertise from the Drinking Water and Groundwater Division. They provide the training and certification for designers, and they were the lead in building the agenda. We also had assistance from the state Lakes and Ponds program.

Pumper:  What was the essential message to homeowners who attended?

Petito: We saw this as a great opportunity to talk not just about why it’s important to upgrade a septic system, but also where to place a system. These lots are so small and so close to water. And while they’re thinking about the design and where it goes, let’s also consider how to protect native vegetation. People buy lakefront properties and then cut down all the trees, so there is no shade and no habitat, and there’s a lot more runoff. It compounds the problem in terms of water quality.

Pumper: What did the audience makeup look like?

Petito: We got about 65 people, including the speakers and vendors. About one-third were septic designers, and about one-third were lakeshore or riverfront owners. The rest were people who work for a watershed group or a municipality trying to deal with a community septic system. A portion of the day was accessible via webinar.

Pumper:  How wide did you cast the net in terms of promoting attendance?

Petito: We invited people from throughout Vermont. I got mailing lists of licensed designers and Realtors, and we invited all of them. In addition, Vermont has several regional planning commissions that have links to all the town clerks, so we reached out to them.

Pumper: What did the program consist of?

Petito: We started with an introduction from the Lake Champlain Basin Program and then went into septic 101. We brought in several folks who had installed different systems to present case studies. There were sections on regulations and pretreatment for phosphorus removal. We also had a segment on drip dispersal as a solution for small waterfront lots.

Pumper:  Was there any discussion of financing for upgrades and replacements when systems are failing?

Petito: Financing is a huge barrier. We had a session on finance and the different loan programs at the federal and state level that can help either a community or a single homeowner pay for part of an upgrade.

Pumper: How would you characterize the feedback from the conference?

Petito: It was generally pretty positive. We asked what they would be willing to do now that they had attended the conference. People said they would be more likely to tell others about septics and to inspect their own systems more regularly. When we asked what else they needed, a lot of folks including the system designers said direct technical assistance. Quite a few people said they wanted this event to happen again, and in their own communities.

Pumper:  Are there plans to repeat the conference in future years?

Petito: It depends on funding. The project is paired with what we call Septic Socials, basically a scaled-down version of the conference. I’ve been reaching out to lake owners’ associations and scheduling a day over the summer, maybe when they’re having their annual meeting or picnic. We pick someone’s house who recently had a septic upgrade. We go there and do sort of a mini septic 101. The designer is there to talk about what system was chosen and why. In addition, I plan on sharing my grant application with other conservation district managers because they at least want to have Septic Socials in their communities.