WATERTIGHT SEPTIC TANKS: NO MORE EXCUSES

The septic tank — a 150-year-old technology — is still the “heart ” of virtually all onsite systems and most decentralized wastewater collection systems. In fact, septic tanks are very efficient anaerobic digesters that require no energy input and yet reduce contaminants in incoming raw wastewater by two-thirds. In spite of the importance of the septic tank to the onsite industry, tens of thousands of leaky and/or structurally substandard tanks are still installed every year in the United States. If the onsite wastewater industry is to be taken seriously by the mainstream, quality components must be available — beginning with the septic tank, the one component that is common to virtually every system. While the industry continues to be plagued with poor-quality tanks, some manufacturers do produce high-quality, watertight, structurally sound tanks. Typically, these high-quality tanks are found in locales that actually require manufacturers to prove (i.e., test) that their tanks are watertight and structurally sound. In order for high-quality tanks to proliferate, the following key issues must be addressed