Board of Health Looks at New Strategies to Prevent Home Sewage Pollution

Contamination of wells from home sewage can threaten drinking water for many of the 14,000 families in Mahoning County who rely on private wells. At least 14,000 homes in the county rely on septic systems for sewage treatment, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and County Board of Health estimate that 27 percent of these septic systems are failing to adequately treat sewage. Up to 1.2 million gallons of untreated or undertreated sewage is discharged into yards, streams, road ditches and groundwater each day from home septic systems in Mahoning County, according to health commissioner Matthew Stefanak.

In an effort to reduce and prevent this sewage pollution, the Board of Health environmental health division is developing proposals for changes to Board of Health household sewage disposal regulations that will encourage homeowners to keep their septic systems working properly. Board of Health sanitarians spent much of 1996 gathering input about pollution prevention strategies from township trustees, homeowners, real estate developers and contractors. The sanitarians expect to present their proposals to the Board of Health sometime in 1997.

The Board of Health's pollution prevention strategies are expected to include an educational campaign urging homeowners to pump and service their septic systems regularly. Septic systems should be pumped about every three years, and systems with electric motors should be serviced semiannually, according to Dr. Karen Mancl, engineering professor at Ohio State University. A 1996 survey found that many homeowners in Mahoning County have never had their septic systems pumped or serviced.

Homeowners get new septic systems through grant program

Eighteen homeowners in the Lake Milton watershed got new septic systems or sewer tap-ins in 1996, thanks to a $75,000 grant administered by the Board of Health from the Mahoning County Commissioners Community Development Block Grant Program. Although they represent a small fraction of malfunctioning septic systems in Milton, Goshen, Berlin and Smith townships, most of these homeowners probably couldn't afford to repair or replace their systems themselves, according to Board of Health finance director Ed Janik. The homeowners received up to $5,000 each to pay for the improvements. Janik said that the Board of Health will look for other sources of grants or low interest loans to help more homeowners in 1997.

Unsafe Private Drinking Water Wells Mahoning County, 1995*
All Wells		Wells Serving Homes with Malfunctioning Septic Systems
31%		39%
*tested for mortgage lenders

Healthy People 2000 Objective: Increase to at least 85 percent the proportion of people who receive a supply of drinking water that meets the safe drinking water standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency.