Water Smarts 2002

• Year: 2002
• Title: Water Smarts
• Author: Upper Arkansas Area COG USGS Pueblo Office
• Description: A well and septic system owner's guide to ground water in the upper arkansas area chaffee, custer, fremont, and lake counties, Colorado
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

In order to keep septic systems operating property and to protect ground
water, rural residents must be careful of pollutants that could affect those
systems. Excess manure from animals, household chemicals unsuitable
for septic systems or that are poured on the ground, can make their way
into the water supply and possibly cause illness.
Maintaining your septic system is critical to extend its life and to provide a
healthier environment for your family. Septic systems are designed to treat
household waste. Although your system should be able to process typical
household soaps and cleaners, it will not be able to handle grease, kitchen
waste (e.g,, eggshells or bones), toxic chemicals (e.g., paint thinner or
antifreeze), or personal sanitation items, such as condoms or tampons.
Realize that your septic system is designed to handle a limited flow of
water. It will work best if you allow time between showers or loads of
Iaundry, and if you repair leaking faucets and toilets. Also, a septic
system enlargement may be required if you put an addition on a house or
change a building use. The oldest water - quality law dates back to 1 599,
and prevents people from dumping trash into streams, rivers, and lakes. In
1972, the U.S. Congress passed the dean Water Act. This law and
subsequent regulations prohibit individuals and industries from dumping
material into waters without permits. In 1974, the U.S. congress passed
the Safe Drinking Water Act, which allowed the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to establish national standards for public
drinking water systems. These regulations, however, do not apply to
individual household wells.
Upper Arkansas
Ground4 ter Sti*
ed to access the wmraq
%4*11 r water qualty la b&V affected
by aeptic systsrttst and to estimate
techwao to the agtiteta.
The w oratory analyses of Water
sarttplss included WO Io, doWmine
conoentrations of variousnaturaly
oaauring and mwmraft chemkoK
mdudfng mayor ions t[cdIdu n. sodium,
potassium, chb ide, sulfate), alkalinity.
nnuuWft (r&*W, nitrite, phosphate ).
Tritium Is *ko*e of hydrogen that
can be u tar 084mate tiffs age of
ground "ar water that was
1950's has more
bitmm, as a rtasit. of rtudepr%mv,
than doh vv8tertfttN8i8 iarrg
Prior to the 1t wt,
Pipe from house Septic tank to hold A series of perforated pipes
and process solids transports wastewater from the
house and the septic tank into
the leach field and ground
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