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Effective April 1, 2007 people who buy a new home in Georgia built on a septic system will receive an educational folder and DVD at time of closing. This video produced by the Georgia Department of Human Resources (GA DHR) is currently being distributed statewide to educate homeowners about their septic system.

Thousands of residents in metro Atlanta utilize septic systems for domestic wastewater disposal. A septic system consists of a septic tank and drainage pipes. Lack of maintenance of your septic system can result in expensive repairs and raw sewage overflowing and leaching into storm drains and local waterways. This not only damages the quality of our streams and creeks but can also cause serious health risks.To find out more information about septic tanks or to register for a workshop, click on one of the links below.

Effective April 1, 2007 people who buy a new home in Georgia built on a septic system will receive an educational folder and DVD at time of closing. The following video was produced by the Georgia Department of Human Resources (GA DHR) and is currently being distributed statewide to educate homeowners about their septic system.

Learn how to maintain your septic tank by speaking with a county Environmental Health Services Coordinator at a workshop. Click here to find a list of septic tank workshops are scheduled throughout metro Atlanta.  For quick information on septic tank maintenance and care, click on any of the links below to understand how septic tanks work and fail.

Septic Tank Maintenance and Care Overview

• The Problem
• How Does A Septic Tank Work?
• Do I Have A Septic System?
• Septic System Location
• Septic Tank Capacity
• Septic Tank Maintenance and Pumping
• Drainfield Maintenance
• Household Practices
• Signs that your septic tank may not be working correctly
• Household Practices
• Maintenance of Septic Tanks
• Brochures and Other Materials About Septic Tanks
• If You Notice a Problem

The Problem
Water that carries harmful bacteria from failing septic systems can come into contact with and pollute rivers, lakes and streams. Here are a few simple steps you can take to maintain your septic system so as to maximize its efficiency, reduce problems and expenses, and provide protection for rivers, lakes and streams.

How does it work?
Wastewater flows from your home into a septic tank buried in your yard. The liquid in the tank goes through pipes called a DRAINFIELD. The waste seeps into the soil and is broken down in the soil. After several years, a septic tank must be pumped out in order for it to function properly. If a septic tank is not pumped, raw sewage may overflow into the drainfield and seep into the groundwater.

Do I have a Septic System?
If you are currently not paying a monthly sewer fee or sewer development fee, then most likely you are serviced by a septic tank system. Check the layout or site plans of your property to identify the location of a septic tank on your property.

Septic System Location
To keep wastewater in the drainfield from contaminating water, a drainfield should be 100 feet from a well, shoreline, or wetland. Also, it should be downhill from a well. The septic tank should be at least 50 feet from a well, shoreline, or wetland.

Septic Tank Capacity
Septic tanks should be large enough to hold two days worth of wastewater on the heaviest use days.

Do you have the right sized septic tank?
_____ people in home X 150 gallons = ____gallons.
What size is your septic tank? ____ gallons.

Septic Tank Maintenance and Pumping
Septic systems should last twenty to thirty years or even longer when pumped regularly. Have your septic system pumped every 2 to 3 years.

Drainfield Maintenance

• Do not park cars or put heavy equipment above the septic tank or drainfield.
• Trees and shrubs closer than 50 feet to the drainfield can clog the system with roots. Planting grass above a drainfield will not cause damage.
• Do not let rainwater drain or form puddles on the drainfield.

Household Practices
Many household chemicals can hurt your septic system.

Signs that your septic system may not be working correctly are: Bad odors in your home or yard Sinks or tubs that drain slowly Wet, spongy ground near a leaky septic tank or drainfield

You can help prevent these problems by:

• Having your septic tank pumped by a certified pumping contractor every 3 – 5 years. When you decide to have your septic tank pumped, contact your local health department for a list of approved contractors.
• Allow only household waste to be disposed into the system. Put kitchen grease and garbage into the trash, not in the septic tank.
• Keeping heavy cars or equipment away from the area on your property where the pipes are located.
• Practicing water conservation. Repair leaky faucets and toilets. Spread clothes washing over the entire week, and operate only with a full load of laundry. Excess water use can cause the system to saturate the soil, rise to the surface and flow into our streams.
• Not connecting your septic tank to the stormwater drainage system.
• Conserve water in your house to avoid system flooding—you will also cut costs.
• Use only reputable, licensed septic waste haulers to pump out or repair your system.
• Consider connecting to public sewers. Contact your local jurisdiction for more information.
• The solid level in the tank should be monitored annually and pumped out before overflow occurs.

• No chemicals, enzymes, yeast or other additives should be routinely fed into the tanks. Normal household chemicals and occasional use of drain cleaners will not significantly affect tank operation.
• Tanks should be monitored periodically to prevent sludge buildup and damage to the drainfield caused by plugging of the soil.

Brochures and Other Materials About Septic Tanks

• EPA Utility Bill Insert
• A Homeowners Guide to Maintaining a Septic Tank
• A Homeowners Guide to Maintaining a Septic Tank (short version)
• Septic Tank Sticker
• What happens after the flush?
• Where does all of the dirty water go?
• Image of Cloggers
• Image of Cross-section of a Septic Tank
• Image of Septic Tank
• Image of Inside a Septic Tank

If you notice a problem…
Contact a professional or your county Health Department as soon as possible before the system is damaged.

A special thanks to the University of Georgia, Agricultural Sciences Department for the graphics and information on this page.