By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Ortonville-The village has declared September as Septic System Awareness month.
“Obviously this village is very dependent on the health of their septic systems,” said village manager Bill Sprague. “We’ve also partnered with Harrison Hoe.”
Harrison Hoe will be offering, if you make an appointment within the month of September and mention the septic system awareness month, they will give $20 off a septic cleaning.
Some might wonder why this proclamation is important. The village wants to raise awareness of septic maintenance for it’s residents so that the environment is safe and no one has a problem with their systems down the line.
According the the Environmental Protection Agency, there are a few reasons that residents should maintain their septic system:
nIt saves money in the long run. Regular maintenance can cost between $250-$500, but the cost of a new system can be upwards of $3,000.
nMaintaining your system will keep your property values up, since a bad system can bring the value down.
nKeeping you and your neighbors healthy. A system that is not properly maintained can cause groundwater contamination, which can spread disease to humans and animals. Likewise, it could also contaminate nearby surface water, which could also spread disease.
nProtecting the environment is also important, and a leaking septic system can hurt the local ecosystem, killing plants and fish that come in contact with contaminated water.
“We’d like everyone to get on a routine schedule,” said Sprague.
Check back next week for how often regular maintenance needs to be performed on your septic system.