Most rural homes in South Dakota are served by an on-site, wastewater treatment system or septic system, but many rural residents do not have the basic information they need to properly operate and maintain their septic systems. There is often a sense of out of sight, out of mind when dealing with an on-site system. The purpose of this manual to provide the homeowner with that information. If an on-site system is to fulfill its intended function and properly treat wastewater, three items are necessary. The first two items, proper system design and installation, are the responsibility of the system installer. The third, proper system operation and maintenance, is the responsibility of the homeowner and is the primary factor in system longe...