SepticSmarts

SepticSmart Week has arrived!

Wastewater in Mahoning County, like other Ohio counties, is treated at a wastewater treatment plant or by a home sewage treatment system (aka septic system).  The further a residential property is from an urbanized area, where sanitary sewers are readily available,  the more likely it is serviced by a health department approved and appropriated septic system. 

Septic systems, when operated and maintained properly by homeowners, effectively treat waste generated from a household.  Two categories of septic systems exist within Mahoning County: onsite (on-lot) systems and off-lot discharging systems.  In both system types, waste generated from a household flows into a tank where solids settle to the bottom and oils float at the top of the tank. The liquid layer in between is wastewater or grey water.  When the tank becomes full, the wastewater moves from the tank into a drainfield where nature disinfects the water or a into secondary treatment chamber (off lot) allowing chlorine and/or UV light disinfection.  

Like a vehicle, house, or personal health, if not properly taken care of it can break down and/or fail.  The US EPA and the Mahoning County District Board of Health remind homeowners to know their septic systems and understand how to properly manage and maintain the system.  All too often, a system will fail because homeowners are not aware of their systems' needs and pumping (solid and scum removal) requirements.  

This week the US EPA is encouraging homeowners with septic systems to remember these simple tips:

• Protect It and Inspect It: Homeowners should generally have their system inspected every three years by a qualified professional or according to their state or local health department's recommendations. Tanks should be pumped when necessary, typically every three to five years.
• Think at the Sink: Avoid pouring fats, grease, and solids down the drain. These substances can clog a system’s pipes and drainfield.
• Don’t Overload the Commode: Only put things in the drain or toilet that belong there. For example, coffee grounds, dental floss, disposable diapers and wipes, feminine hygiene products, cigarette butts, and cat litter can all clog and potentially damage septic systems.
• Don’t Strain Your Drain: Be water efficient and spread out water use. Fix plumbing leaks and install faucet aerators and water-efficient products. Spread out laundry and dishwasher loads throughout the day: too much water at once can overload a system that hasn’t been pumped recently.
• Shield Your Field: Remind guests not to park or drive on a system’s drainfield, where the vehicle’s weight could damage buried pipes or disrupt underground flow. 

https://www.epa.gov/septic 

Illustration of an on-lot septic system

For more information about septic systems in Mahoning County, contact the Mahoning County District Board of Health at (330) 270-2855.

Out GREEN your neighbor- Part 2

What if you were told you could save money WHILE still applying fertilizers to your property? You can with one simple cost effective step! A soil sample is an easy, cost effective step that can tell a landowner what type of diet your soils needs. Understanding your soil's nutrient needs PRIOR to fertilizing is your first step in saving the GREEN that belongs in your wallet.

The Mahoning County Farm Bureau and Mahoning County's Ohio State University Extension office are collaborating to bring another series of soil and soil fertility workshops to those who may have missed the first workshop held on June 6th. These workshops will uncover the secrets of a plush green lawn and/or garden while helping to protect local water quality. 

Whether you are a residential land owner, gardener, farmer, or landscaper these workshops are for YOU!  If you would like to save money each year on lawn care maintenance costs, this workshop if for YOU!  If you want to see your wallet greener than your neighbor's lawn, this workshop if for YOU!  Consider attending one or both of the workshops listed below!

How to out GREEN your neighbor

The cost savings involved in managing our residential lawns and farm fields should begin with a simple soil analysis.  Save the green in your wallet and test your soils BEFORE you spend money on multi-step fertilizing products and/or lawn care/ farm field management agreements!  A simple soil analysis, which can cost as little as $18.00, can tell you what your soil needs or doesn't need BEFORE you sign the contract or purchase fertilizer.  The Mahoning County Farm Bureau and AWARE are hosting a soil testing workshop on June 6, 2016 at the Southern Park Stables.  The workshop is a collaborative event with the Ohio State University Extension Office, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Mahoning County Engineers Office, and Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District and will feature information about our region’s soils, their needs and cost saving benefits to soil testing. Steve Prebonick, Certified Soil Scientist for Mahoning County, and Eric Barrett, OSU Extension Director for Mahoning County will discuss Mahoning County’s soil types and the importance of understanding soil nutrient needs and the effects of excess nutrients on water quality. Each attendee will learn how to retrieve a soil sample and instructions on where to take their sample for analysis. See the workshop flier below for more details.

Congratulations to the Mahoning County Farm Bureau!

AWARE is proud to partner with the Mahoning County Farm Bureau to begin nutrient management education with residents of the Mill Creek Watershed

The Mahoning County Farm Bureau received $1,500.00 in grant funds from the Ohio County Farm Bureau’s 2016 Water Quality Initiative Grant Program to encourage soil sampling prior to land applying fertilizers and/or nutrients. The “Nutrient Management in the Upper Mill Creek Watershed: What our Soils Can Teach Us” project was one of 19 projects from around the state of Ohio to receive funds.  The Ohio EPA lists nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, as one of the top five aquatic life impairments in surface waters.  Nutrients, when applied in excess and/or at the wrong time, can enter surface waters during heavy rain events and accelerate the formation of algal blooms.  The Mahoning County Farm Bureau and the Alliance for Watershed Action and Resource Education (AWARE) are partnering with the Ohio State University Extension Office, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Mahoning County Engineers Office, and Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District to provide a better understanding of our local soils, what nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are already in or are lacking in soil, cost savings associated with soil testing prior to fertilizing. 

The Mill Creek Watershed is 78.4 square miles, houses approximately 96,000 residents, and traverses through diverse landscapes- rural lands in the upper/ headwaters region and urbanized areas in lower reaches.  These diverse watershed land uses contribute to the nutrient loads affecting Mill Creek's water quality. This project will show how soil sampling is one of the simplest and cost effective measure landowners and farmers can perform to ensure they are protecting water quality and saving money before they begin applying nutrients.

The Mahoning County Farm Bureau along with the project's collaborators want to provide both agricultural and residential landowners an educational background on proper nutrient management. Whether it is a landowner who fertilizes their residential lawn or a farmer who spreads nutrients across their fields, proper nutrient management is needed to improve water quality in the Mill Creek Watershed. 

World Water Day- March 22, 2016

Celebrate Water on March 22nd ! A message from Water.org