On the eastern end of Lake Erie three counties have combined to improve water quality by educating people about septic systems.

Work began with a website (erie.gov/septicsmart/) to collect in one place information about how septic systems work and how to maintain them.

“We’ve realized in conversation that a lot of folks don’t necessarily know how their septic system works, or don’t pay attention to it, and don’t know that it needs maintenance,” says Joanna Panasiewicz, coordinator for the Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance. The alliance is a combined effort of Erie, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties, and outreach is funded for one year by a community grant from the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute.

The website makes two points for people, she notes: First, proper system maintenance can save money for homeowners by reducing the need for costly replacements, and second, proper maintenance can help improve water quality in the lake.

HEAD OFF ALGAE BLOOMS

The alliance was formed in 2009 in response to flooding, Panasiewicz says. The counties realized looking at a broad area beyond their borders was necessary to address some problems.

Septic education work began not in response to problems but in the hope of avoiding them. There haven’t been any algae blooms on the eastern end of the lake, Panasiewicz says, “but some inland lakes in New York State, have been experiencing harmful algal bloom issues. So it’s not quite here yet, but we know there’s potential.”

Last year the U.S. Geological Survey released a study of phosphorus contributed to the Great Lakes by selected tributary rivers. The Maumee River in Ohio, which flows through Toledo on the western end of the lake, contributed the greatest volume. That’s because its watershed is very large, she says. In terms of flow-weighted mean concentration (measured as total phosphorus per square kilometer of drainage area), the most polluting stream was Cattaraugus Creek, which borders Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Erie counties and flows into the lake.

Septic tanks are one potential source of that pollutant, Panasiewicz says. The Erie County Health Department estimates there are 47,000 septic systems in Erie County alone.

“We’re developing a watershed management plan for the Lake Erie and Niagara River watershed here in western New York State, and so we’re trying to look at what are all those potential sources of contamination and how do we address those,” she says.

Erie County borders the lake and includes the city of Buffalo. Chautauqua County is immediately south on the shore, and Cattaraugus County is inland but is part of the Lake Erie watershed.

PUMPING REBATES

“On top of creating that website, we’re also doing workshops. Because of COVID we weren’t sure exactly how it was going to go, so we’ve been doing a mix of virtual and in-person,” she says. The webinar was recorded and is available on the alliance website.

When the alliance contacted pumpers about the workshops, she says, some of them offered door prizes. One pumper who services only aerobic systems, which are not common in the area, offered a free inspection, she says. Everyone who attends a workshop and has a pumpout following it receives a $30 rebate, she says. “So the hope is this incentivizes acting upon what they’ve learned in these workshops.”

The county has an ordinance requiring an onsite system inspection at the time of sale, Panasiewicz says. There are about 1,500 sales annually, yet the rule doesn’t always work.

“A lot of these older homes, they may pass to a family member and not go through a property transfer. That’s where there may not be any inspections on record, and that’s a concern for us,” Panasiewicz says. Older properties, especially seasonal cottages, may not receive necessary maintenance, she adds, and the pandemic meant some people schooled their children at home and worked from home, and used their septic systems much more than usual.

There is hope that the outreach program will continue after the grant expires. Education and the website will continue, and perhaps the counties will be able to hold an annual septic system workshop, she says.

Panasiewicz has a degree in biology and has been working on water quality issues in Erie County for about 12 of her 14 years there. Before her water quality work she dealt with pollution prevention for businesses and hotels, which included looking at energy use and controlling waste.

“This project is a good example of how government and business can work together with similar goals,” Panasiewicz says. “Pumpers are obviously looking to increase their business, and this is an example of where that service is important for water quality.”