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Wastewater Management
Glocester's Wastewater Management Board was established in 1999 to administer the Town's "
Waste Water Management District Ordinance." The Ordinance addresses concerns about proper wastewater disposal in the town. As part of its charge the Board must prepare rules and regulations to carry out this ordinance.
The ordinance and its rules and regulations are designed to assist town residents in managing wastewater disposal in an environmentally sound, cost effective manner over the long term. Glocester's Town Council in 1998 established as a standard policy of the Town that: "Individual Sewage Disposal System on-site handling of wastewater shall be the first and main method of wastewater disposal. To that end the Waste Water Management District will establish a program to provide technical assistance, financial assistance, and necessary enforcement of safe and effective Individual Sewage Disposal Systems to the property owners of the Town of Glocester." The ordinance and its rules and regulations consider waste water management alternatives such as innovative septic systems, system maintenance, home owner education, on-site treatment (individual and community), subsurface disposal, and as a last resort, sewer connections to surrounding communities. What are the advantages of Glocester having such an ordinance? First, the Town can now apply for federal or state funding to assist homeowners with solving wastewater disposal problems. Second, Wastewater Management Districts have more control over the approval process for new and repaired septic systems, rather than leaving this control up to the state. It can also promote the installation of alternative and innovative individual sewage disposal systems, as well as providing technical and financial assistance to homeowners which are more in tune with Glocester's unique environmental
There are three good reasons for maintaining your septic system: 1. For Your Health If your septic system is working properly, it's doing its job of keeping you and your neighbors healthy. If it's not, it can pollute your drinking water well, or that of your neighbor, and can carry pollutants and destructive nutrients to Glocester's lakes and ponds. Many diseases, such as hepatitis, dysentery, typhoid, and gastroenteritis can be contracted from drinking polluted water contaminated by bacteria and viruses in wastewater from an improperly sited, installed, or maintained septic system. 2. For Glocester's Environment Glocester's clean and healthy environment is why all of us live in the town. We all enjoy the use of the clean water the town's environment provides for drinking, fishing, and swimming. Water pollution robs us of all these uses. Sewage containing nutrients reaching a water body can over-fertilize aquatic plants. The plants die, turning the water brown and murky with a rotten egg smell, and choking off the water's oxygen supply, thus killing the fish. The same sewage reaching ground water pollutes our wells with bacteria and viruses which can make us ill or affect taste and odor, thus making our drinking water unfit. In a properly operating system, wastewater from your house enters a septic tank where heavy solids settle out and grease and oils rise to the top. Naturally-present bacteria help decompose the solid organic matter, while liquids flow out through a pipe into a leach field and pass into the soil which removes bacteria and viruses from the wastewater. An essential step in keeping a septic system operating properly is to have the tank pumped out regularly. Systems fail because solids and scum build up in the tank, then enter and clog the leach pipes or the soil. 3. For Your Wallet Repairing or replacing a failed septic system is costly. The cost to replace a leachfield or other parts of your system can range from $3,000 to over $12,000. If the entire system must be replaced the cost can be much higher. What does maintenance pumping of your system cost? On average it costs about $150 each time. How often should a properly functioning system be pumped for maintenance purposes? Once every three years is a standard recommendation; however, it may be more or less frequently depending upon your individual system. Proper maintenance is much less costly than the national yearly average of $260 for municipal sewer service and its initial hook-up fees which may range from $2,000 to $5,000 or higher for each home. These costs may not include the extra burden each homeowner may have to pay to install sewers in the street to hook into. Regular inspection, pumping and a few common sense tips will keep a septic system working properly.
It usually isn't hard to tell. A problem-free septic system should work all year long, not cause sewage back-up in the house, not cause a noticeable odor outside, and not stain the lawn. If your backyard gets wet, soggy and smelly in the spring, you have a failed system. If you suddenly find it necessary to pump out the septic tank frequently, say every three to six months, you probably have a failed system. Good preventive maintenance includes pumping your septic tank once every three to five years to remove accumulated solids and grease. If you have ignored this regular maintenance and the system has become plugged or clogged and now needs pumping, it's too late ... you have a failed system that requires repair.
The Glocester Wastewater Management Board announces the availability of loans through the Glocester Community Septic Loan Program.
No fee loans are now available to assist residential homeowners pay for repairs to:
Loan term highlights are 4% fixed annual interest rate with loan amounts from $1,000 to $30,000 with a pay-back period of up to 10 years.
The Glocester Community Septic Loan program brochure and application are available at:
Treasurer's Office (568-6206 ext. 5) Evidence (for 1, 2, or 3 above) is required. It may be obtained from DEM, a sewage disposal company, or an installer/designer.
The loan will be administered by the Rhode Island Housing & Mortgage Finance Corp. (RIHMFC) in partnership with the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency and the RI Department of Environmental Management.
*Remember Residents*
The Chepachet Wastewater Report is finished and available through the library or directly from the WWMB. CHEPACHET VILLAGE GROUNDWATER/STORMWATER ASSESSMENT
* What is PDF? |
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Glocester Town Hall • 1145 Putnam Pike - PO Box B • Chepachet, RI 02814-0702 © Copyright 1999-2011 Town of Glocester, RI. All rights reserved.
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Why Maintaining Your Septic System is Important!
