Wastewater Issues

• Effective wastewater management relies on proper treatment and a functioning system. Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

  Wastewater issues can become expensive if not addressed swiftly. Regular maintenance helps minimize these issues; however, you have to be prepared to solve more complicated problems should they arise. Improper wastewater care contaminates your local drinking water and pollutes your general water supply. Additional environmental damage occurs as your situation worsens.

Discharge Without Treatment

• This occurs when wastewater discharges from a system without undergoing any treatment process. This is a systemic problem. If the property is isolated, follow the pipe system until you locate the point of the discharge. Determine if the pipe system is broken or malfunctioning. If the pipe system is functional, you may require a new onsite system to filter and treat the water. If the property is part of a community, check the cluster system to determine if it is functioning correctly. No wastewater should be released into the environment without undergoing a treatment process.

Wastewater Release from Storage

• This becomes a problem when your wastewater storage device fills to capacity and begins releasing into the environment. Check your storage size. If you estimate that the system should not have filled so swiftly, you may need a new storage system. Drain your wastewater storage system and utilize an outside treatment center. Check your storage system to assess any damage caused by the overflow. Your storage system can overflow when your adjoining treatment center is not functioning properly and clogged. Repair the necessary devices and consider a larger storage system for the property.

Processing Overload

• This becomes an issue when your system processes more wastewater than should be created by the local population. Assess your community. Determine if new residencies have opened in your community. If this is the situation, re-allocate your system if possible to shift the load to other treatment centers in order to balance the increase. If this is not the case, assess your population. Discuss methods of decreasing wastewater with your population and try to get them involved. This lets them get involved in the resolution of their situation before requesting more money from the community. If the situation persists, increase the treatment capacity of your system by investing in new equipment.

Independent System Failure

• These situations arise when the issue is on-site and independent of your wastewater processing system. Provide those responsible with the upkeep of these systems with specific information about the upkeep and general maintenance of their wastewater system. Independent sites can tend to overlook their wastewater maintenance and let this system break down. Effective education, combined with specific processes, are the only way to help improve their maintenance. Include information on simplifying these processes, either through specific chemicals or cleaning procedures that they can perform regularly on-site.