MSU Extension offering webinar on “Septic Systems: Insight into Your Onsite System”

Terry Gibb<gibb@msu.edu>, and Bindu Bhakta, Michigan State University Extension -

This free, live webinar will provide homeowners and businesses with important information to protect an important resource – their onsite waste water system.

Approximately 43 percent of Michigan residents rely on onsite wastewater (septic) systems to handle the waste water from their homes and businesses. That is over 1.2 million septic systems in use in Michigan today and it is estimated that at least 10 percent of these are in some level of failure.

For many, septic systems are the only option because a municipal sewer system is either not available or too costly. What do you know about your waste water treatment?

  • Are you on a septic or municipal system?
  • Do you know where your septic tank and drain field are located?
  • When was the last time you had your septic system inspected?
  • What are some easy actions to protect your septic system from failure?

Many home and business owners do not realize there is a problem until it has become a major one. A failed system can cost the owner thousands of dollars to repair, if it is even possible, or replace.

Michigan State University Extension is hosting a live webinar, “Septic Systems: Insight into Your Onsite System” on Monday, April 20 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. This program will cover what a septic system is, how it works, best management practices to protect the system, how to identify trouble in the system, steps to take if a problem occurs and alternative system options.

The live webinar will include presentations by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and a county Health Department Sanitarian Supervisor with 29 years of septic and well experience. The presentations will be followed by a live question and answer session via the chat box.

To join this free webinar, you must pre-register at http://events.anr.msu.edu/septicinsight/. You will receive a confirmation email upon registration and login instruction at least 48 hours prior to the webinar.

Deadline to register is Friday, April 17, 2015. After this date, please contact Maureen at 586-469-6440 for information on late registration.

For more information on managing waste, special considerations for planting over a septic system drainfield, the safety of flushable wipes on a septic system, managing systems in sensitive shoreline areas and alternatives to conventional septic systems, a number of MSU Extension news articles are available concerning these topics.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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