By:  Bill Butler, Lake Watch President
Appeared in Lake Magazine, January 2026 Edition

Happy New Year!  I have a resolution suggestion.  Resolve to get your septic tank cleaned on a regular basis.  While a growing number of lake residents are on a municipal or community system and do not have this worry, the large majority of lake residents still rely on a septic system for their sewage disposal.  A properly maintained system does a great job in treating waste, but a neglected one can be a very dangerous source of pollution to our treasured Alabama Lake.

 Septic systems have come a long way since being just a large concrete tank set in the ground with a gravity overflow to some gravel-lined trenches.  Modern systems will have multiple chambers, often with an aeration chamber, to improve treatment efficiency.  The waste may then flow to a holding tank before being pumped to field lines for final treatment as it is absorbed into the soil.  Whatever type of system you have, it requires periodic maintenance.

 

Proper maintenance starts with familiarizing yourself with your system.  If you bought an existing house, you may have minimal information on the septic system.  Your local county health department maintains permit records, which will show the location and design of your system.  These records are generally not online at this point, so obtaining a copy of the permit requires an office visit.

 

The most important maintenance is to have the accumulated solids pumped out of the tank as needed.  How often this should be done depends on factors such as the size of the system and amount of usage, but general recommendation is to have the system pumped every three to five years.  If the tank is not pumped regularly to remove accumulated solids, the tank will be washed out into the drainfield, which can clog the pipes, requiring an expensive repair job.

 

Allowing the drainfield to be flooded by excess flow or effluent can also cause problems.  If you rent your house out to large groups, or if you’re expecting a lot of family and friends for several days, a recommended practice is to have one or more of your tanks pumped ahead of time.  Doing so will provide your system with some excess capacity to handle the increased flow and avoid drainage to your field lines.

 Another maintenance item is the effluent filter on the outflow pipe from the septic tank.  Basic septic tanks installed after around 2006 are required by the Alabama’s Department of Public Health regulations to have a filter to keep solids from reaching the field lines.  The filter should be cleaned at a minimum whenever the tank is pumped, sometimes more frequently; however, not all systems have filters.  If you have an aeration tank after your septic tank, there is probably no need for a filter.

 

Another important matter is to pay attention to what you put into your septic systems.  The ADPH and the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service both have excellent publications online with maintenance tips and long lists of what not to put into the system.  Newsflash; flushable wipes should not be flushed!  Why manufacturers are allowed to label them this way is a mystery.  Also, disposing of coffee grounds in the sink is like pouring dirt into your system.

 

Minimize the use of a garbage disposal.  It is estimated such use increases the volume of solids entering a system by about 50 percent, requiring more frequent pumping.  Most of what goes down a garbage disposal can be composted instead.

 

A sailor friend has a sign in his boat that reads, “Do not put anything in the toilet you did not eat.”  Hmmm… Perhaps a little extreme for home use, but you get the point.

 

Septic systems are designed and permitted based on the number of bedrooms in a home, not the occupancy.  A growing area of concern is homes with modest capacity, possibly with outdated septic systems, rented out to large groups of people for weeks at a time.  While Lake Watch does not believe septic systems impacting the lake are a widespread problem at this point, we have responded to a few complaints from residents this past year that appeared to involve discharges from overloaded systems.

 

One of Lake Watch’s priorities for the coming year is to learn as much as we can about the threats posed by inadequate or poorly maintained septic systems and to advocate with our public officials on the site and local levels to strengthen permitting and maintenance requirements. 

 

Please consider joining us at Lake Watch.  Just scan the QR code  or go to LakeWatch.org.    Also, check the website for information on our annual meeting, scheduled for February 22, 2026, at New Water Farms.  There will be free food.  Guests and members are welcome.

 

Bill Butler is a retired attorney, long-time resident of Lake Martin and President of Lake Watch of Lake Martin after drawing the short straw.